Recovery. Sobriety. Living Wise.
The other night I had a dream. I was running — from what, I don’t know; to where, I can’t say — but running as fast as I could. The end was hazy. All I know for sure is that I never got away. I never do. I’ve had some version of this dream all my life. But my guess is I’m not alone. If … Continue reading Mending the BIG Memory
“Know thyself.” ~ Socrates In his book on emotional intelligence Daniel Goleman recounts the story of a belligerent samurai who challenges a Zen master to explain the concept of heaven and hell. “The monk replied to him with scorn, ‘You’re nothing but a lout – I can’t waste my time with the likes of you!’ “His very honor attacked, the samurai flew into a rage and, … Continue reading Emotional Intelligence
Sometimes a childhood event can become so defining that it is replayed a thousand times over the course of our life, reminding us of what we already know but somehow choose not to remember. Let me share one such moment with you. I grew up on a street that bordered a gully that we knew as Wolf Creek Ravine. I crossed the bridge over this … Continue reading Descent Into Fear
May I strike my heart’s keys clearly, and may none fail because of slack, uncertain, or fraying strings. May the tears that stream down my face make me more radiant: may my hidden weeping bloom. How we waste our afflictions!… They’re really our wintering foliage, our dark greens of meaning, one of the seasons of the clandestine year; not only a season: they’re site, settlement, shelter, soil, abode. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke Poetry … Continue reading Finding A Safe Place
Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are.When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. ∼ Lao Tzu Contentment? What is contentment? As a younger man I would have choked on the admonition to rejoice in the way things are. It took a long time for a butterfly to find my shoulder. No illustration better describes … Continue reading Finding Contentment