This week, in the U.S., our taxes are due to be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. Many of us find the task daunting, overwhelming, confusing and draining. This year for me there was something about this process that had me feel simultaneously inadequate, stingy and angry. For anyone who knows me these are not…
“Your heart is your home. Your mind your office. Don’t get them confused.” Here at Seven Stones, and in all of the teachings I study, there is talk of unwinding the armoring against separation and isolation and dropping into our heart center. I have been a diligent student: opening to the suffering of the world,…
Here’s a riddle: What does a leader do when she’s sick? (Wait for the answer.) First, consider our options: We can ignore our illness and align ourselves with the traditional, cultural way: to continue—or try to continue–to produce through our un-well condition. We often know the risks of this, but do it anyway. In this…
We aren’t always particularly skilled at making connections between our habits and the quality of our lives. It is just part of being human. I have been no exception, but as I relax into my 50th year of Iiving, one such association has finally become clear and I’d love to share it with you. If you know…
“Is Giving the Secret to Getting Ahead?” was the cover article in Sunday’s NY Times Magazine. This article talks about an organizational psychologist, Adam Grant who has quantified how generosity and learning about generosity can positively impact sales and revenue performance at organizations. He uses himself as a test case and says yes to most…
From getting to letting. For someone more familiar and comfortable with orchestrating, a wonderful euphemism for controlling, letting has become a practice into ease and peace. What, you may wonder, is letting in the first place? Letting is an access to allowing. A friend shared it perfectly inside of her relationship. “I just let him,”…
Have you ever practiced walking meditation? The few times I have, I must admit, I just didn’t enjoy. So when my colleague Gina suggested walking meditation as an exercise to experience curiosity, a principal we were distinguishing for a learning curriculum in our Enough, Already! course, I begrudgingly agreed. What does this have to do with…
I had the opportunity to spend time in Muir Woods a National Monument in Mill Valley, CA this week. It is a forest of Redwood trees preserved as part of our National Park System. The woods were beautiful, the trees are awe inspiring and I found a sense of peace as I walked. I have included…
A dear trusted advisor to Seven Stones died last Wednesday; body crumbling and aching, filled with infection; spirit soaring, uplifted till the end, I’m told. The leading cause of death is, well, birth. Everything that arises will pass away. No one is exempt. It is one of the laws of enough. No one gets out alive…
My context is scarcity: I am speeding in a 35-mile zone. I am tired. So tired. Anxious too. My baby had a low fever last night and I brought her to daycare this morning anyway. I am late for a work meeting and my workday is too short. It’s school vacation week. But, someone has…