Clik here to view.
Letting Go of Perfection
When I was writing a nutrition book several years ago, I spent a lot of time not writing. I cleaned, napped, drank, anything to avoid what I knew I had to do (and actually really wanted to do!). I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hips Don’t Lie
Part of what has always attracted me to Buddhism is the concept that every experience – every moment – presents an opportunity to meet the present, to wake up rather than grasp or repel and go to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Death and Taxes
When I was younger, I recall my Dad loosely quoting Benjamin Franklin, There are two things you can count on in life: death and taxes. This was expressed with a sense of resignation and discomfort, as...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Taking Refuge
For as long as I can remember, I have struggled with self-doubt. I felt there was something different about me, something not quite right. While other children seemed confident in who they were and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Loving-kindness Starts at Home
Last week I was in yet another hip-opening yin yoga class. I was seated on the floor with my legs out in front of me and I was folding forward, resisting the urge to yank on my feet to give the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
When Nothing Makes Sense…
Like a lot of people, I am having a hard time making sense of what happened yesterday. Though I grew up in New York, I was living in Boston at the time of the 9/11 attacks. I sat in my office looking...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Falling off the (Dharma) Wagon
During the last week, a lot has happened. The bombings that seem so long ago occurred just 9 days back. The around-the-clock news coverage by the journalists that besieged Boston seemed to stretch out...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Can We Break Free of the Perfection Prison?
A couple of weeks ago, I read an article about why everyone hates Anne Hathaway. I always thought she was an intelligent, beautiful, uber-talented young woman, but apparently she is utterly detested by...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Have I Told You Lately That I Love Booze?
Last week, my boyfriend brought home a bottle of 10-year-old single-malt scotch. We keep alcohol in the house – wine, gin, beer, and Italian liqueurs – and so far it hasn’t been a problem. Scotch never...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Have You Been Helped?
When I was younger, so much younger than today I never needed anybody’s help in any way But now these days are gone, I’m not so self-assured Now I find I’ve changed my mind and opened up the doors...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Collision of Basic Goodness
Last week I had lunch with a new friend. It was a raw, honest conversation that bolstered our new bond. It also made me acutely aware of the ways we all suffer, how much we need one another, and how we...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Battle Cry of the Unknown Writer
I will set my alarm each morning to awaken me with this: I will leave no trick un-exploited in my efforts to finish this book I will use the laundry trick (that’s 34 minutes to wash-write, and 28...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Art of Walking in the Rain
I always feel grateful for rain. As a child, I was happy to stay indoors reading or watching movies on beautiful, sunny days. My mother would coax me outside, shaming me not to waste a glorious day....
View ArticleClik here to view.
That Elusive Middle Ground
Did you ever ride the go-karts at Disney World? Each car is situated on individual, parallel tracks that prevent crossover and collisions, so that everyone basically drives around without incident. At...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Excuse Me For Living
“Excuse me for living!” Remember when this was a common rebuke? Variations included “Pardon me for living” or “Excuse me for breathing.” I used to say this when someone took issue with something I did...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Your Attention, Please
One of the most helpful meditation instructions I ever received was to regard thoughts the same way as I do sense perceptions such as sights and sounds. In this way, the car horn honking in the street...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My Sister’s Keeper
I have almost always had a complicated relationship with my sister. Whether this is due to sibling rivalry, our closeness in age (she is 18 months my junior), or because we are the same sex, I am not...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What is Real Confidence?
The other day I was walking to my new gym with a serious case of gym-timidation. I imagined that the other members would all be younger, prettier, and fitter than me, and had therefore procrastinated...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Compassion Is the New Black
It is difficult to describe how much I love “Orange Is the New Black,” the new Netflix original series based on Piper Kerman’s memoir about her time in a women’s prison. I binge-watched the 13-episode...
View ArticleClik here to view.
‘Why Bother?’ Gets a Firm Answer
I have been on vacation in Sicily for the last week and, as always, I am struck by the stark contrast between the raw beauty and sensuality of the place and a sense of disconnectedness between the...
View Article
