I am not a gardener, but I love going to The Farm. It is my Zen place, my place to unwind and breathe; my place to meet a friend and laugh.
Category: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
Alone by the Sea
It’s June. I live in New Jersey. It’s time to “go down the shore,” as we Garden State residents say. It’s beach time!
On Turtle Time
Turtles are known to symbolize long life, so it also acted as a good luck charm and miraculously it was. Since that time all types of turtles are welcome in our house, and we seek them out when traveling too. For me, they are a reminder to slow down and remember what is most important. They remind me to keep my face towards the sun and savor the sunshine.
Sand Dollar Sanctuary
One day at the beach, I walked along peacefully intent on taking photographs of shells and other bits of nature that the ocean tide delivered on the sand. I sought out colorful shapes: golden yellow, pale pink, deep purple, and luminous blue. I was deep in thought, in the flow of the moment. I felt truly happy.
Mindful Gardener
I’m lucky to live near many public gardens and arboretums. I cannot wait to see their spring offerings. This spring seems more precious to me, maybe it’s because of the precariousness of the world. I need a place of serenity and beauty, a place where things thrive and grow instead of being destroyed.
Nature’s Cure
When the world becomes too much, I invariably turn to nature. As I walk the trails, I am on the lookout for something to surprise me, something to capture my imagination. Nature is the best cure for writer’s block.
Power to Pause
My thoughts came in quick, short phrases. They begged to be placed into poetry. January is a perfect month for reflection; I'm able to center my thoughts when I compose poetry. Everything falls into place. I'm comforted by the rhythm of my thinking.
Fall Flow: Haiku for Autumn
This week, I entered a 4th grade classroom to see students at their desks silently moving their lips and quietly tapping their fingers. I heard a hum, “5-7-5... 5,7,5...” and then tapping, clapping, and snapping. I knew immediately what they were busy creating. They were constructing haiku. In the last two weeks, the teacher introduced … Continue reading Fall Flow: Haiku for Autumn
A Fresh Look at Lists
I reluctantly shift away from summer – the beach, the mountains, my independent reading time, the sun. And slowly I enter September already weary from thoughts of all I have to do, all I must do, all the little things that await me.
The Silver Lining
I could have focused on all the things that went wrong with this lesson, all the content I did not get to share, all the things I should have done. Instead, I reframed those thirty minutes as the room I made to show loving kindness and compassion. Something that is in increasing short supply in our world.
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 