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 ...
Eight Tips For Radical Hospitality
Mainstream culture encourages a tight focus on self. That focus can feed separation from others, and isolation. Both those are tied to depression, very common in the U.S., especially during the holidays. But hospitality -- both the giving and receiving of it -- is a potent antidote to isolation and depression. It makes us rich in what ...
Passion, Lost And Found
Passion is a key way of being rich in what matters. When we're passionate, we're connected to our life's purpose. We're on track. Most likely, we're contributing. Do you ever get separated from your passion? I do. I've been passionate for seven years and 626 posts about writing this blog. But I've been discouraged about readership for some ...
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 ...
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 ...
Ten Things To Happily Surrender To, Part II
Being rich in what matters means living counter to mainstream culture in key ways. One of those key ways is gracefully surrendering instead of frenetically fighting. I've tried both approaches, believe me. This series is about my lessons learned (that I'm still learning :)) Last week in Part I we looked at surrendering to our impulse to dance, our aging, our appetite ...
14 Ways To Add Value To Any Situation, Part II
Diamond-Cut Life is about how to be rich in the things that matter, like health, financial solvency, dynamic relationships, and peaceful coexistence. Last week I named my first seven ways to add value to any situation. This post completes the two-part series, and draws from my background in counseling psychology (I have an M.S. in that field). Set a boundary. A boundary clarifies ...
Gasping For Air
Atop Mt. McLoughlin on summer solstice, with Colleen Kaleda (on right). Human accordion on left. Being out there in wild nature is a prime way to be rich in what matters. And in my view, the longer the daylight, the better, which is why I love summer solstice. My friend Colleen and I celebrated the solstice yesterday by ...
The Smoking Gun Of Passion
Where in your life are you the most frustrated? What in you yearns for change, or growth, or even transformation? Frustration is a smoking gun for passion. Our job is to follow the smoke and identify its source within us. Prior to last month, I had been as frustrated as a child with ants in my pants ...
The Best Thing We Can Each Build
Since starting out in 2007, Diamond-Cut Life has periodically honed and chiseled its focus. I feel like a jeweler, happily crafting ideas into posts here in my living room, like rough geodes into jewels. Last year, I recrafted my blog's subtitle from "more joy, less stuff" to "how to be rich in what matters." In 2014, I've realized that my "who" needs sharper focus, ...
