lara simmons

"There's only one very good life. The one you know you want and you make yourself. " -- Diana Vreeland Are you ready to live a very good life? Are you ready to make 2013 your best year yet? Then join me in January at East West Bookshop in Seattle and WRITE YOUR YEAR! Based on my manifestation writing class WRITE YOUR LIFE , this class is designed to help you create the life you desire this year, using writing as a tool for manifestation and change. You do not need to be a “writer” to benefit from this class, but you do need a willingness to look openly and honestly at your life, to forgive and let go, and to put words into action and to take the next step with courage. If you are ready, go here to register. Hope to see you there!

"Our problem is not that we do too little, our problem is that we do too much." --The Universe on Day 4 or 5 of my silent meditation retreat Last year Christmas ended in a closet, with many tears. My older son, worn out by too many presents, too many sweets, too much Christmas, just couldn't take it anymore and he broke down, running to his grandmother's closet to cry. I spent a good part of the day crouched there with him, trying to give him comfort and talk him out. It didn't help. Eventually he came out on his own, bounced back and had a pretty good time, but after that, I was done. Fifteen years of trying to make the three Christmases in a row thing work just wasn't working anymore. My husband and I agreed that day to do it differently this year. We had hoped to be out of town, preferably somewhere warm and tropical. It was not to be. Although I searched and searched - Google, Expedia, Kayak, TripAdvisor, etc., etc. - I just could not find th

Three Rules for Life:  1) Be kind to yourself  2) Do not harm others  3) Purify your mind  -- S.N. Goenka I tried writing about my 10-day silent retreat at the NW Vipassana Center yesterday, but I couldn't do it justice. I got bogged down in the details and the essence somehow went missing. So instead of spitting it all out in one L-O-N-G post, I think I'll just share a few of the juicy tidbits over the next few weeks.  This quote is the first thing I "wrote down" at the retreat. Mind, I use the term "wrote down" loosely here. One of the precepts you agree to live by while at the retreat is "no sensual entertainments." This includes music, television, computers, cell phones, and, yes, pencils, pens and journals. Woah, talk about hard. Everyone thought the silence was going to be the tricky part. Being silent is easy because no one else is talking. No one else is even looking at you so the temptation to talk is really quite rare

"Anything is possible if you have inner peace." --Master Shifu from Kung Fu Panda 2   Master Shifu's Inner Peace :)

" Any wisdom we have is all mixed up in what we already have." -- Pema Chodron

"In prayer, we talk to God. In meditation, we listen." -- Chuck Pettis

"Be still until there is nothing." --Jacqueline Winspear, from her book "The Mapping of Love and Death"

"A mind that's being watched becomes more humble and begins to relinquish its claims to omniscience - a growth in awareness can then take place." -- David R. Hawkins, MD, PhD, from his book " Power vs. Force "

"Use stillness to effect change." --Anodea Judith

"The way through the world is more difficult to find than the way beyond it." -- Wallace Stevens

"...[T]he answer lies within, so why not take a look now?" -- Cat Stevens