Statistics from the Center for biotechnology information  reveal that the attention span of a human being in 2000 was 12 seconds. By 2013, it plummeted to 8 seconds. That's <1 second less than a goldfish! 

A few additional stats: The average office worker checks email 30 times/hour, and the typical mobile user checks their phone 150 times/day.

In between indulging in outdoor play (mainly on two wheels), I've especially enjoyed reading "Training in Tenderness" by Dzigar Kongtrul (Forward by Pema Chodron), "Awakening your Ikigai" (in Japanese, iki (to live) gai (reason)), translates to joy and purpose) by Ken Mogi, "Waking Up" by Sam Harris, PhD, and "The Living Gita" by SS Satchidananda.  

Harris's book is part memoir and part scientific underpinnings of spirituality. He skillfully mingles contemplative wisdom and modern neuroscience, with discernment. His writing is sharp, elegant and compelling. It's the heaviest of the lot - very interesting person and read! ​

My favorite so far is Kongtrul Rinpoche's "Training in Tenderness". So accessible and sweet. He introduces readers to "tsewa", Tibetan for tenderness, which he characterizes as the essence of all the Buddha's teachings. Joseph Waxman explains in the Editor's Preface that the book reflects key teachings from Rinpoche's June, 2016 Modern Day Bodhisattva Seminar in Vermont, which was subsequently taken around the world. It's totally secular and very accessible - like just the right tincture and dose of dharma to start the day! ​

"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle won't be shortened."  - The Buddha

My aunt Marie passed away peacefully November 9th at the age of 91. She was fortunate to have lived a full life, to be sure. Aunt Marie was the youngest of three siblings and outlived her two brothers, Jack, by ~3 months, and Jon, my father, by ~8 years. So this felt like the passing of an important era.

While that could be a topic on its own, during this season of giving thanks, the focus here is on gratitude and honoring the people in our lives that matter most. And remembering why...

I’ve been participating in a 10-day online event called Waking up in the World which features 30 inspiring social visionaries, contemplative scholars and teachers from around the world. The intent is to compel participants to tap into our individual and collective power to fuel a world that encourages kindness, courage and wise action. One of the presenters, Leon Logothetis, shared a remarkable story about leaving a highly successful career as a financial consultant in London to travel the world in search of meaning. He left all his possessions behind and decided not to accept any money along the way. That would be too easy. Rather, he would rely on random acts of kindness. ​

One of my revered teachers, Tara Brach recently shared an inspiring excerpt from a dharma talk. In it, she referenced an On Being interview where the host, Krista Tippett interviewed Ruby Sales, an African American social activist. Ruby described a "defining moment" for her when she was getting her locks washed. The simple question she asked her locker's daughter summed up over a decade of teachings I'd experienced...

"There's a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." -Leonard Cohen

We often see weeds grow through cracks, but the elegance, beauty and fortitude of these petunia's made me take pause...

"People don't always remember what you say or do, but they always remember how you make them feel." - Maya Angelou

So many of us get blocked from contacting our innate basic goodness. That inner light, wisdom, buddha nature, or whatever word resonates for you. It gets lost in life's frenzy. 

Somehow, we tend to get over-identified with a "flawed self" (something's wrong with me), feel kicked out of the garden
(I don't belong), and armor up to make it through. On a good day, if we make time to come up for air long enough, we wonder how it's possible to feel empty inside, given  all our activity. ​Or feel like an imposter. 

So how do we get un-blocked and learn to truly see...?  

This past week, I had two uncles, one in New Jersey and one in Florida, both fortunate enough to live into their 90's land in hospice care. One passed away within 24 hours. The other miraculously did well enough to be discharged home for hospice care. Full lives, to be sure. Yet, these experiences always offer a sacred pause....