13 years ago today, the amazing life I had ended. In the blink of an eye, a quite successful career flying for the air force (where I also got to teach the best of the best) vanished, as did the future plans and dreams of my then fiancée (now ex-wife) and I. While life doesn’t … Continue reading Grieving the Life I Lost
Welcome sadness, it will bless you. In the midst of a recent spin class on our Peloton, I broke down in tears. The instructor, Kendall Toole, invited us to welcome grief in, so I did. Soon enough, my waterworks began mixing with my sweat to form a healing “cocktail” on my face. What broke and blessed … Continue reading Welcoming and Listening to Sadness
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
Our stories contain endless depths to explore and lessons to learn. For instance, I just realized a powerful new life lesson from two of the worst moments in my life. I distinctly remember sitting on a plane 13 years ago and experiencing by far the worst turbulence I’ve ever felt (and I’ve flown several hundred … Continue reading The Gift of Grief (aka “Good Grief”): Let’s Talk About Death Part 3
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
Grace and Peace Yoga 