Avoidance is the best policy, right? 😂 While I spent much of my life “running” from sadness, anger, fear, frustration, and the like, I’ve realized: Radical acceptance of the awkward stuff, not avoidance, is the path to flourishing. In many ways, the Lorde concert I just went to was a masterful artistic audiovisual illustration of this truth. Midway through the performance, … Continue reading Accepting Awkwardness Creates Awesomeness
Fear. Isn’t it crazy how much this energy saturates our news, politics, beliefs, and relationships, thus shaping and guiding us? In 1992 I remember being frightened Clinton would wreck our nation. At an airport in the Middle East in 2003 I was scared terrorists would kill me. I recall being so terrified of being single … Continue reading Living Love in a World of Fear
What do you do when fear comes a'knocking, or kicks the front door down like it did recently? Buy ALL the hand sanitizer and toilet paper, like everyone here did? Curl up in a ball (the energy I've felt this week)? Pour all your attention and energy into _____? Isn't it interesting how grasping, which … Continue reading Fear, the Corona Virus, Staying Sane, and Loving Big
What's one of your favorite words? One I especially adore, and have a tat of, is "shalom". While this Hebrew word is typically translated "peace", it also means wholeness, unity, and harmony. It's basically shorthand for "everything as it should be". Powerful stuff. Along those lines, I recall in seminary talking about the collective shalom brought by … Continue reading Meditation on Becoming a Passer of Peace
What do you think, or hope, happens after we die? Say we knew with 100% certainty what will occur, what would change for you here/now? While I don’t think that’s going to happen, I am convinced talking and sharing about death will make us less afraid, less anxious, and more loving now. While thinking about four … Continue reading What Might Happen After We Die and Why It Matters: Let’s Talk About Death Part 6
I should have died 10.5 years ago when I was 33. Yet, as traumatic as this unreal experience was (the above pic of me in the ICU was 47 days AFTER my accident), I can honestly say it was an incredible gift. You see, it keeps death before my eyes, which, crazy as it might sound, … Continue reading Why Keeping Death Always Before Your Eyes Makes Life Better: Let’s Talk About Death Part 5
Many of the people I know who are most ALIVE and JOYOUS are those who’ve lost the most. For instance, by the time she was 4, my 14 year-old daughter’s parents had divorced, her dad had been in the hospital for 6 months after he should have died, she’d moved across the country, and her … Continue reading The Freedom of Dying BEFORE You Die: Let’s Talk About Death Part 4
What if death, whether it’s losing a job/relationship or being put in a casket, wasn’t a badthing? What if we chose to view and talk about death in a positive way? What if we saw death as natural and part of life? What if it we thought of it more as a transition? I don’t … Continue reading The Life-Giving Power of Learning a Death Positive Approach: Let’s Talk About Death Part 2
In my journey of personal growth and development I’ve found perhaps the most important movement toward transformation/enlightenment/salvation is awareness. Becoming truly aware, with “eyes wide open”, of the past trauma(s) trapping us, the cultural messages enslaving us, our internal narratives keeping us stuck, and so on, is crucial because more often than not we simply … Continue reading How the Way We “Approach” Death is Killing Us: Let’s Talk About Death Part 1
First the falling, then the rising. Over the past week a few people shared heartache, struggles, fears, and other painful stuff with me. Being wired for optimism, I wanted to quickly sugarcoat these hurts or move past them. Knowing this about myself, I've been practicing going INTO the pain instead of around it; taking time … Continue reading Meditation on Finding Peace & Wholeness by Diving Deep Into Our Hardships
Grace and Peace Yoga 