The Present Moment

The Present The past is history, The future a mystery, All we have is this moment— It’s the Universe’s gift to each of us; That’s why it’s called The Present. This moment—the present moment—is all we have. How many present moments we each have in life, and how much presence we each have to the [...]

Real Intimacy versus Other-Dependent (or Other-Validated) Intimacy

Real Intimacy versus Other-Dependent (or Other-Validated) Intimacy The only reason we don’t open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don’t feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. – Pema Chödrön (The following is adapted and modified and riffed on from David Schnarch’s book, [...]

The Four Agreements. The Second Agreement: Don’t Take Anything Personally

The Four Agreements The Second Agreement: Don’t Take Anything Personally I get the gist of what Ruiz is trying to communicate with his advice of “Don’t take anything personally,” and there’s certainly some wisdom to it, but unfortunately he’s trying to make an absolute out of something that likely isn’t meant to be an absolute, [...]