“My experience is that the teachers we need most are the people we’re living with right now.” ~Byron Katie A couple of years ago, I was introduced to the idea that relationships are a kind of spiritual practice, fostering transformation and personal evolution in us as individuals, and that we are brought into each other’s lives for exactly this purpose. …
Dream Big Enough To Scare Yourself. Then Go Eat Some Tacos. Also: Apparently, Chivalry is Not Dead.
“You should never hesitate to trade your cow for a handful of magic beans.” ~Tom Robbins Well, it’s been a month since I last posted here – which is a lot longer than I ever intended to wait. But, you know, sometimes you have to go out and live a little in order to have the raw material necessary to …
On Heartbreak, Life Lessons, and Eating Ice Cream in the Bathtub
“Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” ~ Helen Keller Most of the best things that have ever happened to me have also seemed like the most devastating at the time of their occurrence. Take every break-up I’ve ever been through as an example. At the time, each one of them completely rocked my …
On Wholehearted Love and Why It Matters If You Like Yourself
“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.”~E.E. Cummings I spent the majority of my 20s being not particularly fond of myself on a deep fundamental level. I was also entirely unaware of how worthwhile it would be to invest in learning how to like myself, believing that …
Vulnerability is Scary. Someone Should Probably Bring Wine. (Or, How to Be Brave This Valentine’s Day.)
(Photo of my sister and me, circa 1984. I’m the littler one.) “It is man’s social nature which distinguishes him from the brute creation. If it is his privilege to be independent, it is equally his duty to be inter-dependent. Only an arrogant man will claim to be independent of everybody else and be self-contained.” ~Mahatma Gandhi Confession: I don’t …
Happy New Year! What the Year of the Horse Has In Store For Us and How To Harness Its Power For Good
Well, friends, the Year of the Horse is officially upon us.* I, for one, am immensely excited about this shift in cosmic energy, eager to move out of the deeply introspective, sometimes chaotically emotional, paradigm-altering state of being that has dominated over the past couple of years. While absolutely essential to forward movement, these more internal, introverted, degenerative phases of …
Unicorns, Synchronicity, and Embracing the Absurd
The National Animal of Scotland is the Unicorn. Seriously. THE UNICORN. This is one of my favorite random facts because it conveys to me a certain playfulness and prioritization of fun that I feel is often lacking in our modern society. And a belief in magic and myth and mystery. Because we spend too much time being serious, I think, …
Let’s Redefine Failure. Because It Matters How Much Fun You Had Getting Here.
“Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” ~Truman Capote Last year around this time, I laid out a variety of goals for myself to tackle in the coming year, having some lofty ideas about just what was possible during 2013. Some of these goals I just barely reached, some I totally destroyed (in a good way), but many …
Sad Days, Deep Breaths, and Hot Baths: On The Relationship Between Loneliness and Self-Love
“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” ~ Gautama Buddha I have already discussed the many benefits of surrounding yourself with a team of supportive, compassionate, non-judgmental, loyal, and loving individuals with whom you can band together in the event of an apocalyptic disaster. I neglected to mention, however, the most important …
On Zombies, Friendship, and Building Your Apocalypse Team*
“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.”~ Anaïs Nin, The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol. 1: 1931-1934 I’ve talked a lot here about just how life changing and paradigm shifting and eye opening the past year of my life …