Philosophy

We only have as much money as we don’t spend. Seems obvious, but looking things this way, makes a difference. Money ≠ Happiness One of my dad’s favorite sayings (which I grew up hearing A LOT) is: happiness is a positive cash flow. I’ve always felt uncomfortable with the saying – even before I knew why. I’ve now come to terms with the answer to that. First, cash doesn’t make a person happy, and second, happiness isn’t something that can be chased. Even still, it’s not as though I disregard the idea altogether. True that happiness itself can’t be equated to a positive cash flow; however, life is harder without it. Instead, I like to think about it this way: we only have as much money as we don’t spend. The Power of the Will It takes guts to quiet the shopping impulse while living in a fast access to shiny new things culture. Whewh – that was quite the sentence. But seriously, we no longer have to leave the comfort of our homes to buy new toys that show up at our doorstep! We forget, when we want something (a new phone case, towels to replace the ones we […]

We only look back after we make the wrong choice. It’s then that we begin the journey toward living with intention. Teachers can appear, even (or perhaps especially) when you’re not expecting them. I was standing in the customer service line at Lowes last week. There was a man in front of me and a man in back of me, both looking for a manager for support around a product that was advertised at a lower price. The man in front was generally calm, although there was a hint of annoyance in his body language. The support rep gave him the price and he chose not to purchase the product. Meanwhile, the man in back of me was carefully listening. Third in line, after apparently having waited in a different part of the store for a manager, he began to throw a tantrum. I turned around to watch him for a moment and felt slightly more peaceful — not because of what was going on around me, rather from a knowing that I was meant to learn something from the experience. It was my cue to listen, not to his rants, but to the guide inside myself, which was reminded

While growing with the times, remembering the value of our roots will keep us feeling whole. Time: It has shifted. We are living amongst a new generation of believers. But belief is far different today than it used to be. It’s a belief in oneself, and in the power of connection with other like-minded believers. Take a higher power out the equation. Today’s believers embody an I can do anything attitude. And it’s this power of will and confidence that generate movement and growth. That’s why we’ve had such an enormous amount of it (in most fields) within these last fifteen to twenty years. Time: A Fertilizer for Dis-ease. Growth and progress carry with it unimaginable beauty, but also a bunch of trash. Some of us have more freedom than we used to. Women, for example, have cracked a myriad of hurdles and bones working to climb a man-made mountain. True, we haven’t made it up yet, but, we have more freedom than we ever did. I think others can identify with these strides as well. With our freedom in tow, our advances in technology, and our boisterous economy, most of us no longer have need for our ingrained survival

Here’s why you should choose your people Bloom where you’re planted. The inspiration for this article (in yellow on right). I never did hear the word jolly spoken (aside from Christmas songs) until I met a dear friend who uses and embodies it. She once described herself as a “bloom where you’re planted” type. As someone who has jumped from here to there – adventure to adventure – much of my life, the phrase poked a curiosity in me. I was left contemplating it for a handful of years. The meaning. Fast forward 5 years. It didn’t take much effort to grasp the meaning. I just had to watch and learn. The foundation of the phrase is simple. It really just is long (and poetic) for happy.  My friend is happy not because she has anything in particular or is anywhere specific. She just knows what it takes to stay in touch with her jolly self, and if she strays for a moment, she turns right back around and treats herself to flamenco lessons or line dancing.  Tribute. She’s extraordinary. She’s a Yale educated attorney, birthing expert and educator; mom to three artistic and happily introspective adult children; doting grandmother (of whom one

Feel strongly about your side of things? 4 things you must not forget. 1. We are all doing the best we can with the tools we have. We have to remember that no one wakes up in the morning and decides they will do the worst they can that day. We are all doing what we think is best. Those of us who are on our side of the fence, and those of us who aren’t. 2. To create a better world, we must be better ourselves. We have to remember that while we work toward a world that’s just and kind, we need to live with those two words at the tippy toes of all of our footsteps. It takes many, many trees to make a forest. 3. Important changes don’t depend on attachment to our emotions. We have to remember that the important outcomes are certainly not dependent on how we feel in any given moment, but rather the foundation on which the human race survives – the dependence upon one another – the strength to love those we may not understand – and the power that comes from bipartisanship. 4. Our ultimate end goal is one and

Someone fantastic comes up with a better one. If at first you don’t succeed… …redefine your definition of success. I first heard this quote from, Blair Lewis, a teacher, homeopath, and friend, who I have been blessed to know since I was about 8. It has since become my own belief. I believe it was first coined by George Carlin, comedian. In with the new, out with the old (quotes that we define ourselves by – that is).

We need to consider the long-term consequences of pushing away people who are meant to stay. (And to be clear, this – in no way – has anything to do with letting go of people who aren’t.) I wonder if those who burn bridges too soon wish they would have been given a “too late” preview before the curtain call.Jules Henson

Some of the smallest things are, by nature, packed with big lessons. I am lying on my back. I’m staring upwards at four large skylights, which brighten the quiet, dimmed yoga studio I am blessed to be practicing in today.  I notice a crack beginning at one corner of one skylight, feathering outward – flawing the tastefully painted, sun-colored ceiling. At first glance, I recognize it as a problem. My eyes (and mind) are keenly aware of how it taints the rest of the room.  In the background, while focused on the blemish in an otherwise perfect space, my lovely yoga instructor, speaks softly about letting go of all preconceived notions of how our practice will go…allowing us to be where we are…without self-judgement. My eyes begin to soften as I come into my breath, and as they do, the crack, which before was so clear, loses its focus. And soon, as I come deeper into awareness of myself, my eyes, still gazing upon the place the crack resides, lose sight of it altogether. I understand immediately. The way my eyes had first perceived the crack is parallel to the way our eyes first perceive ourselves and others. Packed into