Inspired by an acronym I once heard for “fine,” here’s my current take: F—Fucked-up I—Isolated N—Nettled E—Exhausted At the start of a Zoom meeting with a new colleague, when we exchanged pleasantries, I asked how she was doing. “Fine,” she...
Grieving in My Own Time After my mom died, I was flattened. Exhausted, I wanted to wait three months, or maybe even a year, before doing something in her memory. My brother kindly agreed. During that time, I recalled someone telling me, “Do it your way.” I...
Shed Expectations: Nearly 50 years into my meditation practice, a moment from 2007 still resonates. While on a retreat in India, a friend expressed her struggles with meditation during an evening walk. My friend shared that she really couldn’t meditate. I felt badly...
If life is a movie, Wednesday afternoon at 3 PM must have been the scene where one is called home. I took my mom to the doctor’s office. It was nothing serious. JG, our trusty caregiving friend, came with us. The first good chair in the doctor’s reception area sits...
I thought I was helping a friend over the phone when he interrupted me abruptly. I didn’t mind the interruption. I didn’t mind the abruptness. But the tone of voice was harsh, almost angry, and definitely impatient – and I felt hurt. My solar plexus hurt. I did the...
Holy Ground It doesn’t. It doesn’t. And if you’re someone like me, who needs a good amount of mental spaciousness and a place free of clutter, so your mind and imagination can soar, then it never fits in. It doesn’t. But you dutifully try until you wonder if you even...
