Minimalism

Winter Wonderland (2/15/20)

Winter Wonderland (2/15/20)

It’s mid-February and an unexpected snow storm turned Portland into a winter wonderland. For a hot minute, I fretted over my emerging tulips that thought it was spring only a week before. And then I remembered, the only thing we can expect is the unexpected.

Tea Ritual

Tea Ritual

Every morning, I spend a few minutes sitting quietly with a cup of tea. For the last ten years or so, I’ve spent it staring through the large picture window that faces my garden.

Are You Longing to Belong?

Are You Longing to Belong?

After years of searching, it finally dawned on me that I had betrayed my deepest self along the way. All those attempts at fitting in were repeated demonstrations that I wasn’t enough.

Living Small In A Big World

Living Small In A Big World

“Since my house burnt down, I now own a better view Of the rising moon.” – Basho I’ve been on a quest to make my world small. It all started when I went big. I had a tiny house before they were vogue because it…

Collect Memories, Not Stuff

Collect Memories, Not Stuff

I used to pride myself in knowing the only shopping I enjoyed was for produce. For me, a day at the Farmer’s Market was and is nothing short of a spiritual experience, while going to the mall is like a visit to the Inferno. That…

The Power of Letting Go

The Power of Letting Go

“The willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life is the source from which self-respect springs.” – Joan Didion When asked if people were doing the best they can, a mentor once said: “I don’t know. All I know is that my life is better…

Unplug to Connect

Unplug to Connect

Few of us are guided to fully own who we are. Almost everyone lives out of the misguided belief that they aren’t enough.

Nonattachment

Nonattachment

Aparigraha, or nonattachment, brings us to the end of the Yamas portion of Patanjali’s Yamas and Niyamas. It invites us to enjoy life to the fullest while simultaneously being able to drop everything. This requires trust. Like a trapeze artist, who must let go fully…

Nonexcess

Nonexcess

Whether we find ourselves overdoing it with food, work, exercise or any other preferred distraction of choice, brahmacharya or nonexcess, invites us to remember the sacredness of all life. This guideline is a call to leave greed and excess behind and walk in this world with appreciation and gratitude