Some years ago, I was riding home on the subway during rush hour. Of course, the car was packed. I recall being preoccupied by some petty drama. At the end of a long day, I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. I’m sure you know the feeling. Read more
Each of us knows the fear of death. Our lives are like blades of grass, wrote the Psalmist; whose other side is salvation/whose meaning none of us will ever know, wrote the poet Mary Oliver. Life is fragile and fleeting, while death is final and enduring. But what if the fear Read more
An ancient Jewish law called shmita (pronounced shmee-tah) proclaimed that every seven years, the land must lie fallow. All work, including plowing, planting, and harvesting, was forbidden. It paralleled the observation of the sabbath. Each week, the sabbath was considered a sacred day of rest, a day of study and Read more
In the book of Exodus, God unleashed a series of horrific plagues against Egypt to liberate the ancient Israelites from slavery. Then He enabled Moses to part the Sea of Reeds, to help them avoid recapture by Pharaoh’s army. But even after witnessing these extraordinary miracles delivered on their behalf, Read more
For years, I went to the gym for a cardio workout. To reach the elliptical machines, I hurried through various weightlifting areas. I never thought of lifting, but one day the spirit moved me. I hired a personal trainer and got paired with a mordant British wit. We focused on dead Read more
Everything important in our lives involves our capacity to listen. We are always in conversation. With ourselves, those around us and the wider world. Listening requires us to be mindful about listening. Think about the countless times you’ve been speaking with someone, and rather than listening to what they are Read more
The Benedictine monk David Stendl-Rast once said the opposite of exhaustion is not rest, it’s wholeheartedness. It is exhausting to be involved with something you are not fully committed to or invested in, that does not enable you to feel engaged, present and alive. As the poet David Whyte reminds us: Read more