I walked outside this morning, as I oft do, to enjoy the morning with my fresh brewed black coffee. I saw there were several leaves on my round glass table. They're from the old maple tree, a few yards from my door. It's a good tree, old, strong, and vibrant. (Not real old; I'd estimate about the same age as me.)

In my part of the world, it's still spring, entering summer. I thought it odd that a tree would be molting in spring, so I pondered, I wondered, I mused, as I looked at my old friend.

And what I realized is that sometimes change requires that we shed even new growth. We... Read More »

I've fallen out of the habit of writing. Not completely; I still write a few poems a week and attend a local writers' group meeting. The novel writers' class I've been in is starting back next Monday. That'll help a little too. But I've lost the passion that drove me for several years to write every day. And in the absence of passion, joy is a rare commodity. And in the absence of joy, my art loses some of its magic.

I'm not sure at which point I diverged from the path I was on. Probably it was a bunch of little diversions and distractions that led me into this wasteland of mediocrity that is my present reality.

I've got no huge problems in my life. I've got plenty of money. I'm getting back into working out regularly. I take lots of little day trips to the beach to rest and recharge.... Read More »

Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence. – Aristotle

If you want to be happy, be. – Leo Tolstoy

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. – C.S. Lewis

The answer to the question, “What is happiness?” can perhaps never be answered in a simple way that fits all people, all situations, all world views, all levels of consciousness. Nonetheless, there seem to be some common ingredients of the state we call happiness.

• Happiness is contentment, being satisfied with our lives, our situations, and our surroundings.
• Happiness is a state we feel, many levels of feelings that are “good” rather than “bad”: bliss, joy, excitement, ecstasy, to name a few.
• Happiness is a sense of fulfillment and purpose, a knowing that we're in the right... Read More »

It's a simple question. But it's not always so easy to answer. Especially when we're feeling less than our best.

I remember a time walking on the beach. I was confused about the relationship I was in, wanting it to be different, clinging to expectations. I was led to continue to dig deeper. I kept asking “what's under that?” The conversation with myself went something like this...

“What are you feeling?”

“Sadness. Disappointment.”

“What's under that?”

“I feel small, hurt, unworthy.”

“And what's under that?”

“I feel like I deserve what I'm getting. I'm small, so I'm feeling small.”

“Yes. What's under that?”

“I never felt like I was enough for my parents. They made me feel like I wasn't trying hard enough.”

“What's under that?”

“I'm angry. They shouldn't have judged me. They should have loved me simply and completely.”

“And what's under that?”

“It makes me sad to remember how I felt when I was young... Read More »

Failure is inevitable, but fleeting

“When life knocks you down you have two choices – stay down or get up.” – Tom Krause

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other" – Walter Elliot

Failure, lately for me, has become my constant companion. Maybe it's destiny, that I continually learn the lesson I'm writing about. Yesterday, a romantic relationship ended for me. I've got financial problems. I line up work and it evaporates. I do work and payment is slow. Lots of problems. Lots of little failures. And some not-so-small failures. But here I am again, pursuing my dream, walking in my highest passion.

I'm a writer. So I must write. On good days and bad days, after success and failure, regardless of what's happening or not happening in my little corner of the world, I must write.

Twitter has become lately a great... Read More »

Love is everything;
But more simply...
That which connects,
Me to you.

The world is changing. Many of us are on paths of awakening, paths to higher awareness of our enlightenment. All the traditions and paths of spiritual growth differ, but they all have a few things in common. In choosing to embrace the spiritual, we choose to embrace our oneness; and recognition of our oneness requires love.

Love is compassion, love is kindness, love is creation and truth. Love removes separation, love turns differences meaningless, love erases fearfulness; love allows and encourages the sharing of our light, the light that is our very essence.

Love's attributes change with its many flavors; parent to child, friend to friend, stranger to stranger, lover to lover, me to you. Yet at love's core, love is the same. Love is the courageous and truthful sharing and merging of one with another. Love is allowing and encouraging our light to... Read More »

We are curiosity. Our imaginative natures and our desire for the comfort of understanding intersect, creating in us the want to figure it all out, to discover and cling to some simple formula or credo that explains the nature of existence, of life, of our reason for being.

We discover and cling to concepts, to words, to ideas along the way. Our journeys are similar, we begin in ignorance, we move to self-preservation, through times of seeking answers in the Cosmos, in ourselves, in others, in God. And as we journey, we learn, we discover, and we embrace little truths. And big truths. These truths define us and the world we see and experience.

If we remain open to change, what “it's all about” changes as we do. Sometimes...

• It's all about forgiveness.
• It's all about surrender.
• It's all about love.
• It's all about peace.
• It's all about understanding.
• It's all about enlightenment.
• It's all about oneness.
• It's all about... Read More »

Publishing changed significantly about 550 years ago with Gutenberg's innovative movable type printing press. The entire paradigm shifted with the reduction of labor and associated costs. No longer would a book take a year to produce by hand, painstakingly, by scribes working by candlelight.

Publishing is changing again. The current paradigm shift from printed books to electronic books, along with the plethora of options for self-publishing, allows anyone with a story and perseverance to have that story published. It's an exciting time, but as with all major changes, it's a time also of resistance, obstacles, and turmoil.

The Internet's pervasiveness has created the ability for each of us to have a voice, for each of us to speak our hearts and tell our stories. But it's also created a tremendous amount of noise. The insignificant barrier to entry, the ease with which anyone can create a website or blog, makes it far... Read More »

Most successful people aren't successful because of one brilliant idea. Success comes from the diligent and persistent pursuit of our dreams. After we've learned the way the universe works, after we've made a decision to accept ourselves and our gifts, the loving path is to persevere in creation and the sharing of ourselves and our gifts.

This is true in every field of endeavor. Are you a great painter? Paint! Are you a gifted leader? Lead! Do you have the gift of compassion? Give!

Only when we realize, accept, and share our gifts, do we find true joy and fulfillment.

Regardless of where we are on this journey... Read More »

It's easy to wander from the path. Mistakes and fears and judgments (both from inside and out) lead us to feel less than successful in our chosen missions. It's far easier to avoid the resultant feelings than to face them head on, trudging on, maintaining momentum. Negative feelings are an enticement to procrastination and avoidance.

Anyone who has been successful, regardless of their metrics of success, whether material or spiritual, whether inventive, creative, compassionate, or giving, anyone who has been successful has found the strength and tenacity to persist in their goals and dreams.

The sooner we realize we've wandered from our... Read More »