I received a card once with the Maya Angelou quote on it, “I think a hero is any person really intent on making this place a better place for all people”. It is a quote that has come to my mind at different points over the years since I first read it.
I like the quote. I also would like to build on it.
Think of a being you deeply cherish, maybe it is a person, maybe it is a cherished pet. Take a moment to feel the presence of this being, to feel the warmth you feel toward this being, the joy, the delight. What do you wish for this being? What does your heart wish for this being? Connect to the feelings imbued in this wish. Read more ›
“My whole heart for my whole life.” I saw this quote in a piece of artwork hanging on a studio wall that served as part of the backdrop for videos in the online course, Self-Compassion, with Kristin Neff and Brené Brown. It was love at first sight. Read more ›
in Articles,Compassion,Expressive Arts,External Resources,Self-Compassion
David Whyte is a poet who has offered so much richness to me through his poetry, offered me feelings of inspiration, aliveness, resonance. Re-reading some of his writing recently, these lines from the poem, What to Remember When Waking, stopped me in my tracks. Read more ›
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Virtually every time I listen to this song, I am left with shivers, or the word whispered in my head or aloud, “Wow”. Read more ›
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The short film, Just Breathe, features the craft from yesterday’s post along with children speaking about the experience of anger and of how breathing helps “the glitter to settle”. Read more ›
When the glitter settles, there is sparkle.
Let’s take a few moments to make a craft. You’ll need a clear jar with a tight fitting lid that won’t leak, loose glitter, water. To make the craft, fill the jar to nearly full with water and some glitter. Put the lid on tightly. Voila! You are done. Read more ›
Did you know that the human brain tends to act like teflon to positive experiences and like velcro to negative experiences? This is a wonderful metaphor Dr. Rick Hanson uses in the video below to describe the brain’s negativity bias, in essence, its tendency to absorb and remember readily negative experiences and potential threats combined with its tendency to not so readily absorb and remember positive experiences. Read more ›
in Articles,Compassion,External Resources,Working with Emotion
Earlier this fall, I stumbled across and read the autobiographical book, 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life, by Cami Walker. Cami became very ill and subsequently received the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis when she was 30 years old. As she shared in the video I link you to below, this experience changed her life forever. At the same time, through hard work, serendipity, and the prescription of giving away 29 gifts in 29 days, she also found a way to come back to herself and back to others. Read more ›
When people hear the word compassion, they tend to think of kindness. But scientific study has found the core of compassion to be courage. –Paul Gilbert, 2015, Compassion: Universally Misunderstood