It's been a year of spiritual exploration for me. As I've mentioned before, I'm participating in the Academy of Intuition's Here and Now program, which I must heartily recommend as life-changing. I'm practicing truly being in the moment: Redirecting my attention from my thoughts to the feelings in body, Tuning in to the one energy … Continue reading Accessing the universe
How we live
“I guess that wasn’t our apartment.”
Last week Jordan and I were this. close. to renting an apartment that would have saved us $1100/month in rent. (Meanwhile, my friend in St. Louis points out that her entire mortgage is $1000/month... and here I am trying to reduce my rent by that amount.) Anyway, we didn't get it, because the landlord decided … Continue reading “I guess that wasn’t our apartment.”
The trap of “What if?”
What if she isn't happy? What if we can't make rent? What if we made these three choices and then this fourth thing happened — would we all be perfectly happy, then? This is the game that my brain wants to play. It's not playful though, actually, it's arduous. It's torture. I torture myself with … Continue reading The trap of “What if?”
The next right thing for my family
As the writer Glennon Doyle Melton says, when in doubt, choose the next right thing. But how does that work when you're in a family? What if the next right thing for me isn't the same as the next right thing for Ali, isn't the same as the next right thing for Jordan? How do … Continue reading The next right thing for my family
Don’t beat yourself up
When we experience pain, we make it worse with the stories we tell ourselves about that pain. Those stories are the source of suffering. This is my biggest takeaway so far from the wonderful Here and Now program I'm doing through the Academy of Intuition. (Which I highly recommend.) Pain is inevitable. It's part of … Continue reading Don’t beat yourself up
The pleasure of escapist porn
You guys, I am so into porn. No, not the sad cum-on–your-face variety. I'm talking AIRBNB LISTINGS. I'm talking Instagram accounts that show me LIFE IN THE HUDSON VALLEY. (Red Cottage Rentals I'm looking at you.) I am so into this shit. In some ways, the pleasure of selecting a cabin to rent in Phoenicia, NY … Continue reading The pleasure of escapist porn
Get some rest
I recently met up with a friend who is burned out from a demanding job, and worried that she's bringing the stress home to her family. "How long have you been feeling this way?," I asked. "Probably since January," she said. Oh, the month the asshat was inaugurated president? "I'm not sure that timing is … Continue reading Get some rest
Is it immoral to move to another country right now?
The other day, in the wake of the news of Comey's firing, I posted the following on Facebook: It sparked a fire storm of comments. Several fellow parents wrote in to say that since the election they'd gotten their children passports and renewed their own, to which I replied: What are we waiting for? I … Continue reading Is it immoral to move to another country right now?
There’s no shortcut to happiness
It's become increasingly apparent to me that I am always looking for a shortcut to feeling happy. We all are, right? Booze, drugs, social media 'likes' — anything to give us a quick hit of dopamine or a way to dull the pain. My vices aren't obvious. I guess I'd categorize them as a mix … Continue reading There’s no shortcut to happiness
Exploring the space between
When I was spent and dumb in the first weeks of motherhood I started listening to a meditation series from Deepak Chopra. Sitting on the weathered wooden deck of my parents' rental home in Maine, I earnestly absorbed his instruction to tune into the spaces between my thoughts. My imagination conjured what those spaces would … Continue reading Exploring the space between