I know what it's like to be bullied--there's fear, humiliation and frustration as someone bigger & stronger taunts & threatens you.

"If stories come to you, care for them....learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food."

Otherness is an odd--and cosmic--corollary to oneness. Otherness in a relationship can take many forms. There are big differences like...

"Her purring rose like a hymn to home above the noise of the Great Storm-Cat. Such music had not reached his ears since the dawn of time."

A lighthearted song...I hope it brightens up your day, bringing back some good memories--your own or maybe your kids' or grandkids'.

This strange mirror, this odd form of grace, though uncomfortable, has on occasion helped me see myself a lot more clearly.

My first discovery of the use of dialog in journaling was back in the mid-1980s, not long after I moved to Charlottesville.

I focus on my breath. I get distracted. Oops. Okay. And again. So many times that I feel like one of those toys on a string...

An absurd fantasy--I mentally roll my eyes when I read it. Yet when I decided to write about mindfulness this week that essay came to mind.

I'm sorry he is in such pain. It is not a fun place to be. But with great power comes great responsibility. And if that power is abused...

"Looks like we just gave ZZ Top a shave & crewcut!" said Celia. We looked at the huge and tangled heaps of grape vines we'd just pruned off.

Anti-Anxiety Tool of the Week: Jiggling This is one of my favorite ways to reduce stress. Just jiggle your entire body, gently but...

Beauty is all around me--it hasn't gone away. The trees, the sky, a bird, an odd little insect. How to breathe in beauty & be in the world?

I didn't go quite as far, brave quite the storm--or cold--that I thought I could. Or should. But I did...

Quotations, in a sense, are stories in miniature. Here are a few of my current favorites.

Forgiving ourselves, we learn to forgive others. Allowing our own foibles we are, hopefully, more able to accept imperfection in others.

Perhaps I am naive, but my idea of a leader is someone who inspires you to be your best self, not one who bullies. Not an enemy-maker.

Today I want to share two poems that continue to touch me. Perhaps you can rest in the tenderness and freedom they offer?

When I was twelve years old I met an extraordinary man. He didn't look very extraordinary. Dressed in monks' robes, he had a shy smile...

Compassion leads to a life of power *with* others. Judgment leads to a hunger for power *over* others.