Dear Reader, What I know is that mindfulness practice has completely transformed my life. Last week, the Start Centered Mindful Awakening online Course and Coaching Program began and we revisited the how and why of mindfulness together. It struck me just how far I’ve come in terms of self-acceptance, pain management, and fostering equanimity in my life. I know that with practice, mindfulness will change your life for the better as well. The waters of the world are rough right now. Many of us...
23 days ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, Thank you for being part of my community. Writing to you helps me stay focused on what’s important in life. Sincerely, thank you. Watch, Protect, & Restore: Our Energy is Our Responsibility Lately, many friends and family members have expressed feeling depleted, both personally and due to the state of the world. I feel the same, and realize that it's time to be more intentional with how I spend my time and energy. My friend Becca recently mentioned the Counting Crows’ song A Long...
2 months ago • 5 min read
Dear Reader, First, thank you to the folks who showed up last week for the Start Centered online mindfulness circle. I so appreciated the company and really needed it. Why? A growing cloud of loss and change dominated life leading up to the holidays this year. We put to sleep my dear dog and greatest companion of 16 years; my family, immediate and extended, had shifted and morphed leaving a disconnect and a change in traditions; my body suffered new injuries leading to decreased vitality and...
3 months ago • 5 min read
Dear Reader, I recently posted pictures on Facebook of the dogs resting nose to nose; the caption read, “The more time I spend with them, the more dog I become.” As we all know, there are many lessons to be learned from dogs — like, love unconditionally, be loyal, stop to smell the roses (or more likely other foul smelling substances), and just be. It’s this last lesson that relates to the Dutch term niksen that I want to share with you. Embracing Niksen: The Art of Doing Nothing for Greater...
5 months ago • 7 min read
Dear Reader, “The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth will ever be.” — Konrad Lorenz, zoologist and founding father of ethology, the study of animal behavior When I started this note days ago, I wanted to discuss presence and how the vitality and richness of life come down to present-moment awareness. Since then, I have been spending every moment with my ailing, almost-16-year-old dog, Carmelita, or Carma as we most often call her. Our time together in the past weeks...
8 months ago • 5 min read
Dear Reader, You Guessed It! Change. Sometimes in August we get a cold day, or I catch a whiff of a certain wind that reminds me of FALL. Suddenly, from in my bones, a certain sadness and anxiety arise and fill my body. These stem from deep in childhood. I’m trying to hold on to summer and savor what I love about it, but August is the month that always triggers feelings associated with transition and change. For example, as a lifelong learner and teacher, this month signifies the return to...
9 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, I hope you are having a beautiful summer and are able to savor parts of this season that you love. I'm holding dear the longer days, fresh flowers and vegetables from the garden, and more time with family and friends. Luke and I escaped to Truro, Cape Cod for two days to celebrate our 31st anniversary, a place dear to us where we met 35 years ago. Then we spent a couple of days on a working oyster farm in Harpswell, Maine — one of the most beautiful places on earth. There I gave...
9 months ago • 4 min read
Dance of Moon & Sun The Penumbral Moon and Now the Solar Eclipse! See What's Coming Up Next at Barred Owl Well over a year ago, my childhood friend Chip Gasser reached out to me from London, asking if I, and our other childhood friend Kara, would like to meet him in our homeland of Bethel, Maine for the eclipse. It was such a sweet invitation. Though I thought he was overplanning just a bit—the Bethel Inn wasn’t taking reservations yet. Alas, he ultimately couldn’t make the trip. I planned...
about 1 year ago • 2 min read
On Letting Go Letting Go is an Act of Self-love. When we can’t let go of the past, we can’t allow the beauty and wisdom of the present to shine through. As I plan for this Saturday’s 1-day retreat, I reflect on the theme of self-love. However, what keeps echoing in my mind is a question recently posed to me: “How do you let go?” Letting go is something we address during retreats and circles as we incorporate activities and rituals to practice releasing what no longer serves us: habits,...
about 1 year ago • 3 min read