"To agree that life’s road is windy and sometimes narrow is easy. But to walk that narrow windy road with its ninety-nine turns takes a particular type of effort. No matter what we engage in, it always comes down to just putting one foot in front of the other, for wholehearted effort is wholehearted action."… Continue reading Ninety-nine Turns
I don't know if reincarnation happens and what form it might take. There are a number of ways people interpret what reincarnation looks like, mainly depending on whether or not a person believes in a literal soul as a discrete entity. I'm most drawn to the idea that energy is the building block that coalesces under certain conditions to become matter.
I've been thinking a lot about my "career," whatever that even is anymore. We are so defined by our jobs. "What do you do?" is an early small talk question, but it's just one more box we put ourselves in to, like where you live, what your name is, how many followers you have on… Continue reading I Am (Not) a Flower in the Sky
With quarantine going strong, I notice more and more people sharing how much they miss people, often expressing this to the people they miss. There is an exchange of affection expressed. It got me thinking again how I participate in this give and take of mutual reassurance. Am I merely expressing a kind of gratitude… Continue reading I Don’t (Want to) Need You to Love Me Back
Ambitious title, huh? You'll probably be disappointed, but maybe not. I hope you'll keep reading anyway. I had a major back flare up last week. I could barely walk or sit up for two and a half days. I'm still on muscle relaxers and it still hurts to sit up, but not so excruciatingly that… Continue reading Suicide, Shit, #itgetsbetter, What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger, Zen, and Platitudes
Here's the thing about depression and anxiety: sometimes you just can't seem to get anything done. Depression leaves you apathetic, although so can anxiety. Anxiety leads to distraction and difficulty concentrating. Depression drains motivation like a sieve until you're only left with the lump of your body stuck in bed or on the couch or… Continue reading Motivation, Distraction and Apathy
Yesterday I went to a healing sound meditation event at a local park. The day was cool but sunshine beautifully filtered through the trees and only a light breeze swept over the small fishing pond. Just enough movement to keep the sage smoke traveling over the group. It was not a Buddhist event, yet I… Continue reading Z is for Zen and My (Currently?) Favorite Zen Author
My mother and I do not have the closest of relationships. We never have been nor will we ever be the best of friends, and that's fine. Not everyone is meant to be best friends with their parents, just as everyone isn't best friends with their siblings or their cousins or their old grade-school friend.… Continue reading When Your Mom Gets Really Bad Cancer
Suicidal Tulip 