“Don’t fret. Everything’s going to be OK.” That’s a helpful advice for someone, isn’t it? Yeah, sometimes. But sometimes not. I read a commentary last week in the Wall Street Journal about “toxic positivity.” Elizabeth Bernstein wrote that “forcing ourselves or others to always be positive can be harmful to our well-being and our relationships.” She says that sometimes the worst thing you can say … Continue reading Mindfulness, Happiness & ‘RAIN’
I came across this excellent post today at ‘Pointless Overthinking,’ a great blog at WordPress where this blog also resides. I believe the article here speaks to a lot people’s experience. It certainly speaks to me! I hope you’ll find it helpful. “The Parable of the Second Arrow According to the Buddha, any time we suffer misfortune, two arrows fly our way. The first arrow is the bad event …” … Continue reading Escaping the Emotional Rabbit Hole
Carl Sagan, the preeminent scientist behind the landmark PBS Cosmos series that aired in 1980, was interviewed by Charlie Rose a few months before his death in 1996. I watched it on YouTube over the weekend. It was his last TV interview. Sagan died of complications from myelodysplasia. He was promoting his latest book, The Demon-Haunted World but reflected on many topics, some eerily relevant … Continue reading Carl Sagan on Mindfulness & Gratitude
My diagnosis came on September 1st: Stage 2 Prostate Cancer. Before I go any further, let me assure friends and extended family hearing for the first time that I’m in no immediate danger. To the best of our knowledge the cancer is contained and has not spread. Doctors believe we’ve found it early enough that my prognosis is excellent and I’ll likely be around to … Continue reading When Life Gives You Lemons… My Journey Meets Cancer
When I announced the new format and focus for this blog last week, I added the tagline “The journey is what brings us happiness, not the destination.” This and more valuable guidance comes from Dan Millman. He has become a favorite spiritual teacher to me. In his youth, Dan was a star athlete in trampoline and gymnastics. In high school he won the United States … Continue reading Happiness & the Peaceful Warrior’s Way
So much attention has been focused on Simone Biles in these Olympics — and hers is truly an inspiring story of courage, self-care, generosity and victory. She had the bravery to step back after years of preparation to acknowledge she was unable to safely perform. This was an act of courageous self-care in the face of personal disappointment and cynical judgement by those who couldn’t … Continue reading Acts of Kindness & Love: An Olympic Story
My tagline on this blog is “From Social Justice & Socialism to Mindfulness & Spirituality.” Lately with all the social and political drama in our lives I’ve focused most heavily on the Social Justice & Socialism part. I think now I want to turn my attention more to Mindfulness & Spirituality. One of the impacts of the pandemic, lockdowns and isolation has been an erosion … Continue reading A Monk’s Guide to Happiness
I had hoped tonight to be celebrating the victory of a favorite film, Oscar-nominated for Best Live Action Short. Unfortunately it was beat out another nominee, but the film is still a winner. I watch a lot of short films. Two months ago I included one of these films in a post here entitled Acts of Kindness and Love. The 18-minute film touched me deeply. … Continue reading An Oscar Near-Miss: Short Film with a Giant Heart
These are challenging and unprecedented times. 2020 was an epic year of pandemic, deaths, lockdowns, lay-offs, shortages and a divisive election. 2021 opened with a violent siege of the U.S. Capitol. People are stressed out and anxious as restrictions persist while we slog through a lengthy process of vaccinations to reach herd immunity. Last month I decided a little uplifting content on Facebook was in … Continue reading Acts of Kindness & Love
