Well, I must have not been listening. I missed World Listening Day which was celebrated July 18. But I know I can still practice this much needed skill and try to listen deeper and more comprehensively to others, to God, and to my own voice. Maybe you may be up to this challenge too. World Listening Day was created to draw attention to the way humans need to be listening to the world around us, including environmental awareness, soundscapes and acoustic ecology. What a good reminder to be more active and attentive about practicing listening to the world on a more regular basis. Active listening is a fundamental communication skill that involves paying full and conscious attention to what another person is saying. It is not just about hearing the words but listening to the speaker’s emotions, thoughts, and intentions behind those words. Listening is being fully present to the other. So often we are saturated with ambient noise and constant information overload; therefore this … [Read more...]

National Simplicity Day? Never heard of it. Have you? National Simplicity Day on July 12 honors transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau, a man who advocated a life of simplicity. Thoreau was a supporter of living the simple life and encouraging others to do the same. Thoreau believed a life of simplicity could lead to greater happiness and a deeper connection between us and the surrounding world. He advocated a life free of unnecessary complexities; free of details. He declared “our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify!” What an invitation: to pause and consider what details in our lives are squandering the joys and vitality in our existence. “The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” Hans Hofmann Simplicity means slowing down and appreciating what we already have. We no longer feel the pressure to acquire more things. We have time to pursue adventures and spend time with people we enjoy. God calls us … [Read more...]

Ever get overwhelmed? I bet I am not the only one to experience this suffocating feeling where even the smallest tasks loom so large your body abruptly stops in paralysis. I know when I am faced with too much on my to-do list, my breath becomes shallow, I feel out of control and ready to quit, and I find it difficult to focus on anything. Brene Brown writes, “The definition of overwhelm that I could FEEL the moment I read it is from Jon Kabat-Zinn: Overwhelm is the all-too-common feeling that ‘our lives are somehow unfolding faster than the human nervous system and psyche are able to manage well.’ Our bodies and minds are experiencing that quicksand feeling.” Last week too much stuff cried out to be done all at once. Overwhelm engulfed me. I stared at the big projects not sure what next step to take while the tiny ones scream for just as much attention. Urgent outshouted the important. Brain-dumping all I had to work on helped me to name what had to be done, but the waves of so … [Read more...]

I played in a spaceship when I was seven years old. I spent hours exploring new worlds found in my imagination while never really leaving my backyard. My spaceship? A stocky tree with great climbing branches planted next on the southeast corner of our house. Different limbs warped into sections of my spacecraft: the galley, the lookout, the bridge for guiding my rocket into the mysterious universe. Sigh. I loved that tree. One of my favorite books is The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen.  Henri imagines himself as the prodigal, as the older brother, even as the father and spiritual lessons sprout and flourish in the fertile ground of imagination. Imagination is the ability to form a mental image of something not present to the senses. It is our capacity we have for innovative thinking and creative expression. St. Ignatius Loyola was born in 1491 and is the founder of the Jesuits. His writing is a deep well for spiritual directors, those seeking … [Read more...]