by degrees
By degrees, little by little, from moment to moment a wise man removes his own impurities, as a smith removes the dross of silver or gold.
Entries 35
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Unexpected Visitors in by degrees
I just awoke from such a surprising and beautiful dream. I was at a weekend workshop–a Catholic weekend workshop–and there were countless people there from the Catholic Campus Ministry at JMU. ...
Working with Anger in by degrees
K: I want you to know I’m really working with anger a lot right now and I need a lot of room for it. I tried to bring it to my NVC Practice Group last night and it did not go well, which amplifi...
New chapter, new habits in by degrees
It has been a long time since I have written in a journal, and longer since I made it a regular habit. I’m about to enter into a new and important chapter in my life, as I prepare to move to Bou...
Stuck. in by degrees
I’m feeling stuck and stagnant, having an unconquerable level of distraction and an inability to focus on anything I need to be doing at work. Things contributing to this place I’m in: ~Kathy’...
Competency vs. Self-Acceptance in by degrees
“Perhaps the most tragic thing about building a self around competence is that it leads to empty disconnect. You are a complex and dynamic living being. Any attempt to build a one-dimensional, ...
Where is the breath? in by degrees
I really shouldn’t be doing this right now because I don’t have time. I don’t know where to begin. I don’t know where to find the space I’m wanting. I spent this weekend on a mindfulness retrea...
70 years in by degrees
Dear Robert, Gratitude is too small a word. This one small expression holds much. In my gratitude is held the many times you have reached out and held my hand when I was in pain, and you saw me....
Eye Contact in by degrees
This racing heart. I have been working on it. I have been steeping myself in support. In practice. In counseling and meditation, NVC practice (aka group therapy) and time with friends. I ha...
almost invisible in by degrees
It creeps in. The subtle grief behind my eyes. I’m not trying to shut it out, but the nature of my busy day-to-day often pushes it off to a different place. It has been living somewhere not qu...
What I Want to Say in by degrees
Last night, he texted: “There’s one thing I’ve requested, and I don’t ever need it from you. If you’re interested and capable, you may let me know. I’m starting to think you are unwell. This is ...
"The pain is from a lack of separation." in by degrees
Sage advice from Kathy. Separation. It is so hard to just cut it off. I went a full week without contact, and in that time had all of the feelings. The sadness and mourning and grief, the ang...
Time Based Needs in by degrees
I’m so tired this morning. And I woke up feeling kind of resentful and pissed off. Which seems odd at first, because everything wrapped up beautifully and in a sweet place last night. And we d...
Tilting towards my future in by degrees
There are some very cool things happening in my life on all fronts right now, but the one I want to talk about today (because I have a meeting about it tomorrow and need to get my head clear) is ...
opening up in by degrees
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Ideas, language, even the phras...
rut. in by degrees
I have been feeling like I’m in the middle of a storm cloud for a week now, and it just won’t lift. It will eventually. But for now… One contributing factor is that Hoopie no longer wants to be...
Tim Ferriss' Suggestions for Practicing Mindfulness in by degrees
Off and on, I listen to the Tim Ferriss Show podcast. It’s interesting, but since I discovered it when I was living in Bolivia, I really go back and forth on being into it, and then not. I’m no...
What to say? in by degrees
Sitting in my hotel room, knowing you are coming to pick me up in the next 20 minutes so we can finally talk, my heart is skipping. But what is it that needs to be said? Thank you? Goodbye? P...
So Far Away in by degrees
From the minute I landed back in Ibaraki, I have felt overwhelmed with a sense of homecoming. Dear friends, acquaintances, and even shop owners I knew during my time here, have given me the warm...
Every Which Way in by degrees
These past few weeks have been relatively stable, after what seemed like months of ups and downs. However, once again, I’ve stepped onto the roller-coaster. There is a family thing that is goin...
Dear Gilberto, in by degrees
First of all, I was never molested, raped, or sexually assaulted. I just want to make that clear. All of my life up until I’ve been living in Bolivia, I have had, for the most part, very positi...
This Circle Game in by degrees
I’m in it again. The dark. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m not entering into some kind of clinical depression, the way this comes on so easily. What was it this time? Not sure. It started cree...
La Lucha Con Sí Misma in by degrees
Ugh. I have a cold and stomach trouble this week, and the cold just finally hit me full force this morning. The whole deal–sneezes, runny nose, headache, sore throat. It’s awesome. In other ...
Smallness of the Ego Spiral in by degrees
I am such a weird dark awful place at this moment, and it’s completely absurd. Clarie is leaving on Saturday, and so tonight, we had her “despedida” or goodbye party. It was absolutely lovely. ...
The Struggle with Wanting in by degrees
I am in and out of a funk, and I really know that it’s up to me to get myself to a better place. So I listened to Tara Brach today (she is wonderful), and it really hit on something that’s at th...
Ego can be Such a Challenge in by degrees
I woke up from a dream that brought up a lot for me. I dreamed that I was living in Portland with Katie, and we had a big house together. We needed a roommate or two for some unoccupied space i...