If I offered you vanilla or chocolate ice cream, which would you choose? Would you prefer one over the other? And if you chose vanilla and I would give you chocolate instead, would you be upset? These seem trivial questions, and you may wonder what...
Two months ago today, my immensely loved mom passed away. She had received the diagnosis of terminal cancer only 4 months prior. During these past 6 months I have experienced the most intense and difficult moments of my life, and some of the most beautiful...
The teachings of the Buddha about the Second Arrow are a great way to understand why holding on to a grudge causes so much more suffering than the actual event that caused the grief. Two Buddhist monks are silently walking along a path. When they reach...
The other day I had this (homemade) chocolate cake for lunch. I am so tired of the “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts”, both in my own mind and what society thinks. Yesterday I read an Instagram post from a befriended yoga teacher sharing all the plans she made...
Recently I spent several days on the couch. Lying flat. Not because I wanted to, but because an old lower back injury had came back in full force. My doctor said it might not heal if I didn’t take complete rest. I love resting and taking...
When Paula had just passed away I didn’t feel anything. I had seen this moment coming for quite a while. We had exchanged our last text messages saying how much we loved each other. My husband and I went for a walk on the beach...
I’ve wanted a kitten for a long time. Or two, actually. But because my husband and I were always traveling, it never seemed like a good idea. Enter the pandemic. We suddenly found ourselves home all the time. And it doesn’t look like we are...
Suffering is a loaded term. In Buddhism suffering – or rather: how not to suffer – is the crux of the practice. Many people associate suffering with physical pain, with the lack of a place to live, or with starvation, and therefore think that they...
Given the current covid-19 pandemic, the question: “What if everyone did this?” seems more relevant than ever. I’ve been asking myself this question for years, as a practice of compassion and mind training called Lojong. There is a lot we can learn from this practice:...
It is the evening before Thanksgiving. I had planned to go to bed early. I wanted to go to a barre class in the morning, despite my recent knee surgery. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do the whole class. I thought it would...