I’ve been practicing deep listening this week. I find it challenging enough to simply stop what I’m doing and turn around to face my kids when they’re trying to tell me something. In the grocery store, I even noticed that it’s entirely possible to walk in, navigate...
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Tags: illness, listening, parenting, Zen
My friend Ibrahima does not know which day or year he was born. He came into this world in Guinea, West Africa, where his native language N'Ko had no written form until very recently. To obtain a passport, he had to approximate how old he was and...
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Tags: awareness, being present, birthday, contemplation, gratitude, mindfulness, presence, reflection, relationships, wisdom
Here are the words that we have printed out, hung by our desks, posted on sticky notes on our fridges. Thanks to everyone who sent me quotes, poems and sayings that keep them going and provide inspiration in their lives.
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Tags: awareness, being present, connection, contemplation, gratitude, journey, laughter, mindfulness, reflection, wisdom
Like unexpected money found in last season's coat pocket, I discovered a scrap of paper in my wallet this morning. It's a quote I must have torn out of a magazine and tucked away for a rainy day, by Charlotte Joko Beck. On this gray day that's...
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Tags: awareness, being present, breath, Buddhism, Charlotte Joko Beck, hope, mindfulness, mortality, relationships, suffering, wisdom, work, Zen
The nine contemplations on death come from an 11th century Buddhist scholar. They are meant to help us explore the inevitability of death. This week, I'm trying an experiment in which I read the 9 contemplations to myself before I sit for ten minutes of quiet reflection.
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Tags: awareness, being present, breath, Buddhism, contemplation, meditation, mindfulness, mortality, reflection