Wednesday Wisdom

There are the taxes most of us pay to a government, which if you didn’t know are due by today in the USA. I say “most of us” because if you own a large corporation, you’ve likely found ways to avoid ponying up your fair share of taxes. But I’m just too tired to rant about the evils of corporate wealth hoarding. If you’ve been feeling too tired lately too, keep reading for some relief. Light on the horizon Not just $$$ Many people have felt an extra emotional tax these last 10 years - a vague...

This morning I reflected on gratitude, and I was surprised to discover yet again that it’s more powerful than I’d thought. Especially since, as I’ve mentioned before, “gratitude practices” can feel fake or showy to me. But I’ve also noticed they do make a difference. Even when done imperfectly or inconsistently. And even if it feels silly or empty, pausing for a moment to reflect on one thing you're thankful for is a practice that adds up to peace. Maybe I’ll share the longer reflection I...

I wanted to come up with some kind of “peace prank” or meditation joke for today, April Fool’s. But I wasn’t so clever. Instead I remembered a soothing meditation I can share with you. Balancing act When we feel bad, it’s extra hard because our mind focuses on what feels bad - be it a body ache or a situation in our life or the world at large. The only thing is . . . There is also, at the same time, a kernel of peace available in each moment. This kernel may be as small as an acorn or grain...

I always feel a thrill when I see the first flowers of spring. The above photo is from an old smartphone, hence the blur. But I love the way someone decided to reuse the stump as a planter for daffodils, those bright heralds of spring This year, my first flower sighting happened in an unexpected place. Crocuses are some of the first flowers to bloom here in the Rockies , so maybe it’s no coincidence I found some . . . in a Little Free Library, before any real flowers had come up from the...

I’ve been listening to Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They’re Too Much by Cynthia Erivo. Her powerful, emotive voice has been uplifting to hear. And when she shares her vulnerabilities and missteps, she becomes more human, less like an impossibly perfect superstar who’s always had it all. Early in the book she shares one of her practices for peace: Can you see the half moon? Hitting your Stride “Running has become a meditation, a way of processing,” says Cynthia. "It helps...

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, so how many words are a piece of music worth? 10,000? Music has a way of speaking directly to our soul. And soothing it. Below is a soft piano piece I turn to when I’m stressed. It conjures up a quiet winter evening, maybe strolling under the snowflakes in New York’s Central Park, or sitting by a gentle fire in a cosy cabin. Feel free to picture a beautiful, comfortable scene as you listen to this 7 minute piece - and then it becomes an enjoyable,...

It’s not easy to know how to be in this moment. I’ve been heartbroken about yet another war starting, and I’ve struggled to find the words for my weekly inner peace newsletter, Wednesday Wisdom. I know and you know that we can’t create world peace just through peaceful emails. But when I send these emails and you read them, it’s a reminder that we’re part of a growing, global-minded community that wants peace. So today, I want to give a “State of Peace Address” that goes into the challenges...

This is the 100th Wednesday Wisdom! That means our 2-year anniversary is only a few weeks away. And yet . . . The future is precarious, for this ponderosa and WW Against all odds As a neurodivergent, consistency and routines are not easy for me. I sit here stunned, amazed that I have stuck with this inner peace email for so many weeks in a row. (I did accidentally skip a week or two in 2024, so I’m not perfect.) Plus I didn’t know if anyone would be interested in reading my thoughts on inner...

This week, I didn’t create a long and eloquent Wednesday Wisdom. More I could about that, but anyway. There’s something nice about a TL;DR review of the last few emails . . . Plan for Peace We’ve been talking about anchors - a place, activity, person or pet who helps you be in and even enjoy the present moment. It’s ok, even preferable, to have more than one anchor. Then I asked you to make a first draft of your peace plan - finding or creating moments or chunks of time in your week when you...

I wonder who first invented the anchor. I imagine a group of early humans, many thousands of years ago, gathered on the shore after a day of fishing, comparing their catches. But then, a fresh tide and stormy wind appear, pushing their little boats out to sea, forever lost. Oops. Finally, someone thinks, “This makes no sense! Why do we spend days of time making our boats, only to see them drift away any time a storm comes? There has to be a way to keep the boats nearby!” Protect your Vessel...