-
Puzzling Without The Box
Remember that episode of New Girl when Winston was puzzling and didn’t know that each puzzle has the picture printed on the box? He was just looking at all the mismatched puzzle pieces and trying…
-
Watching Fish
Do you ever smile so hard it hurts? So hard that your cheeks ache and you forget what you were even smiling about? Maybe our idea of smiling isn’t what we do when a camera…
-
Magic Dust
On El Camino de Santiago, there is a vernacular term called “Camino magic.” Whenever beautiful and small yet miraculous events happen to pilgrims along the Way, such as a local offering you a night’s stay…
-
Oceans
The world is like an ocean and the universe is pushing and pulling us in different directions. Although some of the waves may be large, or small, or seem like they are pulling us away…
-
Sticky, Heavy, Dense, & Slow
Maybe our friends don’t want us to be chaotically happy all the time, or bubbly, jittery, chatty, untethered. Maybe they want reality; calmness, loyalty, compassion, support, love. Those qualities are slow, heavy, wet, dense. We…
-
Younger Siblings
Think of a younger loved one. Think of your younger sister, or your younger brother, your cousin, your friend, your child. They don’t want you to be perfect. If you did everything right, then that…
-
…Good Enough
Maybe we shouldn’t try to get the most out of life – out of our outfit, our hair, our career… Maybe we should just be searching for satisfaction – for “good enough.” Because both pursuits,…
-
Traffic
Who are all these cars driving next to me? I’m sitting in my car, on my way to my appointment that’s scheduled in 20 minutes, and I want to be there on time. But all…
-
Impermanence
Let go of your body, mind, possessions, loved ones, for they could go at any time. But also hold them as close as possible and give them the most incredible gratitude and presence because you…
-
Who Is Breathing?
Do you ever nod your head from side to side and feel your brain in there? The brain that we are listening to every time we hear that little voice in our heads? Do you…
-
One’s Work, or One Who Works
It doesn’t matter if you’re a barista, an architect, a teacher, or a world record breaker. It almost doesn’t matter what you are doing with your work. What matters is how you do it. I…
-
Rooted
All trees start as a seed, from a single point. And when the trunk is cut, you can see it’s solar system with different rings, planets, parts, stories, orbiting around the center. You can see…
-
-
Self-Help, From Everyone Else
We don’t really need these poems. You don’t really need to be listening to that wellness podcast. Doesn’t the idea of “self-help” being something you buy and read about from someone else contradict the entire…
-
Innovation
I shouldn’t be allowed to think like this. I shouldn’t be allowed to be moving my fingers on this phone, this technology that probably shouldn’t have even been created, and writing down thoughts of desire,…
-
Colors Within Us
Our worlds are full of colors inside of us. Purple, pink, blue, and light yellow, all floating around and fading into each other. Our souls are full of vibrant, colorful clouds. Their emotions are strong…
-
One in Seven Billion
Accepting that we’re not the kindest person makes us a better friend. Accepting that we’re not the smartest person makes us more wise. Accepting that we don’t have the fittest body makes ourselves seem more…
-
Big, Bad Wolves
Remember the story of the wolf huffing and puffing and blowing the house down? And how the house of straw blew down when the big bad wolf huffed and puffed but the house of stone…
-
There Will Always Be A Bed
When I was walking to Camino de Santiago, one of the lessons I learned right away was to not rush through the walk for fear of not getting a bed at the end of each…
-
Happy People!
Everyone wants to live a happy life. And for a long time, I believed that finding a happy life meant saying yes to everything. I thought that the only way to have any fun was…
-
Hold More Gems
A woman’s nightstand is sprinkled with many little colorful gemstones. Did you know that each type of gem has only one individual type of molecule? One singular structural makeup multiplied throughout its entire body? How…
-
Gardening Here, For Over There
Choosing to stay and nurture the garden you are in now and care for the trees and plants here within your roots so that they’ll be healthy and happy for many years to come is…
-
The House Where Everything Fits
I used to see other people get so angry over unjust things that it would consume them. I understood their rage because their rage was warranted. But I didn’t feel that same rage deep within…
-
Floating Away
Why do I always speed up my life when I’m excited about things? Why do I lose contact with my soul and refuse to make myself a nice meal or do my routines or call…
-
Nights (Juicy Moons)
The world looks exactly the same at night as it does during the day. It’s just shined with a different light. Just as we need the sun to grow, we need the night to process,…
-
Mornings (Dancing Bees)
Morning sun warms you up as the moon quiets itself from a night of teaching. Lemon with yerba mate awaken the stomach. Stretches slowly pull on the body. Cats or children climb on you to…
-
Ancestors
My face is a face of all of my ancestors. My face is a face of every brave woman who had to protect herself and her family. Of every young child who learned how to…
-
When We Need Wisdom
Trees teach us that we have to ground ourselves before we can expand. Water teaches us that even though life is unpredictable and always changing, the flow of life is always forward. Wind teaches us…
-
Noble Steeds
Deer protect their loved ones with their life. Even though man has given them many reasons to leave their home, they have not, and will not ever. The power of community and belonging trumps the…
-
Plots of Land
Birds never stop singing. Fawns are always looking to learn from their mothers. Chipmunks are ruffling leaves, bluejays are gathering seeds, pine needles are making a blanket over the earth as the trees prepare for…
Ali Walks Around 