Nora celebrated life to an insatiable degree, yet without any of the manic energy one associates with people who have "insatiable appetites" for life. She had a calm and elegant way of savoring every moment.
As I considered my relationship with giving, I realized the issue is not with giving too much but with receiving too little, a common problem in our society.
We go through changes every day, whether they are minor or major. We do not necessarily have to be optimists to see the good in every situation, nor pessimists to feel betrayed and lose hope.
If you are so attached to someone that you feel you can't live without that person, try learning to give to yourself and others what it is you want from this person. Your job is to become the person to yourself that you want the other person to be.
If you act with love and use that as your compass, regardless of the challenge you may be facing, however dark, deep and painful it may be, eventually love will circle back. It may have a funny way of navigating back to you, but it eventually does.
As hard as it is to hear, each and every one of us is exactly where we are supposed to be in our lives at any moment. As we grow, evolve, and live, we go through so much -- and the tapestry of our lives is never just about happy or sad.
Last month, I had the deep pleasure of speaking with award-winning women's marketing expert and now playwright, author and actor Mary Lou Quinlan about her new book, play and programs called The God Box Project.
We can each discover what lives freely, both inside and outside. We can recognize what is at peace, regardless of particular circumstances. We can find ourselves in all.
For many of us, unuseful fight-or-flight or desire responses distract us or disrupt our attention -- or even affect our behavior -- numerous times throughout the day, during business meetings, lunch, while we're trying to fall asleep, or talk to a friend.
We often harm others when we act out of anger, but we always harm ourselves. Suppressing anger can cause psychological problems, but eliminating the causes of anger always results in psychological and spiritual health.
How do we combat feelings of loneliness? Some turn to technology, which is ever-connecting us. But sometimes that's not enough. And sometimes, technology can make us feel even more lonely. We may be connected online, but offline may be different.
Making the most of each moment requires that we show up for it as our fully awakened, aware selves. It requires that we not be attached to how the moment unfolds or the outcome, but be a willing participant in the here and now, meeting the moment as it is.
Wise actions flow naturally from the right principles. When respect directs our daily choices, all our interactions are in harmony with our greater good. Respect for ourselves, one another, and for life itself should be at our core lighting the path for us.
I've been thinking a lot lately about the importance of balancing the mind toward more of the good in life. This isn't meant to be a Pollyanna approach, just balancing the negativity bias that our brains inherently have.
The "genius zone" is always nearby, partly because it is inside each person. The trouble is that the doorway to it is a moving target. When the door does open, it is often because the heart and mind have become connected
We were certainly in the know about stress reduction and relaxation. And yet, I realized in those last days of class that I hadn't yet shared with my students one of my favorite ways of eliminating stress: chanting.