On the eve of the new year, he stood on his balcony, leaning over just enough to feel it arrive. The promise and forgiveness of the night embraced him. He pictured the aches and worries of the last 12 months scatter in the winter wind and fly away. Only their lessons remained. He listened to the…
Live Free
A few things I know about fear…and being brave.
If you’ve ever hated your fear or wished it would disappear, if you’ve ever shamed it or rejected it…wait, and try this: “Thank you, Fear.” Go ahead and try it now. How does it sound in your voice? “Thank you, Fear, for your unconditional attention.” How does it feel in your body? “Thank you, Fear,…
Do it for the way it feels and the feelings it grows.
You can multiply the good feelings in life through your intention to nurture them, the gentleness with which you hold them, and the generous spirit with which you engage them. The good feelings in life don’t need to be used sparingly. They don’t need to be exchanged for something more valuable. Nor hidden, nor hoarded. There’s…
Let it all drop 
Once, I was a falcon, or at least I tried to be. Fast and focused, I was quick to act, quick to think, never a moment wasted. I wanted to fly the farthest and be the most ruthless. I carried with me always a sense of urgency, as if to say, “Look how much I…
I Thought I Had Demons
I used to think there was something bad and broken in me. Some damaged bits hidden deep down, out of my reach. They spoke to me, whispering riddles and sending me on impossible quests. They mocked my failure when I came back empty-handed. Demons, I called them. Dragons, ghosts, skeletons, monsters. I thought I…
Words for Waking Up
Awake, fresh eyes crack. It hurts for just a second as dawn’s light washes me. After a long, walking sleep, I’m relieved to see the sun again. “Felt like night forever,” I say to her with a bittersweet mix of thanks and regret. “Thank you for waking me.” The monsters lurking in my room transform before me….
What Lies Beyond These Walls
I long to tell her, “Yes, yes. Come this way.” But it’s best she hears it from inside. – Love.From Love, Child. Love. There are walls upon walls upon walls in me, and I’ll admit it, I built them myself. I laid them down, brick by brick with my own two hands. I used to see…
Where there was fear now stands love.
I sat at the shore, watching the water come and go. Beside me sat a basket filled with bottles, each one containing a note about my past and my secrets. Something’s wrong with me, one said. It broke me, said another. I can’t forgive myself for it. No one can ever know. For years, I kept the…
This is life, as far as I can see.
As far as I can see, there’s been nothing wrong with me. But all this time, I thought I was broken. All this time, I feared what I might find inside. All this time, I saw myself as unsafe. And all this time, I wondered why I hadn’t fixed it yet. As far as I…
To the voice in my head, I love you.
She’d tell me all the ways I wasn’t enough, and I’d shrink at her words. It’s not big enough, grand enough, fast enough. You’re not smart enough, kind enough, good enough. I don’t feel pleased enough, proud enough, sure enough, she said. I could do anything to set it right, but it was never enough, and…