We discover metaphors by surrendering our attention, by staying in honest conversation, and by listening to the quiet movements of life as they appear before us. Let me share a recent example. I was visiting Pine Manor in Lake Elsinore, CA, where I teach every year. My good friend Gail Warner founded and directs Pine Manor. She is an old, wise soul. I like to come a day early so that Gail and I can re-enter our lifelong conversation about... Read more

Now that I’ve come out of hiding, my fears are forgetting to be afraid.   Now that I’ve dropped my opinions in the rain, my story is too small to cover my heart.   Now that I’ve put down what I thought was important, I’m surprised by angels lost along the way.   How we got here doesn’t matter and where we’re going is just something for the mind to chew.   I’ll meet you here, in the palace that... Read more

Throughout history, those afraid of the life of feelings have undermined their power and dismissed their rightful role in experiencing truth. For much of my life, I’ve been called a Romantic, which is true, but not complete. It’s like defining the sea by its surface. Romantic is a term that has been diminished through the years. Today, it denotes a sentimental outlook on life fueled by unwarranted optimism. At heart, though, it has always been an outlook that assumes there’s... Read more

When the jar fell off the counter and broke, our dog went to lick up the honey but we were afraid she’d cut herself on the broken glass.   You kept her back while I swept up the slivers. Later that night, it occurred to me that this is what it is to be human: always going for the honey while tiptoeing around the glass.   The next week, it was so cold that ice stuck to our dog’s pads.... Read more

When finding my way, I came home from college to have a classic argument with my father. Over dinner the first night, I declared to him with excitement that I was a poet. I hadn’t yet written anything but knew it was true. He was incredulous and frustrated and loudly asked, “How are you going to make a living?” I’m not sure where it came from in me, but I looked at him and said, “I’m going to live a... Read more

Even if it takes years, it is important to heal the wounded places, so we can recover the full use of our heart. For the parts of our heart that are left wounded and unresolved remain preoccupied and not available for us to use in living. If unprocessed, the wounded places become dark and hard. Being vulnerable allows us to recover our heart, because being vulnerable and tender allows our wounds to soften and heal. Anger, even when legitimate, will... Read more

There was a particular moment of perception that transformed me completely. I had had a bone-marrow sampling and a spinal tap during the same hospital visit. Afterward, I was sent home a bit battered and told to lie still for six to eight hours, because moving before the spinal fluid had a chance to regenerate would cause a migraine. Well, it was hard for me to be still, and every time I moved, I was thrust back down on the... Read more

A tribe migrates west because they are being persecuted. They emigrate into the mountains. They settle on a plateau and, together, they clear that part of the forest and build their homes, creating a settlement, which the elder of the tribe names Crestview. In time, their children are born where they have arrived, into a place where they wake each day in a clearing with a view of the vastness. The paradox at the center of this small story is... Read more

Every life within every generation must struggle between the appearance of nothing and the appearance of everything. When hurt and unable to explain pain and loss, we are tempted to make a god of nothing, banishing all that is connective about light. Similarly, when touched by kindness and lifted by inexplicable grace, we are tempted to make a god of everything, wanting to exile the genuine difficulties of being alive. But the tides of life are always replete with both... Read more