I grew up in an ordinary Midwestern town. We were an average, well-educated family striving to belong. We did the things an honest, upstanding family ought to do. We went to church, voted for the right candidates, kept our sidewalks shoveled. We played by the rules. When later in life I lived in The …
Life Lessons
a blog about living consciously
Life Lesson: Listening to Love
You’re not listening to me! Have you ever been told that? I have. It hurts. It hurts to be accused of not paying attention, especially if you’ve really tried to pay a LOT of attention. It also hurts to think that someone you love and care for feels so unloved and uncared for. What’s the one thing …
Life Lesson: Hidden New Year Secret
The sculpture pictured here contains the secret to finding joy in the New Year. The Roman god Janus with his two faces is associated with beginnings and endings, passages and transitions. He is usually depicted with one face looking to the past and one to the future. And to the careful observer, the …
Life Lesson: No Need To Worry
I saw a Facebook post yesterday in which a mom was beginning to worry about whether she’d experience what’s known as empty nest syndrome when her kids move out. She saw herself as not having much of a life outside of her parenting role and was concerned that she should be doing things now to prevent …
Life Lesson: Accepting the Unacceptable
Today I got an email (one of those daily inspiration ones) that asked me to “contemplate the meaning of acceptance.” This got me to thinking. Can I accept my flaws as well as my gifts? Can I accept others however they are? Can I accept the world situation? Can I accept my current feelings? Can I …
Life Lesson: Letting Go
My life lesson for today is letting go. This seems like the lesson I keep having to relearn every few weeks or so. I’ve discovered that when I begin to focus on particular outcomes, all sorts of holding on shows up in me; muscles get tight, my thoughts obsessively focus on one thing, my perspective …