One November day awhile ago, I was dispatched by Publishers Weekly to Washington, D.C. to interview the famous newsman Jim Lehrer, who just had a novel out. My editor insisted the interview take place at his home not far from the National Cathedral, not his office. This to create a feeling of intimacy, including detailsContinue reading “Take Off the Bubble Top”
Tag Archives: Waking Up
In the Chapter Room
photo by wallyg “The solitary life, being silent, clears away the smoke-screen of words that man has laid down between his mind and things,” writes Thomas Merton in Thoughts in Solitude. “In solitude we remain face to face with the naked being of things. And yet we find that the nakedness of reality which weContinue reading “In the Chapter Room”
Car Crash Sutra
The accident happened at the worst possible moment, although there is probably never a really good moment for a car accident. I was driving home through the rain, thinking about how much I had to do before I left for my daughter’s college graduation that week. I was thinking about what a difficult week itContinue reading “Car Crash Sutra”
Playing At Meditation
“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens,” wrote Carl Jung. To look into the heart means to remember how we perceived and felt about the world when we were children. On this first day of spring, it seems especially fitting to rememberContinue reading “Playing At Meditation”
Remembering
When the first bell sounded, I reached for the mug of Starbucks coffee chilling on the window sill, prepared the night before to fortify me against the cold and darkness of Massachusetts in February, but also the piercing sadness that can come with solitude. The coffee tasted bitter. My mind hunted for something important toContinue reading “Remembering”
Being No Thing
“Love says ‘I am everything.’ Wisdom says ‘I am nothing.‘ Between the two, my life flows,” taught Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. I am not a thing, and this is good news. And although I am limited I have a capacity to feel unlimited, to feel compassionate connection with everything. This is also good news. The badContinue reading “Being No Thing”
Tracy Cochran 