lara simmons

"When you practice mindful connections with others your life feels meaningful and so it is." --Mbali Creazzo, from the book "29 Gifts: How a month of giving can change your life" by Cami Walker My friends Fiona and Kaspa over at Writing Our Way Home are having a busy week. They are hosting the first-ever Mindful Writing Day , they are preparing to teach not one, but two, mindful writing e-courses in November ( Finding Your Way Home and Writing & Spiritual Practice ) AND they are promoting our new anthology, :" A Blackbird Sings: a book of short poems ." Yes, I said our . One of my small stones is going to be published in this lovely collection of mindful moments. AND this book will be available for FREE download on Amazon.com for one day only, Thursday, November 1st. So hop on over to Amazon on Thursday and grab your free copy. Write a rave review - and your own small stone - and have it published on their blogzine,...

"In time and space...if you just look for what's right - in others, in relationships, in yourself and your journey - you'll always find it. Same when looking for what's wrong." --The Universe, from www.TUT.com Last week I sat and watched my son's soccer practice instead of just dropping him off with his coach. As I sat there, I was temped to read or check email or otherwise pass the time by doing something else, but I kept getting the message that I needed to watch. So each time the multi-tasking reflex struck, I gently reminded myself to focus my attention on the field. It soon became clear to me what I was doing there. I was there to watch a little positivity in action. My son's coach found something positive to say about everything that happened on the field that day. If a kid got his foot on the ball, even if it was ultimately taken away from him, the comment was, "Way to get in there." If a kid tried to pass and the ball went astr...

"There's nothing wrong with being scared....long as you don't let it change who you are." --Grammie's Ghost in ParaNorman Some of the quotes I collect I write down because they teach me something, or give me hope, or make me smile; this one was like a kick in the gut. I know that throughout my life I have let fear change who I am many, many times. I have behaved in ways that are not the "me" I want to be because I was scared more times than I can remember or perhaps even count. I still do. We all do, I think. Fear may be the number one emotion that drives us here in the United States. And there is so much to fear. Crime. Disease. Job loss. Retirement. Natural disasters. Death. But I am not sure it is these larger fears that drive us day to day so much as the smaller ones: being found out, being known and disliked, being seen and rejected, being judged and found wanting. The irony, I think, is that if we did not allow our fears to change who ...

"Coincidence is a messenger sent by truth." --Jacqueline Winspear from her book " Maisie Dobbs " I have been reading a new mystery series, about an intuitive detective ("inquiry agent" as they say in Olde England) in the 1930's. The series is quietly brilliant, each novel holding my attention, but not requiring that I stay up until all hours to finish; rather savoring each one as it unfolds. And marking more than a few pages with notable quotes. This one, however, is my favorite: " Coincidence is a messenger sent by truth. " Ponder that for today and see what perks for you in your life. 

"When one is rising, standing, walking, doing something, stopping, one should constantly concentrate one's mind on the act and the doing of it. " -- Aśvaghoṣa I burned the sausages again today. It's the second time this week that I've burned the sausages because I wasn't paying attention . Here's my morning routine: I get up, take the dog for a walk, wake the kids for the first time and then start breakfast. My kids do better with a bit of protein in the morning, so I try to make bacon or sausage or eggs for them most mornings. I throw some meat in a pan and then I feed the dog, set the table, make lunches, wake the kids a second time and check the sausages .  But sometimes I get....distracted. Usually by my email. "I'll just check it 'real quick'," I say to myself. And the next thing I know the fire alarm is going off and breakfast is ruined. The thing is, I know this . I know that the secret to life is to stay p...

"Meditate as though your hair were on fire. " --Pema Chodron Tomorrow night set your whole body on fire! Learn the Violet Flame Meditation at Mosaic Coffeehouse in Wallingford (4401 2nd Ave NE, 98105). 7:00pm - 8:00pm. The cost of the class is whatever you can pay, with 10% of all donations going to support Mosaic, a community coffeehouse in Seattle.  See the sidebar for more information on the Violet Flame Meditation . Hope to see you there!   

“ What you want in this lifetime, you must CLAIM.” – My guides Whenever I WRITE MY LIFE , what always comes up for me is this: WRITE. TEACH. COUNSEL. INSPIRE.  This is what I want to do with my life. Write books, essays, and poems that inspire. Teach people how to live their lives to the fullest. Help others find counsel in their inner guidance. Ignite the flame of inspiration in the hearts of everyone I meet.  But when it comes time to put my passion into action, I often feel stuck. It is so hard sometimes to work up the courage to take the next step. To get out there and DO IT.  This summer I made a commitment to myself to teach one class per month this year, but I have been wavering about teaching a class this month so I checked in with my guides and this is what I got:  "What you want in this lifetime, you must CLAIM."  What I took from this is that if I want to teach, I need to teach. No one is going to come to my door, grab me by the hand and ...