greatness adventure

While chatting with a fellow participant at the Shambhala Training weekend in Birmingham, I learned about A Touch of Greatness. This documentary came so highly recommended, and I was looking for something about that length to watch on my Kindle Fire back at the hotel anyway, that I decided to give it a try. And it blew me away!

I haven't been able to stop recommending this film to anyone who will listen. Albert Cullum was a teacher in Rye, NY in the late '50s and early '60s who was so present to his students and who so saw in each of them a touch of greatness, that he completely revolutionized education in his grade school classrooms. Amazingly, his friend Robert Downey, Sr. captured this on film - his black and white footage is devastatingly beautiful.

I can't do this film justice. Learn more about it here, watch the trailer here and scenes from it here, and if you're lucky enough to be able to stream it on Netflix, put it at the top of your queue!

meditation adventure

Sorry for the late post, but I had the great pleasure of visiting the lovely Birmingham Shambhala Center this past weekend, to finally do Level IV. It was a special treat because it was led by Janet Bronstein, who I did Level II with in 2006! That was a long time ago, but when I pulled into the parking lot, the years fell away. It really could have been yesterday, although the already beautiful center has since been renovated and is really spectacular. Add in a welcoming group of participants and I was in heaven. I'm so crazy about getting time to practice, and this was an outstanding space. I can't wait to get back!

gratitude adventure

A while back I watched Bird by Bird with Annie, a wonderful documentary about the lovely and amazing Anne Lamott. One scene stopped me short when I was watching it and remembering it never fails to put me in a state of radical gratitude:

Would you share your birthday wishes with us?

"My birthday wishes? You know, I have everything I’ve ever wanted. I can’t believe I turned out to be this well [laughs]. And I feel like the Elephant Man. I feel like I’m happy a lot of the time, ‘cause I’m loved. ‘Cause my life works and I got to be a writer when I grew up. You know, for all my complaints, it’s really all I ever wanted to do. There’s really nothing I need or want. Maybe a few more CDs is all."

Hearing her words made me realize how good my life is. I can always find a little something here and there that could be improved, but seriously, I have a beautiful life. I get a similar feeling listening to Alanis Morissette's "Thank U":

Thank you India
Thank you terror
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you thank you silence

I love that this song genuinely thanks so many of the things I'm always dancing around and trying to avoid feeling. But the truth of the matter is that when I finally turn to those feelings, when I finally admit defeat, give up the dance, surrender, those very feelings bring me back to myself, bring me back to the present. And even if I'm in an uncomfortable place, I notice that the colors are brighter, I'm more in touch with my heart, I'm alive. And I'm thankful.

more photo love adventuring

More photographic evidence of fun times with dear family in a different kind of paradise! Yes, more travels for this adventurer.

summer adventure

Can't get enough of these lately! And good thing, since our amazing farmers have been providing us with a bountiful harvest of them the past couple of weeks. I've been happily eating them with almost every meal - including breakfast!


Sending a big smooch and best wishes for a delightful weekend, wherever it may lead you... Perhaps to your local farmers' market for some summer bounty?

cracks/space adventure

When I was looking over my photos for the week, I was struck by how several of them feature sidewalk cracks. They sort of look like they were taken in the same place, but they were three different places at different times. I wondered what subtle message I might glean from this recurrent image. Why so many cracks? And then I remembered the often-quoted Leonard Cohen song with the lyric, "There's a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in." So I invite you to go listen here. Lots of wisdom there.

And I'd say that cracks also allow for space to come in, currently one of my favorite themes. If you're feeling squeezed, and I think a lot of us are these days, keep an eye out for the cracks and feel where you might be able to connect with the underlying space. As my dear Pema Chodron wrote in When Things Fall Apart:

"Instead of struggling against the force of confusion, we could meet it and relax. When we do that, we gradually discover that clarity is always there. In the middle of the worst scenario of the worst person in the world, in the middle of all the heavy dialogue with ourselves, open space is always there."

How? Well, that's the million dollar question, isn't it? For me, the breath, just as my body is breathing it, just feeling that air going in and out helps. Or picturing the vast space in the atomic structure, or looking at the sky, or feeling the space around my body. You may have something brilliant that works wonders for you. If you do, please feel free to share. I'd love to hear!

So, as we venture into another week, I invite us to forget our perfect offerings, let the light come in, relax with things as they are, and breathe, breathe, breathe...

tiny beautiful adventure

About a year ago, I read the most amazing advice column in my favorite magazine. It totally knocked me out with its lyricism and humor and honesty and compassion and sword blade of wisdom. This was Dear Sugar and at the time the identity of Sugar was a secret. Imagine my delight when I saw on Amazon that a compilation of Dear Sugar letters was being published and imagine my surprise when it turned out Sugar was none other than Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild, Oprah's most recent book club selection. I have both books on my Kindle, but there was no contest - Tiny Beautiful Things first!