Featured
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Frugal February: Less is the new more
“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” ~ Epictetus, Stoic philosopher I spent part of last week purging my closets. Like many women I know, I own too much clothing. My latest pile of discards contained some nearly new, barely worn items — a fact that tugged on my conscience as I folded and packed it all into black garbage bags. The shame I felt for being so wasteful (and extravagant) was only partly erased by the knowledge that my unwanted clothes will be donated to a charity. I’m on a roll now. Having successfully completed the Dry January challenge, I want to keep clearing…
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The philosopher’s guide to managing stress
“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself. It is due to your estimate of it, and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” – Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius was the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age remembered for peace and stability that lasted from 27 BC to 180 AD. Today, Marcus Aurelius is best known for his Meditations, a collection of writings on Stoic philosophy. His timeless wisdom has inspired monarchs, politicians, entrepreneurs, and ordinary people like me. Today’s quote from Meditations gives us a tool for handling stress. When a distressing event occurs,…
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New year, old baggage to unpack
“If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fears.” ~Cesare Pavese Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays. A slightly different version of this column ran previously in The Oakland Press.… Traveling Light in the New Year By the time we reach our wisdom years, most of us have accumulated way too much stuff. We need to weed out or pare down — whether we’re inclined to overpack our suitcases when we travel or stuff our bedroom closets with outdated clothing. It also occurs to me that I’ve been dragging around a trunk-load of pet…
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“Sweet Darkness”
“You must learn one thing. The world was made to be free in.” — David Whyte Sometimes the right poem can work life-changing magic. And sometimes it all depends on what you’re going through when you read it. David Whyte’s “Sweet Darkness” is one such poem for me. Revisiting it today, I am struck this time by the sheer power of its last three lines. This heart-stopping poem is an invitation to stop wasting our time on futile distractions — and a clarion call to discover the real work that we were meant to do…. SWEET DARKNESSBy David Whyte When your eyes are tiredthe world is tired also. When your vision has…
