In January of this year I wrote that I'm taking a break from blogging, and would be checking back in within the spring. It's late spring! I'm checking in! I feel wonderful about the break. It let me be fully present to my Dad, whose physical body died on April 18th, at age 91, as my brother Mick ...
Leaving The Space Open: I’m Taking A Break
Open space makes us richer in what matters. Last week I wrote about how we can make 2015 better than 2014 by setting clear intentions. That's because intentions can be supple like evergreen branches, while New Year's resolutions tend to be brittle, like kindling. My intention for 2015 was/is to be of service to two family members ...
Ten Ways To Stay Warm During Arctic Fronts
Streets icy as skating rinks and other Arctic front symptoms have gripped my hometown and much of the country today. How are you staying warm? How much are you spending to do it? How much is the earth spending to do it? I had considered posting today on the historic, heartening climate change agreement between the U.S. and China to reduce emissions. But, Bill McKibben of ...
The Hero’s Journey, or, Seven Ways To Live Like A Salmon
Salmon swim upstream, 700 miles and more, to return to their birthplace. It's a hero's journey. Being rich in what matters, like integrity, relationships, health and spirituality -- in a culture obsessed with money and stuff -- is like being a salmon. Salmon make a hero's journey. They swim upriver 700 perilous miles and more to ...
Handcuffs We Wear Without Knowing It
Being resilient is a key way to be rich in what matters. When we're resilient, we can adapt to a wide variety of situations and still be happy. We can flex our choices, our behaviors and the amount of resources that we use. Rigid comfort zones can confine us like handcuffs. When we have narrow, rigid comfort zones we are ...
13 Ways To Happily Live Outside The Box
The box is mainstream culture. It's easy to live inside of it most of the time, without even meaning to. The box tells us to buy lots, consume lots and to be afraid of lots of things in the world (the things we buy are good distractions from scary things). But when we're rich in what ...
How to Find And Keep Your Own Personal Sherpa
I will need to keep my personal Sherpa as happy as these fine fellows appear to be. I've decided I need and want my own personal Sherpa. I know it is politically incorrect for me to say that, but today I am feeling self-centered. Radio talk show hosts have a lot of fun by making the world ...
Ten Things To Happily Surrender To, Part I
Mainstream culture whispers to us that we are always supposed to win. Or it shouts this to us, with images of material riches, youth and the high-powered careers that finance material riches and the appearance, at least, of youth. But when we're rich in what matters, we surrender more than we win. Health and vitality, connection to nature, ...
Bathing In A Bowl Of Water
Did you know you can bathe in a bowl of water? A key way to be rich in what matters is to do something you love for a living. Most of us know that intuitively. Something less widely known is that living simply greatly expands our choice of livelihood. Think about it. More income flexibility means ...
Breaking The Trance
Being rich in what matters means thinking for ourselves rather than swallowing the Koolaid of the consumption culture. I've often seen a glazed, vacant look on people's faces as they shop in malls, watch TV, surf the internet, operate the slot machines in casinos, etc. They look as if they're in a trance, and not a ...
