Recently I was listening to a Brene’ Brown podcast, and something she said caught my attention: “Fitting in is when we want to be a part of others… Belonging is when others want us to be a part of them.” I love the symmetry in that and began to wonder, which is better, to fit …
Are We Getting Soft?
Recently, I was reading the book John Adams by David McCullough. Evidently, in one of Adam's many crossings to Europe, the ship leaked so profusely passengers had to bail water around the clock for the entire journey! What? I refuse to fly anything below "Comfort Plus." I should be ashamed! I am descended from brave …
The Best Time To Plant A Tree
When we purchased our cabin twenty-two years ago, there was a little white pine growing up in a shrub at the corner of the house. It was only about a foot tall. I thought it would look nice in the yard, so I carefully dug it out and transplanted it. Here’s a picture of it …
Spirit Already Knows
I am not a big talker. I find listening far more interesting. There is much to learn in deep listening, especially to ourselves. On several occasions in my life, unique experiences of peace directly preceded significant challenges, almost as if something beyond my understanding was saying, "Here is a gift. You are going to need …
The Changes We Need Most
We may think we know ourselves, but what others’ see is often invisible to our eyes. Remember the first time you heard your recorded voice? It didn’t sound like the voice in your head did it? A similar thing happens every time I look in the mirror! Prior to retirement, I managed a large staff. …
Grace
What does it mean to live with grace? For many, grace has spiritual meaning. However, my context here is secular, relating to developing and maintaining inner peace amidst the turbulent flow of life. I believe such grace has two elements, one referring to actions, the other to perspective. When I was young, I felt life …
The Anatomy of Peace, Part 1:
Mindfulness, The Doorway To Presence ( 7-minute read) (This series presents a retrospective understanding of the role awareness plays in the pursuit of joy and happiness during times of personal difficulties. The introduction to the series can be found here: https://tim-coats.com/digging-deeper/) ———————————————————— Recently I was looking after our nine-month-old granddaughter Adalyn. She is fascinated by …
The Pull To Union
This is a bit wonky, but I’ve been thinking about it a long time. It concerns energy. What energy does is obvious, but what energy fundamentally is, isn’t clear to me. Take the gasoline that powers our cars. Gasoline isn’t energy when it’s just sitting in the tank. It requires a spark that triggers a …
The Anatomy of Peace: Introduction
Introduction: "You can't wait until life isn't hard anymore to decide to be happy." Those are the words of thirty-year-old Jane Marczewski, a 2021 contestant in the "America's Got Talent" competition. She has terminal cancer. When things are going well, life (in the words of Robert Frost) flows on its own melt. But, the sun …
Self Improvement
The older I get, the clearer it becomes that self-improvement is a complete waste of time! That sounds harsh, but please hear me out. Walk into any major bookstore. Odds are, the largest section is self-improvement, and the largest section within that area is diet plans. So let's test my theory out. Have you ever …
Towards A Life Well-Lived 