By the time you read this I’ll be deep in the throes of a ten-day meditation retreat.  That’s ten days, ten hours a day, of meditating.

Great, you’re thinking, she must meditate a lot.

Well, no.  Like, practically never.  So I am terrified (in some ways, exhilarated in others) by the prospect of having to sit still and meditate for Ten. Days.  Ten hours each day.  And no talking.  Did I mention that?  Yeah, this is in silence.  Again:  terrified.

While this is a little, um, dramatic for most, maybe you’d like to know five ways you can incorporate a little entirely painless meditation into your life. Read the rest of this entry »

Us Moms have full days, no question. So where in those busy days are we supposed to find the time to exercise?

Recently I’ve been noticing more and more Moms blogging about when they are finding that all-important time for themselves.

Sarah has been getting up at 5 a.m. to use her elliptical. Yikes, that’s early, but she promises it has given her more energy for the rest of the day.

One of my favorite fellow runners, Nat, is always running (and blogging it here). Her and I are training for a marathon together in October. We’re both undecided as to if we’ll be doing the half or the whole thing.

Andrew, (though not a woman, but definitely a parent) finds time sandwiched between his daughter’s first bottle and his work day.

Me?

Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday I ran the marathon relay I’ve been training for. You can catch the recap here.

Before the race, I was really nervous. Not just because I had only run 8K twice before, but I wanted to get a good time and so I set one goal for myself: to run my entire course without stopping to walk.

Read the rest of this entry »

Not long ago I wrote about how toddlers are a great example for us because they’re constantly living in the present. I meant it when I wrote it and I still believe that we’re more at peace when we’re attending to what’s right in front of us, but…

I gotta tell you, I struggle with this.

I mean, what does it mean exactly anyway? And how do we apply the whole “being in the moment” thing when there’s laundry to fold and homework to check and toys to pick up and a deadline to meet and what am I going to make for dinner anyway and OMG did the cat throw up again? Read the rest of this entry »

Why, hello! I feel like I’ve been away for months. Light-years. Have I? Well, no. In actuality I spent a work-related long weekend in another city, one that required plane travel to get there. Lots of us travel for work regularly, and we really should swap stories about maintaining sanity while traveling by air. Ready? I’ll go first: Read the rest of this entry »

I was going to write for you all today about meditation, but just as I was getting myself into that inner space where I do my composing and creating, my youngest began wailing on his &@#%! Little Tykes Baby Xylophone, causing my ears to spontaneously implode and all the thoughts to leak out into a puddle of good intention.

Ah, I see by the way you’re nodding your head that you know the feeling.

So…how do we find a bit of quiet space for ourselves when there’s chaos all around? How do we reach peace amidst an energetic family? Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been thinking lately about rest and how it affects me. Or rather, doesn’t affect me, since this is something, I’ve come to realize, that I haven’t truly been allowing in my life. In other words, I’ve been consistently putting the needs of others, often couched in terms like “obligation”, before my own. My children, my work, even things that are ostensibly for me like exercise. All of these things I’ve been placing ahead of simply BEING, of allowing myself to be in a place of rest. Does this sound familiar?

Recently I channeled something on rest (see, I’ve been thinking about it for awhile), and came up with this definition: Read the rest of this entry »

This time of year I get to thinking about the deeper meaning of things, and even though I’m not particularly religious (my personal philosophy incorporates and embraces a whole bunch of religions) I do resonate with the energy of the season that has so much meaning for so many people, and one theme seems to be uppermost, and that is the theme of “Peace”. I thought I’d do some channeling about it, and present for you some words based, then, on the theme of peace: Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine you’re floating on a raft in a warm sea, close to a beautiful beach of soft golden sand. You feel the sun on your skin yet the water cools you. You are completely at peace and completely relaxed; all your worries were left behind on the beach as you stepped onto your raft to float blissfully in the sun for awhile, listening to the waves gently lapping the shore.

Or…

You’re in a beautiful garden surrounded by every flower imaginable, all in full glorious bloom. You’re vaguely aware of a deep insect hum and the sensation of utter life and growth all around you, and the scent of thousands of blossoms permeates your every sense. Every breath you take relaxes you more and more. The heady flower scent is a little intoxicating, and together with the lively warmth of the earth beneath your feet, you are feeling incredibly alive, more alive than you have ever felt before.

Like those feelings? Then you’re in exactly the right place! Read the rest of this entry »