December has always felt like an in-between space to me — a transition between the year that has been and the year to come. A kind of quiet bardo. In Pema Chödrön’s language, the bardo is the place where things “come together and fall apart,” where certainty dissolves, and something new has not yet formed.
With Thanksgiving approaching, I’ve been reflecting on the different forms of gratitude—the kind that is cultivated in various greetings and gatherings, and the kind that appears spontaneously when we witness something deeply touching.
This past week, I’ve been working with what feels like an evergreen challenge in both my practice and my life—Letting Go and Letting Be. I have a frequent inclination to cling to whatever feels transformative or awe-inspiring.
This week, I’ve been appreciating wonder — that childlike state of curiosity that reawakens our senses and lets us see the world with fresh eyes and deeper appreciation. Maybe you’ve felt it too with the recent Beaver Supermoon— an uncommonly brilliant phenomenon shining down on all of us.
We had just arrived in Florida. After several weeks of professional and personal busyness, and with the northern weather starting to change, I was looking forward to a few quiet (and warmer) days of transition — unpacking, reconnecting with my space here, enjoying a sunset or two, before finding my rhythm again.
This past week, I’ve been increasingly aware of my somewhat addictive tendency to abandon the richness of what’s here now and follow the siren song of what could be here tomorrow…It’s that old devil, Restlessness, the fifth hindrance to mindful meditation –and indeed mindful life.
A dear friend recently gave me a small coin etched with a beautiful butterfly, underneath which was the single word: Change. Of course, what could be more fitting? The butterfly embodies the very essence of transformation.
I’m writing this from a special wooded place — an ashram in Virginia where I’m spending a few precious days with my daughter and granddaughter. Three generations kayaking on the river, practicing lunchtime silence while a swami reads from a sacred text.
For the past few months, I’ve been exploring Abundance Mindset—both in my own life and in my mindfulness gatherings. We’ve been working with the inner hindrances that keep us from fully embracing abundance.
This week’s share is… late. Or maybe I am. Or maybe time is just an illusion. (Manyphilosopherss would agree.) The truth is, I’ve been thinking about this topic while doing everything except writing about it. You could say I’ve been… researching. (Not procrastinating!)