Tag Archives: Presence
Several years ago, I went whale watching with a small group of people on a sailboat off Maui. The captain had brought along his four-year-old autistic son who was non-verbal. The little boy was happily playing on the deck of the boat when suddenly he began speaking in unintelligible sounds. It seemed he was calling forth a whale, communicating with it through his vocalizations. The captain helped his son into the water and together they swam out to commune with…..
Everyone’s experience with the pandemic is unique, but for some of us, one of the gifts of the current global retreat is the experience of slowing down, an opportunity to become present, to discover who we are. We lose so much in all our doing—mostly we lose ourselves. One of my therapy clients, expressing her feelings about how her life has changed so dramatically since the pandemic, made this comment: “My life has become unfamiliar to me.” Our outer lives…..
I sometimes stop by the Starbucks at Waikoloa Beach and sip green tea as people from all over the world in aloha shirts, tank tops, and flip-flops flow in and out. The visitors to Hawaii have stepped away from their normal lives at home for a sense of freedom from their regular responsibilities. It feels like entering another dimension here with the vivid colors, soft breezes, fragrant flowers, soothing ocean water, and slow pace. The frequencies of the Island help…..
The dawn of each new year reminds us of our freedom to release the baggage of the past, to make new choices, and to embrace in a new way whatever comes. It’s a time to set our intentions for what we want our lives to look like, and to work toward creating the best life we can envision. At the same, it’s wise to acknowledge that, ultimately, we are not in control. One thing we know for sure is…..
The sun-drenched pool at Carnelian Woods Condos looked inviting. Tahoe’s thin mountain air was warm, and the water felt like silk. Stu (my partner and a spiritual mentor) and I had already hiked down to Emerald Bay and back up in the scorching sun, eaten Indian lunch buffet at Nicky’s, bicycled along the Truckee River, and had hot fudge sundaes, twice. Drying off in the sun after a dip in the pool, I reflected on our lives over the past…..
Here in Hawaii, many people are living off the grid. They have opted to jump off the treadmill of their lives on the mainland and live the ultimate simple existence. For some I have met, they woke up to the fact they had been driving themselves into the ground just to support their upscale lifestyle, selling their souls to a stressful and unfulfilling career. When they asked themselves if it was worth it, they found the answer was no. We…..
That November day back in 1963 began just like any other day. I was sitting at my desk in the back of Mr. Martin’s seventh grade Spanish class. It was still a time of innocence then—especially for someone like me growing up in a small town in a conservative family. My parents would dress up every Friday night for their square dance class—Mom in her full skirt and Dad…I don’t remember what he wore. But they both went out the…..
(Follow-up to last week’s post) During a conversation one evening, Stu (my partner and spiritual mentor) addressed my favorite topic–being present: “The Now rips away secrets. Unless we are present for the twists and turns of each moment, we are not authentic. The Now demands we be there for it. What matters is what we are feeling, experiencing in each moment. Am I the Now or the story I tell myself about the Now? Each moment demands a unique set…..
