A poem on the slow return to a more original state: simply feeling and being. When we give ourselves the spaceto empty the mind,a slow returnto a more original stateopens:becoming the shapeof elementsfrom which we descendand of which we are composed. Clinging to rocks,soaking in sunlight,absorbing waterbecoming like ancestor algaeprimordially silentfloatingin a pool ofbeingfeelingemptying. There …
A poem on making space for love’s meanderings. Love meanders in and throughlike slow trickle of rainthrough an opening.Once you notice it,always therebut too often theunsynthesized background,ignored. When we don’t practice truly seeing(deeply)this life exchangewe miss an intimacy withlove’s surprising roots. The work:See this love at playin your days.Live in waysthat open up possibility of …
If we tweak our perceptions, the simple day to day tasks can also bring us joy. Have you ever had the experience of being tethered to home, pining for something different or more? If you are a working mother of young children like myself, there are likely piles of laundry, endless order for snacks, toys …
Continue reading How Laundry and Dishes Can Lead to Freedom of a Different Kind
A poem on becoming more intimate with life exactly as it is. Photo Credit: Pixabay Nothing to return toand nowhere to go,insteadjust intimatewith realitypressed into what istrue,much like petalsin a flower presscapturing colorsof a moment in time. Life is not staticand stillcan you loveeach emergingmoment’s texture,tendingthis basic relationshipwithand inrealityitself? Find refuge here:being alivein relationship with …
Why we need to cultivate new ways of thinking, make time for reflection, and collaborate intensely in order to bring about transformation. Photo: Deborah McNamara (Lake Granby, Colorado) "Be the change you wish to see." - Gandhi Change-making is a slow process over time of shifting minds and hearts in new directions. Organizations and communities …
Photo: Alaya Preschool, Darlene Lorraine Over the years, I’ve written a bit on the amazing preschool that my boys attend in Boulder, Colorado. It has been a beacon of wisdom and insight, and I’m eternally grateful. Rooted in the tradition of Shambhala Buddhism, the teachers act based on the premise that there is a basic wisdom inherent in …
Photo: Deborah McNamara Over the years I've written on Principles of Contemplative Parenting — and my reflections inspired by them. Thanks to Alaya Preschool in Boulder, Colorado for outlining some of these suggested points. Here I share a few more, accompanied by my experiences. After a challenging spell with my boys, these served my life like guideposts, …
Continue reading Let’s Try Something New: Lessons Learned from a Buddhist Preschool
Learning that love can shine through, even with a shrieking child at 3 am. “Love can change a person the way a parent can change a baby — awkwardly, and often with a great deal of mess.” ~ Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events One of the consistent times when I needed to “practice” …
Continue reading A Midnight Lightbulb: How Sleepless Nights With the Baby Transformed Me for Good
Sometimes we can set ourselves free by setting ourselves aside “Much of motherhood, from the very first hour, carries the early warning signs of ego warfare. I want to sleep. She wants to eat. I need to do this. She needs to do that. Not again. Again. It can feel as though someone were eating …
Continue reading How Parenthood Can Devour Our Egos in the Best Possible Way
A poem on staying with mysteries at work in our lives. When found in a placebeyond reasonand sense,stay there.Linger awhile.Don’t run from the mystery,rather hold steadytrustinginvisible processes at play. Much like flow of waterdoing work on rocks,let life smooth youinto clear and presentplace. Even if you don’t knowwhere you are,the water does. Go with this …
Deb McNamara 