Category Archives: Reflections

The “alone” prompt I received from a poetry site I follow made me think of a drawing from my artist friend, a person I know by the name of Fish Astronaut. I had asked Fish if they would draw a picture of me with an elderly woman I visit named Doris, one I could presentContinue reading “I Am Not Alone”

If you get a cut, how is that it can heal? In biting into a fresh apple, how is it that it was grown? In smelling a flower, how did it get its fragrance? Cutting-edge research shows that attending to awe and wonder not only feels good, doing so has a direct positive benefit onContinue reading “Attend to Wonder”

In my work with children in over three decades as an educator, I often facilitate a leadership class that includes a lesson on the value of cultivating a positive attitude. I tell my students that they create the quality of their teachers. As students, I explain, when they come to activities prepared and with aContinue reading “A Positive Attitude Has a Way of Opening Doors”

How do you act and behave when there is no one watching, when with absolute certainty you know that what you are doing is not being seen by anyone? Are you honest with yourself? Do you play fair? To consider these questions, begin by paying attention to the opportunities you have to “play fair” whenContinue reading “Who Are You Constantly?”

We think, especially when we’re young, that happiness comes from “big” things: money fame amazing love stories… We realize, as we age, that small pleasures are what provide longstanding happiness: a good book a baby’s laugh the surprising scent of a summer rain… Feel grateful for the little things.

In 2011, I enrolled in an online class on the subject of Loving-Kindness meditation. I was living in France at the time, on sabbatical with my family, with the goal of coalescing the amount of kindness-based material I had created over the previous 15 years into a book. The working title of my book wasContinue reading “May I Be Filled With Friendliness”

“Everyone will have moments when their true identity is offered to them, their integrity and with it their life direction. Quite often it is when they are looking for something else. Anyone who has ever believed in them, strengthened their wholeness, and offered them their love will be there with them then, no matter howContinue reading “Life is What Happens While You’re Busy Making Plans”

If you are interested in the world being a kinder place, all you need to do is contribute to it being a kinder place. Try it out today! Here’s one way… #1) As early in the day as you can, do something kind for another person. This can be something as simple as making aContinue reading “Go On, Make the World a Kinder Place”

“May I never quarrel with those nearest me, and be reconciled quickly if I should.” -Eusebius of Caesarea Let’s talk about “The Golden Rule,” this link taking you to its Wikipedia entry. There you will find a host of information. Visit the link and allow yourself to gravitate to whatever there intrigues you. Really, takeContinue reading “Considering The Golden Rule”

We’re wired to care. Compassion, our default mode. Need help? Click “Restart.” Our world moves so fast that it often causes us to be under significant stress. As such, instead of responding from a position of compassion and understanding, we develop habits for seeing ordinary situations as threats. This puts us in “fight or flight”Continue reading “Compassion, Our Default Mode”