“And then I realized that to be seen by others, I first had to be willing to see myself.” ~Anonymous
In a world that teaches us to be visible only when we’re polished, productive, or pleasing, I found something unexpected on the other side of my camera: myself.
But not the filtered version. Not the composed one or the “smiling because I’m fine” version.
I found the person I’d forgotten—the one who had spent years loving, giving, showing up for everyone else but rarely turning any of that tenderness inward.
I didn’t pick up the camera to take pretty pictures. …
In a world that teaches us to be visible only when we’re polished, productive, or pleasing, I found something unexpected on the other side of my camera: myself.
But not the filtered version. Not the composed one or the “smiling because I’m fine” version.
I found the person I’d forgotten—the one who had spent years loving, giving, showing up for everyone else but rarely turning any of that tenderness inward.
I didn’t pick up the camera to take pretty pictures. …
Sean Stewart
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Sean_Stewart
"The present is a rope stretched over the past. The secret to walking it is, you never look down."
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Sean_Stewart
"The present is a rope stretched over the past. The secret to walking it is, you never look down."
Barbara Hall
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Barbara_Hall
"You're dealing with the demon of external validation. You can't beat external validation. You want to know why? Because it feels sooo good."
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Barbara_Hall
"You're dealing with the demon of external validation. You can't beat external validation. You want to know why? Because it feels sooo good."
Elaine Liner
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Elaine_Liner
"If writers stopped writing about what happened to them, then there would be a lot of empty pages."
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Elaine_Liner
"If writers stopped writing about what happened to them, then there would be a lot of empty pages."
Why You Can’t Relax and How to Let Yourself Rest
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/why-you-cant-relax-and-how-to-let-yourself-rest/
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/why-you-cant-relax-and-how-to-let-yourself-rest/
“Rest and be thankful.” ~William Wordsworth
A few years ago, I caught myself doing something that made no sense.
It was late evening, my kids were asleep, the house finally quiet. I’d been counting down to this moment all day—dreaming of sinking into the couch, wrapping myself in a blanket, maybe even reading a book without distractions.
But when I lay down and closed my eyes, something inside me lurched. Within seconds, I reached for my phone. I didn’t even have anything urgent to check—just mindless scrolling. Five minutes in, I was already half-sitting up, wondering if I should fold …
A few years ago, I caught myself doing something that made no sense.
It was late evening, my kids were asleep, the house finally quiet. I’d been counting down to this moment all day—dreaming of sinking into the couch, wrapping myself in a blanket, maybe even reading a book without distractions.
But when I lay down and closed my eyes, something inside me lurched. Within seconds, I reached for my phone. I didn’t even have anything urgent to check—just mindless scrolling. Five minutes in, I was already half-sitting up, wondering if I should fold …
From Pain to Peace: How to Grieve and Release Unmet Expectations
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/from-pain-to-peace-how-to-grieve-and-release-unmet-expectations/
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/from-pain-to-peace-how-to-grieve-and-release-unmet-expectations/
“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” ~Rumi
Before 2011, I had heard many spiritual teachers talk about “accepting what is (https://tinybuddha.com/hub/mindfulness-peace/acceptance/).” It sounded nice in theory, like good mental information to chew on. But it didn’t feel embodied. I understood it intellectually, but I wasn’t living it.
Then I attended a weekend intensive with a teacher I deeply respected, and something in the way he explained it hit deeper. It wasn’t just talk. The essence of his words turned a spiritual idea into something I could start to live.
In that talk, he shared a …
Before 2011, I had heard many spiritual teachers talk about “accepting what is (https://tinybuddha.com/hub/mindfulness-peace/acceptance/).” It sounded nice in theory, like good mental information to chew on. But it didn’t feel embodied. I understood it intellectually, but I wasn’t living it.
Then I attended a weekend intensive with a teacher I deeply respected, and something in the way he explained it hit deeper. It wasn’t just talk. The essence of his words turned a spiritual idea into something I could start to live.
In that talk, he shared a …
Mark Twain
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Mark_Twain
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Mark_Twain
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
The Weight of Regrets and the Choice to Live Better
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-weight-of-regrets-and-the-choice-to-live-better/
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-weight-of-regrets-and-the-choice-to-live-better/
“It is very important for every human being to forgive herself or himself because if you live, you will make mistakes—it is inevitable. But once you do and you see the mistake, then you forgive yourself and say, ‘Well, if I’d known better I’d have done better.’” ~Maya Angelou
I’ve lived long enough to know the difference between a mistake and a tragedy. Some of what I carry falls in between—moments I wish I could redo, things I said or didn’t say, relationships I mishandled, and opportunities I let slip through my fingers. They don’t scream at me every day, …
I’ve lived long enough to know the difference between a mistake and a tragedy. Some of what I carry falls in between—moments I wish I could redo, things I said or didn’t say, relationships I mishandled, and opportunities I let slip through my fingers. They don’t scream at me every day, …
The Grief No One Talks About: How to Heal After Losing a Soulmate Pet
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-grief-no-one-talks-about-how-to-heal-after-losing-a-soulmate-pet/
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-grief-no-one-talks-about-how-to-heal-after-losing-a-soulmate-pet/
“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ~Anatole France
When my cat Squiggles died, I didn’t just “lose a pet.” I lost a part of my identity, my greatest source of comfort, and my sense of home.
Squiggles was the one constant in my life through every milestone, every heartbreak, every version of myself I grew into over the course of two decades. I had her since the moment she was born, and for almost twenty-two years, Squiggles was my constant companion, my emotional support, my soul-kitty.
But no matter how much I prepared …
When my cat Squiggles died, I didn’t just “lose a pet.” I lost a part of my identity, my greatest source of comfort, and my sense of home.
Squiggles was the one constant in my life through every milestone, every heartbreak, every version of myself I grew into over the course of two decades. I had her since the moment she was born, and for almost twenty-two years, Squiggles was my constant companion, my emotional support, my soul-kitty.
But no matter how much I prepared …
The God I Lost, the One I Found, and the Faith That Changed Me
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-god-i-lost-the-one-i-found-and-the-faith-that-changed-me/
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-god-i-lost-the-one-i-found-and-the-faith-that-changed-me/
“I searched for God and found only myself. I searched for myself and found only God.” ~Rumi
There’s a particular kind of heartbreak that happens when you realize some of your prayers are going nowhere.
There’s a painful silence that follows unanswered calls. Yet, despite the ache, I can still feel the pull to pray to the God outside of myself—that old reflex to place faith in something bigger, some invisible force in the sky, who, apparently, can make things happen magically here on Earth.
But it doesn’t always go that way, does it?
I prayed my cancer would go …
There’s a particular kind of heartbreak that happens when you realize some of your prayers are going nowhere.
There’s a painful silence that follows unanswered calls. Yet, despite the ache, I can still feel the pull to pray to the God outside of myself—that old reflex to place faith in something bigger, some invisible force in the sky, who, apparently, can make things happen magically here on Earth.
But it doesn’t always go that way, does it?
I prayed my cancer would go …