All around, green is overtaking brown as the dominant color of the landscape, revealing what survived the winter. Multiple colors of wildflowers emerge through the soil and stand out against the greening ground. And new plants are surfacing from seeds that received enough water and nutrients over the past season. For those new plants seen […]
The Power of Inner Compassion
I’m often struck by how some very compassionate-seeming people are so not compassionate with themselves. Their inner dialogue toward themselves can be harsh and absolutely contradictory to how they would speak to others. Sometimes this inner dialogue may come from some other time and place, perhaps reflecting how one was spoken to as a younger […]
Be. Prepared. To Stop.
Recently a work crew has been going through my neighborhood trimming limbs away from power lines. As they neared my house they put up a very prominent orange and black sign with the warning, “Be Prepared to Stop.” They’ve since moved on but the sign remains, offering an ongoing reminder to me of this message […]
In Rhythm With Winter: The Gift of Nature’s Slowdown
Winter is coming. Fans of Game of Thrones know this is a foreboding phrase. In the series, it encompassed a lot more dreadful meaning than just a harsh, cold season. But throughout much of my adult life, I felt a bit of a foreboding resistance to the darker, colder winter months. Each year, I considered […]
The Subtle Alchemy of Gratitude
I enjoy spending time on my back porch. It’s typically a calm environment in which to relax and reflect. Sunday mornings are particularly special as it’s usually quite quiet in my neighborhood and I often spend that time enjoying how nature shows up through the many doorways of my senses. On a recent Sunday morning, […]