In the late 70s, a regular feature of TV’s Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update segment was a skit called Point-Counterpoint, starring actors Jane Curtin and Dan Akroyd. The skit featured a political opinion expressed by Jane Curtin and a caustic response from Dan Akroyd. In the most famous of these skits, Curtain argued that a … Continue reading “What Are We Really Talking About?”

We have two Siberian cats. As the name implies, they were domesticated from the wilds of frigid Siberia. To survive sub-zero temperatures, they developed a three-layered coat of dense fur. The cats are with us always; I mean that literally. The other day, I donned black dress slacks to attend a funeral. Once in the … Continue reading “Sticky Tape”

A thoughtful reflection on awareness, presence, and how deeper attention enriches the quality of life.

What we perceive is a tiny slice of reality. Visible light accounts for less than one percent of the electromagnetic spectrum. Yet to us, it’s the whole enchilada. Aldous Huxley (with dated gender language) wrote, “If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.” It’s challenging to understand … Continue reading “The Doors of Perception”

I have reached an age where walking is a fitness exercise. It’s taking some getting used to! I used to be a runner. When my knees began complaining, I switched to biking. My bike has a fancy computer that tracks cadence, heart rate, average speed, and distance to assist in training. I’ve always found exercise … Continue reading “Silent Fitness”

There is a famous optical illusion that simultaneously depicts the face and shoulders of a fashionable young woman and a decrepit old woman. Most people immediately recognize one image but have difficulty seeing the other. The illusion reminds me of our current political environment. Opposing sides see different worlds, proving the adage that the world … Continue reading “Awareness Part 8, Conclusion”

“The miracle of we*” is one of the most beautifully descriptive phrases I know. Life is relationships enabled by awareness. “We” is a relationship of the highest level, the “black belt” of awareness. There is nothing to stop us from a life filled with “We.” Yet, too often, it’s in short supply! Perhaps if we … Continue reading “Awareness Part 7, We”

The former minister at our neighborhood church was gifted in an unusual way. He didn’t “preach”. He didn’t need to. His presence alone brought joy to people’s lives. Everyone felt it. I never got to know him on a personal basis, but just to shake hands with him made me feel better. I used to … Continue reading “Awareness Part 6, Radiance:”

Remember the Beach Boys song “Good Vibrations”? That song is about connections. “I’m pickin’ up good vibrationsShe’s giving me the excitations” Resonance happens when a connection is made. There are millions of things going on around us all the time. We resonate with some and are “blind” to others. What determines which is which? My … Continue reading “Awareness Part 5, Resonance”

Let’s try something. If you will, take a breath in, then release it. What did you notice in the space between the breath in and its release? Probably nothing, right? That simple exercise is a metaphor for life. The future slips so quickly into the past, we fail to notice the present moment! “Life is … Continue reading “Awareness Part 4, Presence”

I often find myself watching other people. One of the things I’ve noticed is people who have hobbies and outside interests seem happier than those who don’t. I wondered why, so I decided to look into it. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, an early pioneer in the study of happiness, provides a possible explanation in his 1990 book, … Continue reading “Awareness Part 3, Flow:”

The essence of who we are is deeper than our body or even our thoughts. Something inside us is aware of these! Peeling back the onion as far as one can, we find that our deepest essence is that awareness. It is most commonly experienced as the voice in our head that looks outward … Continue reading “Awareness: Part 2, Ego”

I have a confession… I am quick tempered and it doesn’t take much to set me off. It’s a terrible personal trait that I’ve worked my entire life to moderate. Some friends don’t know this about me, which says I’ve been partially successful. That hasn’t always been the case. Luckily caring bosses provided the opportunity … Continue reading “Awareness: Part 1”

We never see the world as it is, rather we see the world as we are. Discovering what that means is the starting point of a life well-lived. Nothing is more natural than the intuitive feeling of “me” inside, experiencing an “outside” world. This is awareness passed through the filter of “Self”, (to which Jack … Continue reading “Beginner’s Mind”