-
The Edge of New Beginnings
There was a full moon last night. I woke up early and went downstairs to make myself a cup of hot water with lemon. I fed the kitty and stood by the kitchen window, waiting for the water to boil. The house was quiet. Outside, the full moon was casting its light on the snow-covered yard. I stood there, breathing, looking up, and in this precious moment, my heart was full, and my mind at peace. When you regain a sense of your life as a journey of discovery, you return to rhythm with yourself.When you take the time to travel with reverence, a richer life unfolds before you.Moments of beauty…
-
Beginner’s Mind
We are well into November, and Thanksgiving is around the corner. I have been moving along, following the established rhythm of life and work, but a few days ago, it hit me. We are approaching the end of this year. This is usually when my creative thinking kicks in. It is also when I feel the urge to step on the brakes, look back, and take it all in. Traveling through the dark time of the year affords us this opportunity for self-reflection. Looking back and evaluating becomes the foundation for setting clear, focused intentions for moving forward. It is easy to settle into habits, behaviors, and our familiar ways of…
-
Homecoming
I drove through town today, a drive that I have probably done thousands of times in the last 27 years, in all kinds of weather. Today’s ride was beautiful, with trees putting on a spectacular and colorful show. New England knows how to dress for fall, no doubt. I drove slowly, leisurely, taking in the colors against the grey autumn sky. As I looked at various buildings and corners of our small town, I found myself going down memory lane. A lot has changed in the last 27 years. Places that I used to love and frequent, alone and with the girls when they were growing up, are not here anymore.…
-
After the Storm
I love fresh herbs. I think they make just about every dish taste better. In the summer, I grow basil, oregano, parsley, sage, and thyme. When it comes to basil and oregano, the more, the better. Oregano, whose scent and taste always transport me back to my childhood in Greece, grows with abundance. I use it fresh and also dry some to have through the year. I grow basil right outside the kitchen, on the deck, and I keep seeds going throughout the season. We love pesto in this house. I make as much as I can through the summer and always freeze some for winter. If you would like to…
-
The Flow Of Our Days
“The secret heart of time is change and growth.Each new experience that awakens in you adds to your soul and deepens your memory. John O’DohohueExcerpt from Anam Cara This is the summer that followed the year when life as we knew it stopped. After having lived through the last 14 months, it is only natural that there’s an urgency to begin again, to resume life as we knew it. We lived through the darkness of winter. We experienced loss. We learned to navigate contradictions.We opened up to aspects of ourselves that needed to be seen. We found ways to reach out and remind each other that we’re here. We got creative.…
-
Self-Doubt And What To Do About It
Have you noticed how self-doubt often creeps in as you try to complete a project, decide on a new direction, or open up to a new relationship? On good days, I think of self-doubt as a friend. It can test your resolve, strength, and perseverance. Yet, when self-doubt is allowed to go unchecked, it can paralyze you and hold you back. I know self-doubt well. I can trace my relationship with it back to childhood, pinpointing times and events in my life when the seeds of self-doubt were planted and watered regularly. Hard as you may try, self-doubt cannot be defeated by ignoring it or by wishing it away. You pick…
-
The Way Through
It was the summer of 1991, and I had just earned my provisional teaching certification. The previous two years had been a whirlwind of activity. I was going to school while working two part-time jobs. Then one day, I got a call from Greece. My mother had to undergo heart surgery. I dropped everything and headed back home. By the time I got back from Greece and completed my coursework, I was mentally and physically exhausted. Neal and I were actively involved with an Ashram in upstate New York. We decided to spend the summer there, volunteering, as we had done many times before. Our goal was to do Seva (service),…
-
Life Lessons My Garden Taught Me
My grandfather was a strong presence when I was growing up in Greece. He was retired, and a widower and he lived with us. The man had his faults, but his love for his grandchildren was steady. I used to trail him everywhere, and he was happy to have an adoring, curious, mouthy, skinny little thing follow him around. Trailing him as he went about tending his garden was one of my favorite activities. He was exceedingly proud of his roses, and he would turn and explain what he was doing as he went about the morning duties of a gardener. He moved deliberately, inspecting, pruning, feeding, watering, and stepping back…
-
The Promise of Renewal
On Monday night, the UConn Women’s Basketball team played Baylor to advance to the final four. The game took place in San Antonio, Texas. It was a tough and intensely physical game that UConn won by two points. Geno Auriemma, the UConn coach, while being interviewed at the end of the game, said something that caught my attention. Describing his team’s win against a team that was stronger, bigger, and faster, he said that, “Although UCONN has a long history of winning, this year’s team is young and when you don’t know because you’ve never been there before, you don’t believe it. These players don’t have that experience yet. No matter…
-
On Anniversaries
It’s 6:30 am on March 10th and the one-year anniversary of the declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic is upon us. Outside my bedroom window, I can hear this little bird calling out, a familiar and intimate sound, same time, every morning. Many people have commented on how tuned-in they became to the birds and their songs during the pandemic. There will be numerous articles, TV shows, and ceremonies commemorating this fateful day a year ago, and the journey we embarked upon as a whole. You too may be reflecting on what it has all meant for you and your loved ones. 2020 has been an unprecedented year. To date, more than…
-
On Friendship
Life is hard enough without self-imposed suffering. We confuse accountability with self-punishment. What if we treated ourselves the way we treated our best friend, someone who trusts us and who we trust? What then?
-
Powering Through
We’re approaching the one-year anniversary of the beginning of quarantine. A year! A challenging and emotional march through four seasons. How have we changed and what have we learned? Where do we go from here? Although we may be sensing the light at the end of this dark tunnel we’ve been walking through, there’s not much clarity as to how or even when this unexpected journey will end. This time of the year lends itself to being inside, reflecting, seeing, evaluating where we are and where we want to be. Given all that has happened this last year, many of us feel anxious about the future. We’re hoping for positive change…
