Finish the Cookie Before You Walk

You don’t finish things. You leave them. A conversation. A task. A thought. There is always more—more to say, more … More

When the Tool Drops Into Your Hand

A man walked into a tool store.Rows and rows of pliers—needle-nose, locking, cutting, bending—each made for something precise.He wanted them … More

The Wheel That Carries Itself

This morning I was sitting and watching the mind move. Thoughts, reactions, small emotional shifts—each one appearing and passing like … More

Who’s Minding the Breath

Who’s Minding the Breath? Today a simple question stayed with me: Who’s minding the breath? I was practicing kapalabhati—active exhale, … More

Circles  Triangles  Squares

Yesterday I was thinking about the gap—that small window between what the brain has already started and what I become … More

At the Top of the Stairs Entering the River of Illusions

When I was a kid growing up in Bellerose, Queens, New York City, most houses were pretty much the same. … More

Four Flavors of Coffee

There’s a tendency to swallow the whole thing at once. Peanut butter and jelly isn’t just peanut butter and jelly. … More

The Ocean Above the Clouds

I enjoy living in Charlottesville—the mountains, the people, the wineries. But sometimes I remember something I miss from living in … More

Reading, Eating, and the Cheeseburger Moment

At breakfast, the senior monk sat quietly, reading while eating. Two disciples watched, puzzled. “You told us to only do … More

Life With Cream & Two Sugars

I began with an image of a box. The box represented the background of emptiness. In one side of the … More