Several times already this holiday season, my stepdaughter has asked whether her father or I will take her shopping on Black Friday. Sadly for her, the answer is a unanimous, "No." It doesn’t seem that there’s anything specific she’s looking to … [Read more...]
The day after: we are not divided
November 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
This morning I got in my car and turned the stereo from NPR to a Gillian Welch cd, signaling that now normal life will, once again, resume. I’m feeling a little hungover from a whole night’s worth of television news network watching after four years … [Read more...]
Riding the thought stream
September 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
In life, there’s always something. You’re bullshit because the weather sucks. There’s that troubling financial situation looming over your head. You have an annoying and untrustworthy colleague. As someone with an intimate relationship to … [Read more...]
My summer yoga challenge
August 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Well, at least I can say I accomplished something this summer. On Friday, I attended my 18th yoga class in 9 weeks at Yoga IN Madison. The day before, I had completed my 18th home practice, thereby completing my summer yoga challenge and earning … [Read more...]
The pathology of modern life: loneliness
April 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment
This week, I read an article on The Atlantic.com about the relationship between Facebook and loneliness, called, “Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?” In a nutshell, the answer is no. Not really. If you are lonely, Facebook will make you lonely. If you … [Read more...]
Peace is every breath: mornings
March 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Thich Nhat Hanh’s book, Peace Is Every Breath, is a guide on how to incorporate a spiritual practice into our everyday lives. It doesn’t really matter what particular spiritual tradition you’re coming from, though Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk. … [Read more...]
To listen or not to listen: My three minute return to the land of news
February 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
I have a shocking confession to make. When Obama won the election in 2008, I made a conscious decision to tune out. After months of checking the internet compulsively for the latest polling numbers, I decided that I was done with the news. I had … [Read more...]
The things we forget: the end of the massage
January 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
One of the greatest pleasures in life, one of the things that makes me feel truly affluent, is the luxury of a monthly massage. My massage therapist is also a friend, but even if she were not, I would still say that she is the best massage therapist … [Read more...]
Peace is every breath: sitting and breathing
January 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
In our house we have a little table that sits behind the couch. My husband calls the table an altar, but being a little less comfortable with any language that hints at religion, I’ll just go with table. On it sit some little statues of the Buddha … [Read more...]
Disassociation and the human condition
December 29, 2011 By 2 Comments
Everyone knows that the holidays, in addition to being a time of great joy and celebration, can also be a pretty sad time for a lot of folks. Rates of depression increase during the holidays, and suicides along with it. Why? Because people feel left … [Read more...]
