My friend Roy was a great teacher for me. He was a retired farmer who had dropped out of school at an early age. But, he had more wisdom than most of the world’s great scholars. I remember when I used to complain to him about other people who did things I didn’t like. When […]
This is a picture of me with my mother, Grace Mundy, six months before her death in 2006. We shared a home during the final nine years of her life. Being her friend and caregiver through to her death was a walk through the valley of the shadow of death. But, it also taught me […]
While I am not a Buddhist, I find great wisdom and potential liberation in the Tibetan Buddhist teachings on death. They offer a beautiful understanding of life’s end to those in the west who are still under the influence of a societal death taboo. Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, […]
Every second, we are bombarded with information. What Do We Perceive? In his book, Strangers to Ourselves, Timothy Wilson quantifies the processing capabilities of the human brain. While the conscious mind processes 40 bits of information per second, the unconscious mind processes 11 million! The fact that most of our data processing is unconscious is […]
Fear is a Fantasy Expectation Appearing Real. Fear can get triggered in many ways. Some people are afraid of dogs or snakes or spiders, for example. Others fear experiencing such emotional states as humiliation, rejection, shame, loneliness, and failure. Still others fear such life occurrences as poverty, serious illness, or death. Whether your fear is […]
Have you ever noticed that you and your partner keep having essentially the same fight over and over again? No matter what the topic, whenever you get into an argument, does it always seems to turn out the same way? That’s usually because you are shadowboxing with the wrong person. Let me introduce you to […]
What sustains you? What puts a smile on your face and lights up your heart? What keeps the embers of your soul on fire? What really matters deeply to you? It is so easy to get caught up in the ongoing activities and demands of our lives. We often forget or lose track of what […]
Do you and your partner frequently battle over who is “right” and who is “wrong?” If so, battles will be won, but a war will rage on. Right/wrong thinking makes a relationship an ongoing power struggle. It is the territory of two ego personalities who are only considering two options: winning or losing. Only one […]
“If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?” –Hillel Learn to embrace the fullness of life. This calls us to bear personal responsibility and accountability for our own life. I was recently listening to “Radical […]
Do you dread gathering with your family and friends for holidays, weddings, funerals and other events? Or have you been blessed with a truly loving and nurturing family? Dysfunctional childhood and family dynamics have a way resurfacing and making us feel crazy, trapped, and wanting to run for the hills. If this sounds familiar, ask […]