Reading Between the Lines

I have devoured books from an early age. However, there has been a significantly different quality to the reading experience in recent times. I may not be able to express it in so many words, but I feel I must make the attempt. Time seems to slow down.  The gaps between the words seem more …

Questioning the ‘Retirement Plan’

I confess I am a little amused when people ask me if I am 'spiritual', or  a 'seeker', or 'a 'healer', with a deliberate emphasis on the air quotes. Not because those words do not carry meaning, but because of the way in which they are discussed today. Language has its inherent limitations of course. …

S(he) who must not be named

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" said Shakespeare. And he was right.  The rose would continue to be what it is, regardless of what it was called. The question is would we appreciate it's beauty and fragrance as much? It is not a trivial question.  The extent to which we embrace, reject or …

Why I am wary of seeking ‘instant manifestation’.

"A time there is to plant, And sow; another time to pluck and reap." ~ Ecclesiastes 3:2 In a world that desperately seeks instant gratification, patience is a difficult word to digest.  From so many directions, we are bombarded with ideas of 'intention' and 'manifestation', that few of us pause to consider the appropriateness of our …

Lifelines – and why we cut them off.

Three questions: First Question: Are you aware of what nourishes you? It may be soaking in warm silence with a loved one. Or laughing for no reason with a child. Perhaps honoring a calling like painting, or singing, writing or creating in some manner. Maybe its simply walking on the beach or watching a sunset. Or seeing a …

Winning Strategies to Loss Accumulators

Right from an early age, we all find ways and means to cope with the challenges that life brings our way.  Knowingly or unknowingly, we experiment with different responses until we find what seems to work for us.  So a child seeking his parent's attention may learn that throwing a tantrum often obtains the desired …

Against the Grain

If your kindness has left you feeling foolish, any generosity has been taken advantage of, or your vulnerability has been used against you, you may wonder what you are doing in this world. You may suspect 'others' are right in their assessment of your 'impractical', 'out-of-touch with reality', 'naive' and 'gullible' nature. Worse of all, …

Milestones… Smilestones.

Birth and death anniversaries are landmarks in the timelines of our life.  Marking beginnings and ends when we adhere to linear time.  Having had a natural gift for remembering dates, I have given them due recognition in the past.   But as loved ones departed, one after the other, somewhere I began to question the …

The time to say Thank You is now

Are there people who have shaped your fundamental beliefs, comforted you in times of pain, given you hope when there was none and yet, you have never met them, spoken to them or directly heard from them?  I have many such influential people in my life and most of them are the authors of cherished …

Busy as a Bee?

Ever noticed the subtle, secret satisfaction derived in complaining, "I am just too busy to do that right now!"? Here, 'that' can refer to anything from having fun, taking care of your self, spending quality time with loved ones, learning anything new ... or just about anything under the sun.  We get locked into patterns …