lara simmons

"Let it suck." --B.S. A few weeks ago I met a new friend for coffee. It was one of those amazing "first dates" where you immediately fall into conversation about important things and time seems to pass so quickly that before you know it hours have gone by and you both need to rush off, late for whatever it was you were supposed to be doing that afternoon. We talked about life and family, relationships and writing, and I told her that one of the most important things I have learned about writing is the importance of being willing to write a really shitty first draft. I learned this, of course, from Anne Lamott's book "Bird By Bird," but it took me years - YEARS - to be able to actually do it and it still makes me nervous and twitchy sometimes and I am still a LONG way off from enjoying it. We talked a bit more about our writing process and then she paused for a moment out of the blue and said, " Let it suck, " which was her way of re...

"Just let things be, just as they are." --Evie Chauncey, Assistant Teacher at the NW Vipassana Center Whew! It's good to be home. My intention was to start blogging immediately upon my return, sharing all the insights and inspiration from my latest ten-day retreat , but The Universe had other plans.... If I recall correctly, last year it took me a few days to "plug back in" also and I had a hard time writing about the experience. Oh how I wish I had now. Last year is, in my mind, a lovely memory of a week of great peace and discovery and ultimately, a greater awakening. The things I remembered were the food (delicious!), the walks (peaceful), the naps (also delicious). The harder things are fuzzier in my mind: the early rising (4:00am), the hours of sitting with your legs crossed (painful), and the mind-numbing boredom that sometimes creeps in after 90 minutes (or sometimes 9) minutes of meditation. This year was harder. Much harder. Not being new ...

"Tomorrow's another day. Sometimes that's your only consolation when today's not so good. Things can look different after a good night's sleep, or just 24 hours' passage of time. It'd be great if you could turn things around right this second, but that's just not always possible; when it's not, the best thing to do is just remember that everything changes. Stop railing against the lameness of the moment, and simply concentrate on getting through it. Bide your time. Notice the small little things that are still sweet, instead of the one big sour thing…and wait." --Caeriel Crestin from Sign Language According to my mom my paternal grandmother always used to say, "Things will look better in the morning." Apparently the Universe agrees. Things are not going to plan around our house right now and the Divine gift or purpose of it all is alluding me. There is a part of me that is pushing against "the way things are" hoping to ...