Year: 2017

With warm, sun-filled days, I am weeding.  My yard is a standard suburb lot, unusual for its many trees, a mini forest surrounding my home. And with this natural beauty, I plant annual flowers in pots around the yard and delight in the robust perennials. And I weed. I find the sun and fresh air lift my mood. I also notice that my mind calms as I routinely pull weeds between brick walkways and along the driveway. I am also aware that some plants are plants when they grow where I want them to grow. The same plants are weeds when they volunteer in a place I don't want them to grow. This reminds me of thought, our thinking process. Some thoughts are appropriate at a certain time and place,…

Wants and Needs The Holidays can be a time of comfort and joy, but I am under the impression that for many, it is a stressful time of buying lots of presents, accruing financial debt, hoping a gift is adequate, and wondering what on earth to buy that person who has everything. And now and then, the season can become the Season of Give Me, a long list of things someone wants but rarely needs. Wants are never satisfied. What about taking this season to try to fulfill human needs? We humans need safety.  We need to feel that we will be verbally, emotionally, physically, sexually, spiritually, and financially safe.  For far too many, this is not true. We need to develop mastery.  That begins at about 6 weeks when…