When We Start to Feel a Little Lost I like to have the sense I know where I am going. When my direction is not clear I can get nervous and start feeling a little lost. Many of us expect to understand where we are and would like to be going. We may have been taught it is part of growing up to make our own decisions, to find our own way. It can be a challenge for us when... Read more
Spiritual Life of Summer How is summer going for us so far? Some of us see summer as a time to get away. The kids are out of school so we can spend some time together. Summer may feel a little calmer and more deliberate than the rest of the year. We have more time for picnics, corn on the cob, and fireworks. For other people, summer is just as frenetic as every other part of the year. Work does not slow down and there seem... Read more
A Spiritual Practice of Doing Nothing Some of us believe there are things spiritual life requires us to do. We do not have a spiritual practice of doing nothing. We believe spiritual life is about how we behave, our actions, what we do. There are specific ways to put what we believe into practice. Even thinking or believing things is something we do. Others of us see spiritual life as something we are or who we become. We believe people... Read more
The Wandering Mind The Wandering Mind is a book about distraction and paying attention. Some of us assume people living monastic life, particularly in history, were people who knew how to pay attention. We tend to see ourselves as distracted by technology and surrounded by screens. Though we spend time thinking about mindfulness and contemplation, we fill our lives with distractions and entertainments. We may see the men and women who were early monks as examples of people who had... Read more
Resting in Warm Summer Stillness How is summer going for us so far? Are we settling into warm summer stillness? Kids are out of school and we can spend more time together. Summer may feel a little calmer or more deliberate than the rest of the year. We have more time for picnics, corn on the cob, and fireworks. For some of us, summer feels just as frenetic as every other part of the year. Work does not slow down and there seem... Read more
Which Way Are We Going? The first six months of this year end this weekend. We are halfway to next year. Which way are we headed? How have the first six months of this year been for us? What has surprised us, pleasantly and otherwise? How have we gained, and what have we left along the way? Are things different for us than they were six months ago? I remember people and conversations most clearly from the year so far.... Read more
Online Contemplation and Conversation Many of us struggle to know how to include meaningful contemplation and conversation in our lives. We feel like we lost significant connections during the pandemic and do not know where to go to create new ones. Some of us are uncomfortable or skeptical about having contemplative conversations online. Most of us would like some help sorting out and understanding life’s larger questions. What are the significant questions or insights we would like to reflect on... Read more
My Journey Around a Tree I live in a place where many people seem to think trees get in their way. My spiritual journey goes around a tree. Trees send their roots out to create obstacles in sidewalks. When the winds pick up trees drop their branches, and fronds, and disrupt traffic. Where I live people plant citrus trees to be decorative and the fruit can become a nuisance. I walk as often and as much as I can. Most... Read more
A Summer Spiritual Practice Welcome to the beginning of summer! Tomorrow is the solstice, the sunniest day of summer. What summer spiritual practice will we choose? Some of us see summer as a time to get away. The kids are out of school so we might spend some time together. Summer may feel a little calmer and more deliberate than the rest of the year. We can have more time for picnics, corn on the cob, and fireworks. For other... Read more
Paying Attention Sets Us Free Many of us like to think we are good listeners, but we do not appreciate how paying attention sets us free. We think we know how to listen well while we are having a conversation with someone else. Maintaining eye contact, without staring, demonstrates we are paying attention. We are not checking our phone or watching something else. Good listeners do not merely think about what they are going to say next while someone else... Read more
Strategic Monk
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