Who makes you laugh?
I had a great discussion yesterday about humor. We all know what a great feeling it is to laugh. It’s wonderful to be around someone who can make us laugh. They bring lightness. They invite joy. To make others laugh is also a joy. I think I enjoy that even more – to bring pleasure to another person. Laughing and being silly is not just fun, it is healthy, whether we are appreciating or creating the humor. It releases chemicals that boost the immune system. It also combats anxiety and depression, inducing a sense of well-being. So...
read moreA Rite of Change
I just opened a book, The Fruitful Darkness, by Joan Halifax. This is the passage I just read: When we sever ourselves from society in a rite of change, there is an invisible door that we pass through that has no words on the other side. On this side of the door, says Garcia Larco, “Our eyes remain on the surface, like water flowers behind which we hide / our trembling bodies floating in an unseen world.” It is this door to the depths that opens when we die. When we pass through this door, we always lose something. Something must...
read moreA New Park
I’ve been going for the best walks lately. Circles upon circles within circles. Around and around the Mapleleaf Reservoir, which was just recently “topped” with a big open park. Grass and trails now. It’s about a half-mile around, though there are offshoots from the paved path that can make it shorter or longer. It has become my new religion to walk around that park. Walking, reflecting, unwinding, realigning, settling, walking. It can become a ceremony so easily. I think that’s what I like about it. I find myself feeling more present. The...
read more