My time in France has been less about rolling lavender fields, romantic rivers and the rising Pyrenees and more about inner landscape – silence, reverence, and connection. I went on two pilgrimages, one guided by Eastern traditions and the other…
#5 The Spanish Butterfly Blog: Tex-Mex
We are on a train north to Toledo, the chosen home of the artist, El Greco. Leaving the vibrancy of southern Spain’s Andulucia, we travel toward the land of Cervantes’ famous Don Quixote, a landscape now peppered with stainless steel…
#4 The Spanish Butterfly Blog: Yes, Thank You!
Cadiz, Spain hangs out into the Atlantic Ocean like a mitten on a string. Its narrow and winding cobblestone streets force all the cars to its edges leaving the old town as it has been for centuries – a pedestrian…
#3 The Spanish Butterfly Blog: Everyone Whom We Have Loved
The ancient coastal town of Cadiz, Spain feels like it’s in a time warp. Roman artifacts, narrow winding cobblestoned streets, wrought iron balconies, and antique churches create a sense of timelessness. The Phoencian fishermen who settled here in 800 BC…
#1 The Spanish Butterfly Blog: Expansion and Transformation
When I was 17, during the hot, hot summer of 1980, I left my hometown of Dallas, Texas with a group of students to live for 9 weeks in Segovia, Spain. Before I left, my mother said, “This trip is…
Will Your Future Self Thank You?
If you look in the mirror, you will see the future self that your past self might have imagined. Here you are. Your today-self is the result of all the thoughts and behaviors of your past-self. Your future self will…
Searching for Silver
In March of 2020, life in Antigua, Guatemala (my new hometown) changed dramatically, as it did across the world. We went into a lockdown the likes of which no one had ever seen. Doors around the city were shut and…
The Secret to Inner Peace
Amazingly, 2017 marks 20 years of my life in New Hampshire. Why is this amazing? Because I don’t like cold winters. I don’t ski, snow shoe, ice skate, drive, or even walk when there is snow about – I simply…
Three Simple Steps to Self-Compassion
If you’re feeling more Grinch than Santa, more Scrooge than Elf, then you may need a little extra dose of tender loving care. And guess who is the best person to provide this TLC? YOU are. Self-compassion practices are remarkably…
Making Friends with Death
I recently attended a retreat the sole purpose of which was to meditate upon death. Gulp. Most people don’t really want to be on a first name basis with the grim reaper, if you know what I mean. And yet,…