In his book, ‘Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice’, author Shunryu Suzuki Roshi writes that truth we seek comes from nothingness; that we should strive to understand the nature of this emptiness. Many years ago, I would have ‘read right past’ this powerful message – assuming its intention without the…
The other day, I purchased a new toy for our service dog. She’s been working so hard and I wanted to, in some small way, show and share my gratitude. I selected what I felt to be the ‘perfect’ gift – a lime green alligator with wildly felted teeth and a squeaker inside. When I…
I remember the first time we met. He wore an old duster, frayed at the edges. If you asked, he’d laugh and swear it was from the adventures. Oh, and didn’t he have the ‘battle scars’ to prove it. Folks would come for miles just to hear his stories – a reminder of the boundlessness…
I noticed the tremor first. It began as a minor annoyance, though in time became uncontrollable. Followed shortly by the stiffness and pain, resulting in a slowed, deliberate gait. By the end of that first summer, I was unable to walk unassisted. The diagnosis? An aggressive, atypical Parkinson’s that was slowly gnawing away at what’s…
I read an article this morning regarding the evolution of our consciousness. More specifically, a discussion of our capacity to overcome. “We are pioneers of human consciousness,” the article shared. For millions of years, our survival was contingent on sudden bursts of energy predicated on human emotion. Just as a tiger readying to destroy its…
When my father died, a large irrepressible void visited itself upom the space we once shared. Like an uninvited guest, she stayed well beyond her welcome – threatening to transform our joy into pain. The pain of loss is often amplified through the contrast of countless memories; what we had once known and loved so…
My grandfather had a mahogany kaleidescope that he kept in a stand on his dresser. When I was younger, I use to marvel at its display – bits of brightly colored glass tumbling into fanciful designs. I’d spend hours gazing through, delicately adjusting – moving closer, then away from the light. It brought me a…
“Be soft,” he shared with me. “Energy can be influenced, though never changed.” He was speaking, at first, to my recent troubles. I had just lost my job, and with that, much needed medical insurance. Forget about that mountain of bills, how was I going to put food on the table? A half-torn envelope sat…
When I was in my early twenties I began searching for something more. It began as a nearly indiscernible presence, growing quickly into frenzied persistence. It was the first time I can recall feeling such a ‘gap’ in my own awareness. And, consequently how it felt to be so obviously unfinished For years I tried…
There’s a saying, ” Look into nature and you’ll understand the world.” Though, does the same hold true for the ‘world’ within? Can we find ourselves in these softer tones. Though it seems far, rest assured – it’s all within reach. As the light wraps itself in service to the trees; and with each new…