In a notably gentle and slightly playful tone, Desmond Tutu described his daily ritual of reading the newspaper to a Tacoma audience almost a decade ago. He shared with us he was not overwhelmed by despair at the headlines, at the state of the world. Rather, he found delight, gently rubbing his hands together, at the ‘things to do list’ laid out at his very fingertips. I offer For All Beings below as an invocation for this...

Since the Alabama pilgrimage in May, I’ve struggled to write. At this time in our country, our world, the scope I’m moved to write about extends far beyond tips for the common cold. We need those too. They’re summarized here. In order to make broader sense of this time in our country for myself, I’ve returned to the mountains for metaphor and guidance. If you missed it, have a look at the  May newsletter for context...

“So, are you headed out to the monastery on retreat again?” a patient asked. “No.” I paused, ” I’m going on…pilgrimage…to Alabama.” She cocked her head for good reason. Alabama is not exactly a bastion of sacred Buddhist sites, nor basic human rights evidenced by the state’s recent legislative decision. It is home to theEJI Peace and Justice Memorial which provides anhonest lookat some...

In this tradition of medicine, the physical and emotional body are not separate. You know this, have your own experiences; the nervous stomach, the stress induced migraine. We know the intensity in our country, world and lives shows up in our bodies, our hearts, our sleep, our eating and exercise, our physical pain and distress, our skills communicating and collaborating together. And I feel a lot of gratitude that in my work with patients I...

Autumn is a wonderful time of turning in. After summer’s frenzy, our orientation naturally moves inside with less light and a chill at the edges of the day. When we pause, we de-escalate our frenzied nervous systems, and reboot our view of this moment in our lives. In pausing, we breathe space into our hearts which may be encumbered by the  state of our city, country, and world. We breathe space into our the challenges in our own...

One morning in mid-August, our skies thick with wild-fire smoke, sitting inside over breakfast a  grasshopper appeared about 8 inches from my left hand. It was a few days before I headed out into the Olympics on a four day solo backpack.  ‘She’(maybe), the grasshopper, was amazingly vibrant green, like the first buds of spring or like the uniforms of our Downtown Ambassadors, the angels who daily fan out and, with care, remove...

When we pause, we give ourselves the space to really tune IN. We de-escalate our frenzied nervous systems, and reboot our view of this moment in our lives. It may be that your heart’s encumbered by the  state of our city, country, and world. It may be that you’re in transition with work, health or home. It may be that Spring’s energy means an increase in work or hectic play. In the midst of the season’s bursting, it...

We have crossed over the Spring Equinox. Why is this important? Well, despite best intentions, I find the expiration date for new year’s resolutions is about late January. By early February, we all succumb to the reality that it is very cold, very dark and very wet. We now have a lot more light in the sky, particularly in the evening. Even with the chill of these past days, this morning the wind’s edge is softer, warmer. The robins...

Art Opening in two weeks! Please come by for revelry to celebrate the show and the wrist healing!  I’ll have some light bites to offer. For those inclined, Miro has an excellent selection of tea and more substantial fare. I’ll slice up some of my painting discard pile into bookmarks for early arrivals. And hopefully the span of the evening (6-10pm) will allow for any who want to swing by to do so; my little friends with...

My seven year old nephew really wanted to know what ‘trick’ his auntie had been doing on the skateboard when I fell and severely broke my left arm the day before New Year’s (thankfully my non-dominant hand.) I humbly explained I was simply learning to balance; push, stop, push, stop. I was having a lot of fun. And then there was the next moment. I was informed this week, the wrist fracture is at the outer limits of worst I...

Story time. In mid-November, the week after the last retreat downtown, I lead a day long meditation retreat out at the prison. (I’ll write about the context of my work out there at the footer). In a moderate sized classroom, we spent 12 hours alternating sitting and walking meditation on linoleum covered concrete. The prisoners divide roles and responsibilities: one man rings the bell, one the clappers for walking meditation, several...