Scribbles

Embarrassingly Straightforward

Embarrassingly Straightforward

There is a quiet, almost mischievous simplicity running through so many of the great wisdom traditions, whether you wander through the teachings of Buddha or Jesus, sit with Laozi, or read someone like Jon Kabat-Zinn. Different languages, different metaphors, different rituals, and yet they keep pointing, again and again, to something almost embarrassingly straightforward.

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Mindful Unplug 2027
Mindful Unplug 2027

When we first began offering The Mindful Unplug ten years ago, the name mostly pointed toward the obvious thing: stepping away from our devices for a while. Back then, even the idea of consciously choosing to spend less time tethered to our screens was still something of a novelty.

When we first began offering The Mindful Unplug ten years ago, the name mostly pointed toward the obvious thing: stepping away from our devices for a while. Back then, even the idea of consciously choosing to spend less time tethered to our screens was still something of a novelty. Ten retreats later, I think the unplugging that matters most may be larger: unplugging, even briefly, from the incessant commentary, from the demand to have an opinion about everything, from our own habitual stories about who we are and who everybody else is, and from the idea that every minute needs to be filled or productive or documented.

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Gravity Still Gets Its Say
Gravity Still Gets Its Say

On rip cords, forgiveness, and the things that keep returning us to our lives.

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Leavening
Leavening

A poem about leavening loss

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There Is Something I Still Can't Explain
There Is Something I Still Can't Explain

There can be such delight in not knowing the answer.

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The Edge Is Where It Gets Interesting
The Edge Is Where It Gets Interesting

We do not only take care of ourselves by holding the line. We also take care of ourselves by shaping edges that allow for the right kinds of movement. Not everything and not indiscriminately. But enough.

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Embarrassingly Straightforward
Embarrassingly Straightforward

There is a quiet, almost mischievous simplicity running through so many of the great wisdom traditions, whether you wander through the teachings of Buddha or Jesus, sit with Laozi, or read someone like Jon Kabat-Zinn. Different languages, different metaphors, different rituals, and yet they keep pointing, again and again, to something almost embarrassingly straightforward.

Read more →