Much to Dino’s dismay, a bee flew into the living room today. I pulled the nearby door wide open, all but putting up flares for guidance, but it could not find its way out.  It was fixated on getting through the window with a tree just on the other side. It slammed its tough little self into the glass repeatedly, taking breaks in between to rest and rub its back legs together before launching itself towards the window again at top speed. As I sit here writing, it continues to do so again and again as if eventually, given enough attempts and enough force, it will break its way through…

As I stood in the yard with my sweet little Dino dog this morning, we wandered over to a different part of the yard–a spot we haven’t spent time in for awhile. And I got a new perspective. As I looked up at a most magnificent tree in the far corner, by the fence… I noticed it leaning at the top, starting about halfway up its trunk. Hmm, I wondered, concerned something might be wrong. Especially, noticing that the lean somewhat went in the direction of my bedroom. (I’ve always had a little bit of a fear of a tree falling in on me during some of those super windy…

“You are a brave soul,” she said. And something within me sat upright & at attention, so now I want to share with you that you are a brave soul too. These are the words down a blank sheet of paper upon returning home from an acupuncture appointment. I can still see the desk now, my dad’s slanted art desk, white on top, with black trim… and the gold, permanent, Sharpie marker I used to write these words down in my notebook. You see, I had just experienced a devastating loss…and after a really horrendous Uber ride to my appointment that had my nervous system misfiring even more out-of-whack than…

I glance at the peony on the window sill, and admire its loveliness. It is a large bloom, a light and delicate shade of pink in color. I’ve known others to rave about peonies but I never quite understood. Perhaps because of never actually seen one in real life. Now I get it, I think to myself. There is a softness to them. And a fullness. Which, together…just feels right. I remember a quotation from a dear friend of mine. It’s funny, because she too had the same softness, yet fullness of life. Anyway, she said,“Life is a leap of faith; a bold declaration of hope.” I can’t count the…

I start to feel the pressure in my forehead mount, as the pain in my neck expands, and the surge of dizziness becomes stronger.  I’ve been on a roll washing some dishes in the kitchen sink but now my body calls out to me with a quiet intensity, asking me to allow it some rest. Slowly but surely I’m learning how to listen to my body and respect what it needs, which can be quite frustrating when your mind wants it to do something else. In a recent phone conversation with a life coach instructor, I explained how I quite literally take everything one bit at a time each day, focusing…

I’ve decided that Dolphin Tale is now one of my favorite movies, ever. I watched it for the first time a couple years ago, and felt inspired to re-watch it last week. It makes me cry in all the best ways, and dolphins in general just bring me so much joy! I love re-watching movies from time to time to see what new lessons or insights pop out at me.  There have been so many serendipitous movie experiences for me in the past, that I couldn’t wait to see what this one had in store for me. And as I was watching Dolphin Tale this time around, I was not…

One morning this week, I walked out the front door to see a favorite tree that had fallen on the house. My eyes welled up with tears as I felt the shattering and longing for some of my favorite memories in the front yard of my family’s Portland home. You see, while my dad was sick, we used to sit on a bench that looked out across the yard at this very tree. So many summer afternoons spent talking and laughing with him, and learning, what I didn’t realize at the time, was a lesson in the power of presence. We used to sit in awe of the way the…

Be kind to yourself. Be kind when you rewind. Be kind when you think no one is watching. Be kind even when people are. Sometimes it can be even harder to be kind to ourselves when we feel others are watching or judging us. That we’re somehow not worthy of this kindness, and honoring, or respect. But we are. YOU are, my child. My darling, sweet friend, and companion. You are worthy. That is what I want you to know. And every word you think and deed or action you take, every desire, every wish that aligns with love and kindness towards yourself, brings infinite treasures…a wellspring flowing from within.…

Some say that writing must come from sitting down and practicing, determined to make it happen. But mine has always come from nothingness. It has always come from a place of silence within myself. From this place, an idea, an inspiration–with a literal in breath–brings a burst of energy that gives me the strength to write. Whether to physically move myself and type the words, or to simply allow them to be written in my mind, a gentle offering from my heart, and trusting they’re somehow written in the fabric of space and time. And that’s how it started; how I learned that I love to write. Even this piece…

You can do anything. And your life is divinely blessed, like a sunflower reaching up to allow the sunlight to grace her face. You can do anything. And all that you desire to create and be is for a reason. When you write, you let freedom flow through your fingertips. And that freedom has the power to open Heaven’s door. One could even say that that IS Heaven’s door. As you create from the heart, you allow a wellspring of knowledge to bubble up to the surface…sometimes with insights and information you didn’t even realize you had within you. What a treasure it is to be one with the inspired…