Last week we explored karuna, compassion. Suffering with. Being able to offer space for someone when life is hard. This week we're exploring mudita, sympathetic joy. The…

This week we move to karuna. Compassion. The second of the Four Immeasurables. The word comes from the Latin com, with, and pati, to suffer. To suffer with. Buddhists…

"What I regret most in life are my failures of kindness." George Saunders. Woah. How true? I don't think I've ever regretted being kind and generous. Have you? I most…

Next time I see her, she won't be quite the same girl I hugged goodbye today. She'll have a few more life-changing experiences and grow in wisdom — which is exactly what…

We don't have to fill in all the gaps. Even a micro gap in the day, and we'll probably feel an urge to pull out the phone. Or get in the car and call a friend, or put on…

Wouldn't it be boring if all our photos had the same filter? And yet — isn't it interesting to think we might be walking around with one filter, shaping what we focus on…

You may have heard me talk about an armoured heart in class before, and how hard yet rewarding it is to stay open in every moment. If we shut any part of ourselves out…

Who do you think you are? Notice the emphasis on "think"...? So much of who we "think" we are is built from memories — things that happened, moments we keep revisiting.…

Next time you catch yourself holding back your honest opinion on something, get curious about it. What do you know in your heart you want to say — even though it feels a…

How are you today? Really? Not the automatic answer — fine, thanks, not too bad. What's your mood today? What's your body telling you? Sometimes it's a lightness, a bit…

What do you see in the image? Duck, or rabbit? Whatever you saw first isn't really about the picture. As Anaïs Nin put it, "we don't see things as they are, we see them…

Want, want, want — there's always something we're chasing, isn't there? I'll be happier when... I get the new job, the bigger house, the love, the shoes... I don't love…

Have you ever made a good decision when you were in a rush? Me neither. This week in class, we're taking our cue from the trees. Feeling steady and grounded, an inherent…

We've all heard "Grow up. Don't be so childish." Childish gets such a bad rap. And so the imaginative, just-for-fun parts of us quietly get pushed down as we build the…

I keep adding. Do you? Perhaps it's more makeup. Another coffee. More activities jammed into a holiday. More things, because they are "good for me" piled onto an already…

I made a little painting this week — micro focus vs big picture. The ocean is so expansive, but we often are staring at one little droplet in life. Are we looking at the…

Just emailing from Bali airport after a wonderful gathering of friends I've known since high school, celebrating our collective fiftieth. It was so good to have so much…

You know that feeling when you come away from a situation and think... oh, I wish I'd been a bit more patient there. Or: I could have said that more kindly. Or: I really…

Does any of this sound familiar? You get ready for a night out. You look in the mirror — you've made an effort, you feel good. Your partner doesn't say a word. Something…

Which do you find harder — discernment or discipline? Discernment is knowing what to focus on. Discipline is actually doing it. Both are necessary. Both are hard! And…