Do You Choose Heaven Or Hell?

Do You Choose Heaven Or Hell?

A big burly samurai warrior approaches a Buddhist wise man, a Roshi, and says, “Tell me the nature of heaven and hell. The Roshi looks him in the eye and asks, “Why should I talk to a scruffy, disgusting, miserable slob like you?” The samurai gets purple in the...
Mushy Brain

Mushy Brain

Let’s get scientific here. I’m suffering from a medical condition I call “Mushy Brain.” You know the feeling. You’re going along in your life and you suddenly realize that you forgot something important. Maybe you walk into a room and you’re not sure why....
Learning Something New

Learning Something New

I have a friend in her sixties who is in great shape, her mind is keen, her instincts are sharp, but as she gets older, she gets less experimental and more rigid. When she told me she was bored, I asked her, “Why don’t you learn to play the guitar? You told me you...
Saying No to Violence: Saying Yes to Challenges

Saying No to Violence: Saying Yes to Challenges

I learned to say “No!” when I took a 6 week self-defense class for ten women called “model mugging.” As we shared our stories, we all had our own experiences of violence and we were tired of being afraid. In my case, I’d been at the...
Chasing Inspiration

Chasing Inspiration

A woman was walking through a forest when she saw a man sitting in a small clearing, playing the flute. A group of people sat in a semi-circle around him and when he was finished, they all clapped and cheered, begging for more. He smiled and kept playing. “Your music...