Passionate Lifestyle

The Mindful Gift-Giver’s Guide to Selfless Giving

This time of year everyone is posting best gift lists for everyone in your family and every type of person imaginable. Allow me to take a different approach, as I am someone who adores the full contemplation process behind gift giving. My history of gift giving comes out of good-natured sibling rivalry. Each year my […]

The Mindful Gift-Giver’s Guide to Selfless Giving Read More »

Anniversaries: Honoring The Good, The Bad and The Horrid

I have this new rule for blogging. If I hear of something more than 4 or 5 times from my patients in a two-week period I write about it. Call me silly, but this whole sharing a universe thing makes me think we are subject to the same twists and turns of fate. So today

Anniversaries: Honoring The Good, The Bad and The Horrid Read More »

On Becoming An Aunt: What Our Extended Families Teach Us

I became an aunt 9 days ago. It is a funny thing, this waiting for a baby to arrive in a family. All spring and summer we teased the expectant parents about nerves and anticipation. I watched as my mother-in-law spiraled up into a whirlwind of child-like excitement and watched as my father-in-law quieted and

On Becoming An Aunt: What Our Extended Families Teach Us Read More »

Releasing Summer, Accepting October

Yesterday I finally accepted October. It always takes me a long time, some years longer than others. I hold on childishly to the idea that the sun will again deeply warm the earth and the trees will grow heavy with green again. At some point every year something inside me shifts and I stop wanting

Releasing Summer, Accepting October Read More »

Unfulfilled Desires: Why They Just Won’t Go Away

The amazing feature of Chinese Medicine that continues to astound me is the focus on the spiritual. There is no “soul” or “spirit” in Western medicine. There is no association with specific emotions and specific ailments. But in Chinese Medicine an upstirring of a certain emotion is diagnostic of a pattern and warrants inquiry into

Unfulfilled Desires: Why They Just Won’t Go Away Read More »

Ending the Incessant Elevator Speech

This weekend was my 10th year reunion from college (yes I’m young-that’s okay). As my husband and I met at college we both headed up to Bennington College this weekend to be wowed by beautiful foliage, amazingly brilliant people (including the remarkable new president who has a 2 week old baby), tasty local food, good conversation

Ending the Incessant Elevator Speech Read More »