January 2011

How to enjoy something you don’t feel like doing

If while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not “washing the dishes to wash the dishes.” Thich Naht Hanh The Miracle of Mindfulness I am not fond of housework. [...]

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Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones But Words Can Hurt Much Worse

I spend a lot of time observing my thoughts. Whether I’m meditating, driving, waiting for sleep to come, walking, or doing routine tasks around the house, I watch them. I don’t necessarily engage with them; I simply pay attention to what comes up. It’s a meditation or mindfulness thing I do in many situations, not [...]

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Thank God Almighty We Are Free At Last

We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. ~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I Have a Dream “Can I touch your hair?” “Sure.” Tony laughed. He dipped his head down obligingly. I touched. Gingerly, [...]

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Declutter Your Mind: 3 Tips For More Peace

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. —Ralph Waldo Emerson I crave peace. I like happiness too, and I’m often happy, but my primary goal is peace. I see happiness as periodic episodes, not as a state of mind or emotion that’s ongoing and steady. If I’m peaceful—neither high nor low, just nice and steady—those [...]

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Stop Making Assumptions

Don’t Make Assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life. —Miguel Angel Ruiz, The Four Agreements One of the biggest detriments to good communication [...]

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