Sometimes I get really disheartened because I have to do so much side-hustling while the “real job” of being a writer — the job that I’m am trained at, good at and want to do — feels like a shell game. I keep doing the work, but the target is always moving and it never seems to … Read more
Did you know that pretty much every day is a social media holiday? These holidays can be kind of ridiculous (“Nation Grilled Cheese Day” “Walking Day”) and are basically just prompts for generating “content”. I should possibly start using them more for this blog, since the “holiday” also creates a deadline… which is something I … Read more
Lately I seem to have a to-do list that grows faster than I can trim it, and it’s got me feeling ungrounded. In between checking items off, I just ran into the kitchen, sliced off a swath of butterscotch brownie and shoved it into my mouth as a little “reward.” But was it a reward … Read more
In my last post I mentioned my friend who is having issues with his health and posted on Facebook the status, “nothing seems fair anymore.” His post got an overwhelming response, because he has so many friends who love him, and also, i think because they are words that hit a cord with all of … Read more
I’ve mentioned the fairy tales class I’m taking, right? It was only five weeks long and this week is the last week. Right now I’m reading an essay by Aimee Bender called “Character Motivation.” She says, In Murakami’s short story “The Kidney-Shaped Stone That Moves Every Day,” the main character is a writer. In describing … Read more
August 25, 2012 Things I am already doing to help my case: Meditating again… I once had a practice. I had a tendency to act like I still had a practice, but I didn’t. I do now. Twenty-five to thirty minutes in the morning and the evening, ten or fifteen minutes mid-day at work, and … Read more
It’s 2:30 in the morning Los Angeles time, 5:30 AM Indiana time. I am at the Indianapolis airport with some time before my generous and early-rising friend arrives to pick me up. I am sitting at an empty gate, with my stolen airline blanket, contemplating my recent behavior. Traveling is always anxious-making for me. I’m … Read more
I thought it would be good to start with my history, and how I’ve come to the practice I have so far: I was diagnosed with colon cancer at the end of 2003. My surgery happened in December, a few days before my birthday. I started a meditation practice to aid both in the emotional … Read more
A few posts back, I mentioned that I was going to a meditation retreat at the local Shambala center. As I just finished a second weekend of training yesterday, today I had every intention of giving a report of the individual instance, but as I look at the screen, I am wanting to write more … Read more