Even though I typically feel some sadness or melancholy around my birthday, that feeling caught me unprepared this morning. After all, it's a clear-blue-sky sunny day after a night of thunderstorms. Everything feels clearer, sharper. More alive. Except me. It's my birthday week. A reminder that I'm aging quickly, that life has gotten harder in … Continue reading Do you ever feel sad around your birthday? I do.
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Double Knee Replacement: 5 weeks out
I'm going to be honest. I didn't know that this double knee replacement would be quite this tough. When I was planning it, I thought about my other surgeries. I had a lumpectomy to remove a breast cancer tumor, and just this spring I had a hysterectomy. In both cases, pain meds controlled the pain … Continue reading Double Knee Replacement: 5 weeks out
E-Squared Principle #1: “The Dude Abides”
Okay, so today I report the result of my first E-Squared experiment (from Pam Grout's book E-Squared ). Last Sunday, I asked that you join me in these experiments to form a community of people who are trying the series of 48-hour experiments and sharing their results. Grout calls the first experiment "The Dude Abides." The Dude … Continue reading E-Squared Principle #1: “The Dude Abides”
What you resist . . .
Lately I've had several dreams of escaping. I'm being chased by people I can't see - but I know they're there. And they're about to catch me. What will happen if they do? If they actually do catch me? I don't know. And I don't want to find out. So I run, I hide, I … Continue reading What you resist . . .
Presence among presents
In this time of gift-giving, I'm suggesting an extra present for your loved ones. The gift of your presence. If we'll focus on being present these next few days - being fully where we are, fully with the people who are there - we'll be giving our loved ones an extra gift. We all can … Continue reading Presence among presents
Choosing silence
As a part of my healing from breast cancer and its treatments, I'm taking a silent retreat this Monday through next Monday. It's a centering prayer retreat, and about six days of it will be silent. I'll be there with other centering prayer practitioners, and we will meditate together, eat meals together, stay in dorms … Continue reading Choosing silence