I have spent much of my life coming to terms with a deep and abiding insecurity. My fears come out to greet me most every day. Sometimes they merely wave at me from the periphery; at other times they rush at me with the fearsomeness of a gale storm. Still, over the years I have managed to engage life with more than a modicum of passion. I have charted my own course, taking great risks when necessary. I have also wasted precious time stuck in anxious worry or fierce resistance, holding back from life because I feared what might happen if . . . More
Aging
Reflections On The Passing Of Youth
This is Part 2 in a series about confronting the reality of death. Read “Death And The Inner Journey” here.
Approximately a quarter of a million people die each day. It can be daunting to acknowledge that each of us are destined to join their ranks. Wise teachers from every walk of life advise us to live our lives with an awareness of Death—not as a depressing reality to be feared—but as an ally who can teach us how to live more fully. More
Death And The Inner Journey
Last month, in the space of one week, I received sad news about the deaths of two friends. At the funeral of one of those friends I ran into Susan. Two weeks later her husband died suddenly of a brain embolism. Sometime in the coming weeks I expect another friend to die, after losing her courageous battle with ovarian cancer. And just last week, I found out that two more people I know have been diagnosed with breast cancer. More
My Adventures With Chronic Pain
This is part 2 of a three-part series that explores the difference between healing and curing. You can read Part 1, “Illness As A Teacher” here.
Several weeks after returning from a backpacking trip in the late summer of 2006, I found myself walking down a country road with a group of women friends. I remember the crisp smell of fall in the air—and that first bite of cold that signals the waning of summer. More