Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone started their day by cultivating lovingkindness in their hearts? (I'm an idealist. I like to imagine these things. I like to think that anything is possible.) Maybe that's too big. I should start smaller. How would my day, my interactions, my heart change if … Continue reading Heart Exercises: Stretching your heart with lovingkindness
Something has been off between me and a person I love. I don't know that the feeling is mutual. It could be all me. But sometimes I feel my heart hardening, and I don't know why. The other day, I sat down to spend some time in quiet. Unease toward this loved one surfaced. "What … Continue reading Changing the Rhythm of Seeing Another
For the last few years, a chalk-board sign above my kitchen sink reminded me to "Love people. Cook them tasty food." (Thank you Penzey's.) Unfortunately, my idea of tasty food differs drastically from my family's idea of tasty food. The idea of loving people by making them tasty food only made me cranky: I am … Continue reading May the Light of Your Soul Bless Your Work
I burned a pot of rice the other day. The rice smelled like cigarettes. The pan took about an hour and a whole lot of Bar Keeper's Friend to clean. (Bar Keeper's Friend is a good friend of mine.) Burning food is one of my wake-up calls--a pretty obvious sign that I need to start paying … Continue reading Distractible Me
Some of us grow into thinking that our beliefs--statements we hold to be true--are the most important part of who we are. I'm not saying that beliefs are unimportant or that every belief is right. But there is a danger in defining our deepest self by what we think about things.
This year, we spent spring break at the beach: surrounded by soft, white sand, brilliant blue skies, and water. So much water. Blue. Warm. Sometimes still like a swimming pool. Other times surging with energy. This beach time was therapy for a frozen Minnesota girl. I loved our beach time. I loved watching my children … Continue reading Jumping In
"It was going to be one of Rabbit's busy days. As soon as he woke up he felt important, as if everything depended upon him." -- A.A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner "I'll go and see if there's anything [Christopher Robin] wants doing, and then I'll do it for him. It's just the day … Continue reading Trading Importance for Infinite Worth
Jessica Sanborn 