What Suffering Teaches Us
There’s an old saying. Some say it’s from Zen Buddhism, others say it’s universally a spiritual teaching that applies to anyone wishing to become happier. “Only a cracked pot allows the light in.” What does this mean? To me, it’s clearly about accepting our impefections. In Japan that’s called wabisabi. This is a philosophy that…
Read MoreChange is the Art of Being
As our blended family of humankind gradually climbs out of our Covid caves, I’m thinking how life, in many ways, has become—yes I’m going to be brave here and say it—better than ever! Priorities have come forward in a clearer focus for many of us. These days—after almost a year and a half of isolation,…
Read MoreChoosing to Accept Change
Many people have a hard time accepting what is. For some, this is a struggle; for others, because they’ve been practicing it for a while, fears and sadness, disappointments and projections simply don’t stick like they do to others who don’t know being content about “all things” is a matter of practice. Being conscious of…
Read MoreChange is the Name of Covid’s Game
Many are suffering. Many lives have been lost, and countless others impacted, some minimally, some horrifically. Loved ones have been lost. Jobs are lost. Having lost in-person contact, school-age kids are sadly freaking out in record numbers. Mental health workers can’t keep up with the demand in schools for trauma training, comforting all record numbers…
Read MoreFrom Me to We Kind of Love
I used to think of myself as separate from others, and therefore, each relationship, each friend, each experience I had was mine, and mine alone. This went on for so long, it’s unpleasant to think how unhappy and unfulfilled I was. Happily, it was by perseverance, and believing that each lesson, no matter how painful,…
Read MoreBlack Women’s Perspective on Becoming a Blended Family
Shake Your Booty With Love by teZa Lord I love ethnic, latino, and black music of all types, including their accompanying dances of various moves and rhythms. Perhaps this is because of having lived in the Caribbean for a decade in the 70s. Calypso and reggae, salsa, and cadans are in my blood. Even…
Read MoreThe Blended Family: More Than Being Related
Family of Merged Energy by teZa Lord Some of us haven’t much immediate family left. A cousin here or there. A distant sibling who rarely connects on a deep level, everyone keeping things “copasetic,” trying to ignore the obvious, crushingly heavy elephant in the living room. No one wants a bad feeling to rear up…
Read MoreOur World Is One Big Blended Family
Blended Family by teZa Lord As we march into this second year of living with the Covid-19 pandemic, I’m struck even more strongly at the truth of humankind’s being one gigantic family, a so-called Blended Family. What, exactly, do I mean by calling the human population of Earth, at this particular time in our evolution,…
Read MoreHappiness Is Hard Work
JOY in Many Flavors by teZa Lord If anyone tells you it’s easy being happy, don’t believe them for a second. Behind every happy, sunny face is a person who has true dedication to maintaining that positive state. The people we hang out with, the words we use, even the food we eat all contribute…
Read MoreLearning to See and Discover
By teZa Lord, author of the new audiobook, Zen Love An amazing article caught my eye this morning as I glanced through the For KIDs section of the New York Times, a weekly special that I peruse in hopes of finding something interesting I can share with my 9-year-old grandson. I nearly fell…
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