Transitions are times of great danger. The disruption brought on by transitions leaves us vulnerable and exposed. We may fear what lies beyond the transition. Long held routines are torn away leaving us seemingly stranded in an unfamiliar world. We…

Nothing is permanent. A permanent hairdo,  a perm, is not permanent. It only adds or removes curls for a few weeks before you have to get a new one. Perhaps that's why the perm has fallen out of favour, it's…

It’s difficult to make generalities about generations but our involvement in our children’s lives has gone on for a much longer period than our parents were involved with us. I’m not saying this is a good or bad thing, it…

Walking along a 16 km beach on the west coast of Vancouver Island, breakers pounding the sand to your right and evergreens rising to the mountains on your left, you can begin to appreciate the strong connection aboriginal people have…

On occasion I find it helpful to take stock of where I stand in the universe.

I am one of 7.5 billion Homo sapiens. We collectively reside on the fourth smallest planet of eight that orbit a star that…

As humans, we are reluctant to consider ourselves as just another animal. We are far superior to all other living things on this planet. Our ability to think and plan has made us Lords of the Earth granting us permission…

It is surprising that there is still loneliness in the world. There has never been a time when humans have had the ability to interact widely with others every waking moment of our lives. But this level of communication has…

We are all storytellers living the story we tell. We tell our story mostly to our self - an internal narrative casting our experiences in an endlessly looping documentary. If we dare to share our story with others, it is…

To find the truth of things look for suffering. Determine the cause of suffering and you will find the truth.  We often construct a fictional reality for our self and others but rarely understand the truth in suffering.

I'm grateful for silence. The opportunity to be mindful of silence when it occurs, allowing it to quiet my mind. If just for a moment.

Silence is elusive. Try to find a place in your day where you…

I been trying to adopt the mantra of "just love". I think it reduces the human experience to its purest and most simple level. Just love myself, just love my situation, just love those around me... just love.…

I should awaken each day and fully breathe in the joy of being alive. Certainly there is suffering, my own suffering, suffering among those I love and all living things. But there is also great joy and beauty. The green…

Mothers. Where would we be without them? Nowhere. Who else carries us day after day for nine months having no idea who we are or might become? Then after we're born, mothers attend to our every need for at least…

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present. 

Must I always be defined by my past? 

Does tomorrow have to be the same as today which was similar…

I recently watched the documentary film Walk With Me. It was a very meditative rendering of the activities of the Plum Village monastery and mindfulness practice centre in France led by Thich Nhat Hanh. A couple things captured my…

We each perceive the world differently. Editing experiences to craft a unique narrated documentary that plays out in our mind - perhaps less of a documentary and more of a somewhat fictionalized account of our experiences. There is no such…

I love watching snowboarders. The fearlessness, awareness, athleticism... the creativity. Superhuman effort edging towards recklessness and then crossing the edge with air to spare. What would it be like to live like that?

Love seemed an appropriate topic to contemplate at the end of Valentine's Day week although the day seems more about selling flowers, cards, chocolate and restaurant reservations than love. I tried chasing down love in my recent song Just Love…

I should be more kind to others. Life would be much better if we were more kind to one another, but sadly kindness is a rare commodity. 

The lack of kindness has many causes. When we are hurt by…

I only speak one fluently but I find languages fascinating. Not so much the speaking of them but the concept and origin. How did what appears to a non-native speaker to be a collection of random sounds become a method…

Change has many faces. Sometimes we seek it out - travel, new experiences, novel food, beverages, and the latest technology. Other times we abhor change, particularly when things change for the worst - health, finances and the weather. Radical change…

As we become experienced in this business of life, we start to spend more time reflecting on memories of the past. 

People of a certain age, you know who we are, grew up in an era where video of…

If you are mindful of death, it will not come as a surprise - you will not be anxious. You will feel that death is merely like changing clothes. Consequently, at that point you will be able to maintain your…

I've often wondered what the evolutionary purpose of anger is as a human emotion. Was it meant to incite us to defend ourselves more effectively against a real physical threat? Anger can, although not always, result in hostility and violence…

It's difficult to just be here now. Not dwelling on what's happened or fretting about what's going to happen but to just fully absorb this moment. The reality of life, if I can ever get a grip on it, is…