-
Float with the Flow
Flowers against my skin, dew transferred and absorbed, flowing with nature, united. Nature and My Nature I awoke before dawn. The magnificent colors of sunrise precede the actual emergence of the sun by quite a bit here. The sun languidly comes up when it is ready. Before the sun joined us I noticed…
-
Three Slow Exhales with the Ocean
Each breath was slower than the one before until finally I sank into my true relaxed state. My jaw relaxed, my mind cleared, I felt fully immersed in the moment. What a gift. Three Long and Slow Exhales Sink deep into relaxation starting with three breaths. Exhaling long and slow is the key…
-
Aaaaaah … Sinking into the Love
And just like that I was in paradise. With my gratitude overwhelming me I realized that finding gratitude in grief, loss, frustration, overwhelm and boredom help me to fully and humbly welcome the gift of my current surroundings. Thank You, I Accept This Gift This week I arrived in paradise. The lush jungle…
-
Freedom to Choose
With a broken elbow she was apologizing for not being more positive. Is there ever a good enough reason to complain? I Hereby Grant You Permission to Complain Complaining is a choice. So is gratitude. I practice gratitude every single evening but I also complain. A lot. I am not all gratitude because…
-
Gratitude Sharing Amidst a Storm
We sat quietly, taking cover from the desert sun, as the meditation began a storm blew through. The Smell of Onions Unseen. A Healthy Body. The Colorful Mountains. A Safe Place. We gathered. We, who are all about gratitude, sat together. We took cover from the dry desert sun in the shade, cooled by…
-
Mindful Full Moon Solstice
Mindfulness is not only a meditation technique. It is a deep noticing. It is new possibilities. It is being present. A Mindful Experience Today is a special day, both the summer solstice and a full moon on the same day. What a perfect day to talk about being present and noticing. Imagine if no one…
-
Saying Goodbye with Gratitude
Oh man, the crying headache. It aches like nothing else. Pounding, pulsing, it has it’s own heart beat. Another Fucking Tragedy Here we are again. We are collectively mourning. Again. Our tears pour down our faces and we ask more of ourselves than we were meant to ask. Sometimes I wonder how I can go on.…
-
Which Gratitude Is Better?
Is it better to express gratitude to a person you are grateful for or to write down your gratitude experience without directing it to anyone? He Put Me on the Spot I was talking to someone last week, a fellow entrepreneur, about gratitude. I told him about my gratitude practice and the work that…
-
A Night Off
What I need right now is to close this computer, drink some water, take care of my aching body, and drift off to sleep. And you know what? I am going to give myself that gift. What do you need right now? Please, for you, for those who love you, for all of us,…
-
I’m Just So Tired
Well Not Just Tired Here goes the list of complaints: I am tired, very tired. My gums are throbbing with my bad tooth screaming to get out. I am stressed with a lingering obligation anchoring my every thought. I am hungry and I don’t even want to be writing right now. One thing I…
-
Fear
In the Bathroom, On a Ballot, In My Head, Everywhere Earlier I saw yet another story about fear of transgender people in bathrooms and it got me thinking about fear. This fear is so illogical and not based in reality at all. But is fear ever about reality? Fear as a way to control and…
-
Giving Yourself Permission – Try it this week!
Mind Over Thoughts A miraculous thing happened this weekend. A simple thing that really did feel like a blessing, a gift, magic. And it was all in my head. I have been more stressed than ever dealing with a terrible financial crisis, one that puts many people at risk. I have had trouble sleeping almost…
-
How to Inspire: From “Be Happy” to “I Am Grateful for ________”
Discovering Happiness During My Mid-College Crisis Something happened to me right around the time I turned 20. I called it my mid-college crisis and even though it was during the stone ages of the internet (back in 1995) I made a website about it. I questioned everything. Who am I? What am I doing with my…
-
100 Thank Yous from Judaism to Einstein
If You Said Thank You 100 Times It is Passover and as my friends shared photos of their Seder it reminded me of a Jewish teaching I heard. It calls for all Jewish people to recite 100 blessings every day. The story behind the tradition is: During the reign of Kind David, there was…
-
The Lure in 5, 4, 3, 2 …
It Grabs Hold of You So seductively it draws you in. It knows that you can’t take your mind off of it. It’s the smart thing to do. It’s the right thing to do. And soon it’s all you think about. It is the future. Even in gratitude tomorrow grabs hold. That…
-
The Worst Things about Yourself
Leaning In I was listening to an interview of advice columnist, Ask Polly, aka Heather Havrilesky. The interviewer asked her for advice on how to Be a Person in the World (the title of her upcoming book) and this was her answer. You’ve gotta lean way into what you already are. Lean way the…
-
Writing Love Letters: Dear Morning …
A Month of Love Letters Today I received a lovely message with an invitation to write a month of love letters. But these aren’t your average love letters. These are love letters to ourselves, our bodies, our feelings and the world around us. In short they are a lovely gratitude practice. Today is April…
-
I Really Should Be Doing That
Coaching Yourself Through Establishing a New Habit I co-facilitated a workshop on Saturday on mindful meditation and gratitude. As I listened to the woman talk about meditation I found myself being hard on myself about the fact that I have fallen out of my meditation practice. At the worst I called myself lazy and unfocused.…
-
His Words Stopped Me in My Tracks
All We Take for Granted I overslept this morning. I still have not adapted to the time change and my mornings have been challenging. I woke up at 8:30am. Jumped in the shower. Quickly threw on clothes. Got into my car and raced across town arriving with a minute to spare to my…
-
A Practice to Bring You Closer Together
Is There Someone You’d Like to Connect With? You know I’m always talking about how important noticing is as a first step to being grateful. That can be true for nature, our work or home, and also for the people we care about. Is there someone you would like to have a deeper connection…