It’s unexpectedly 87° in London. I’m sitting under a gnarly tree straight out of an Arthurian legend. There is barely the hint of a breeze; the sun is glazing everything with a shimmer. I was taken back to a moment last December to a moment in Mexico. I was sharing a cab with a fellow traveler I had just met at the airport who, like me, was headed to the small beach towns on the Oaxacan coastline. The cab had…
A lighthouse question can be the beacon that guides us through unknown territory especially when we are creating something new in our lives. Amy Whitaker introduced the lighthouse question in her book, Art Thinking. A lighthouse question comes into play when what we want can’t easily be reduced to SMART targets or goals. That ‘something’ may be too daring, abstract, spiritual, or simply has never been done before. SMART targets have their place, but as Whitaker writes, they also reflect…
I was just visiting a friend who’s been recovering from surgery at a residence that takes care of the infirm and elderly. There was a party in full swing in the reception area as I was leaving. There were walkers and crutches and wheelchairs all around, as a cheery Ella Fitzgerald (on the sound system) lifted the mood. Everyone moved very slowly. I felt very sprightly for a 50-year-old. As I carefully wended my way through the throng, I came…
Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, you can stop. You can stop and take a breath. You can let it all go even for just a moment. You can fall back. And you will see that there is only love holding you. You can trust. You can keep falling back, again and again, and you will see that there is only love.
Well, it’s that dreaded time of year when resolutions are made and broken faster than a date on Tinder. Sometimes a jump start is what we need to move in the right direction. In this vein, Jenny Xenos, a fellow coach whom I met on a cruise two years ago shared an approach that I liked right away. She’s been kind enough to let me share it here, and you can read more in her blog post. What I like about…
Surrender now, to that which is greater than you, whatever it is that you see or know to be a larger truth. Surrender now, all your formulas and tricks and reasons you’ve played again and again. Aren’t you tired of them? Come. Leave them behind. Empty your pockets of the dice and lie with me as we marvel at the mystery of a starry sky. Rise with a dewdrop dawn and see another day on this planet unfold, a…
I’ve been spending a lot of time contemplating my purpose. I think that re-examining one’s life happens periodically, but when you hit the half century mark, suddenly, time no longer seems like it will stretch endlessly over infinite horizons anymore. There seems to be less room for mistakes. If I’m going to leave my mark on the world, I better figure it all out now and then write an e-book, so there is some imprint of my life left…
I quit my job more than a year ago and recently started a consulting and coaching practice. After several months of persevering, providence brought three consulting opportunities to me in one day! I had been working on one of these for a while with a lot of back-and-forths, but it finally materialized along with two others that were surprises. As I’ve not been working for a while, this will be a welcome infusion of cash. I’ve been thinking about how…
Is it yours or mine? Ours or no ones? To each of these questions, I would say yes! Love is yours, mine, our’s and nobody’s—simultaneously. Is love a noun or verb or adjective? For example, i) this is love ii) I love you, iii) he is a loving man. Love is all these. Who is doing the loving? Is it me or you? Do they love? (Whoever “they” are, we just know it’s not “us.”) Who is asking? I believe…
“Nothing, ever, is worth closing your heart over.” –Michael Singer This morning, as I was rereading Michael Singer’s excellent book, The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, the quote above jumped out at me. Singer explains that by closing our hearts because of disappointment, or the trauma of past events, we close ourselves to the flow of energy through us, indeed the flow of life itself. Over time our hearts become constricted. Picking and choosing when to open and…