Meditation and the EPIC Crap Storm

Jul 18, 2020

What will a two hour daily meditation ritual accomplish? Will we finally understand who we are, or will we add yet another way to escape to our arsenal?

Last December I began. There was pain. There was anger and resentment too, but for once in my life it felt useful. I didn’t have to understand these feelings to burn them up. I’ve done my time in therapy. I threw worn out thoughts into the meditation furnace, and used them to catapult me forward. I had had enough. 

This now six month guided stint turned me into an observer of human consciousness. What??? It means we can sink into our heart instantly, hook into real reality, and feel at peace in the middle of a pandemic, hate, riots, prejudice, fear, politics, blame, economic failure and ego.

Peace in the middle of HELL? I thought only celibate Monks who meditated all day could get to that place.

I found the silent, non thinking “knowing” that exists within all of us. We have access to it any time, any...

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My Estranged Dad

Jul 14, 2020
 

I heard my Dad had a heart attack when I was 23 years old. He had been estranged for years. As I frantically dialed several relatives trying to get his number, I made a decision that day if he lived; I would learn to forgive the past and get to know this elusive being. Turns out the heart attack was a misunderstanding, but thankfully landed me at his front door just the same.

There he was, this beautiful human who reached his arms out to me and whispered in my ear, “I thought I lost you forever, Mija.”

For the next twenty three years he was my best friend until he passed. Along the way our family healed and forgave one by one looking forward, enjoying his hilarious stories, and in his own way, love.

I have missed so much his intelligence and our lively political debates during election years. Mostly I miss his need to tell jokes and make me laugh.


I share this today because I know there are estranged Fathers out there who love...

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Urgent - Important? Or is it Important not Urgent?

Mar 15, 2018

Hi  Friends,

I'm obsessed with dime stores these days.  It's the pirate in me - I love looking for treasure.  I was debating over a snazzy koi pond dish when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dear old friend.  Do you remember Stephen R. Covey, the guy who wrote "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"?  That book was all the buzz when I worked in corporate 20 years ago.  I was young and wanted desperately to "get" what he was talking about, and finally here was my chance.  I grabbed the cd set off the shelf and held it to my heart.  I found my gold. 

Chalk full of awesomeness, one of the frameworks he was very popular for, and still is, is the concept of sorting out and understanding our priorities.  Check it out. 

Draft out four boxes:  

One box has Important/Urgent and includes: Crisis, deadlines, immediate attention items and problems. 

The second box is called...

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Stress. Deal With It!

Jul 31, 2017

Stress is popular.  It has been trained into us since we were crying for our binky.  It makes us feel important and purposeful.  Most of us are addicted to the chemistry effects in our bodies, so we ignore the compounding effect it has on our life.  Here are a few reminders on how to get a hold of it, so you can think clearly and plan that vacation. 

  • Belly breathing.  Get on your back if you can or just hold your hands in the air and take 6 deep breaths.  Go into a bathroom stall if necessary.  Make sure your belly area is filling up like a balloon while your inhale, then count to ten while you exhale.  There is a VAGAS nerve below your diaphragm that releases calming serotonin stored in your gut; use it, and get your brain back. Kids love this too!
  • Use "The Elijah Chair" method.  That's right, put all the stress you feel into an imaginary "friend" and sit him in the chair in your...
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