Category Archives: Mindfulness

Second Guessing: The War Within

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Touch2Touch

I have a tiny whisper that goes in and out with me, And what can be the use of it is more than I can see. (with apologies to Robert Louis Stevenson) My tiny whisper goes in and out with me, such a steady … Continue reading →

Posted in Angels, Challenge, Doubt, Failure, Freedom, Mindfulness, Personal Essay, Wisdom | Tagged Evil, Freedom, Good, Jung, Mindfulness, Psychology, The Shadow | 27 Comments

TODAY’S PORTRAIT: violet

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Touch2Touch

In contrast to cheery Johnny Jump-ups and bold-faced pansies, there’s an introverted branch of the Violaceae family. Violets, true violets, are modest and demure. They shelter underneath their heart-shaped leaves, and even great masses of them never seem to call attention to themselves. Unless … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Life and Death, Mindfulness, Nature, Personal Essay, Poetry, Quotes, Wisdom | Tagged Beauty, Death, Elegies, Flowers, Modesty, Poetry, Violets, Wordsworth | 10 Comments

“She Cleans Up Nicely”

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Touch2Touch

Hop aboard today’s train of thought! It began when I was looking in the mirror, blow-drying my hair with my usual let’s-get-this-over-with attitude because I was in a hurry. We were leaving for the supermarket, and I was rushing because … Continue reading →

Posted in Enlightenment, Etcetera, Happiness, Mindfulness, Personal Essay, Wisdom | Tagged Friendship, Latin, Picasso, Style, Transformation | 16 Comments

In Praise of Shadows

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Touch2Touch

Here in the West we often favor brilliant colors, hyperrealism, and a superabundance of light. Dazzle! Clarity! Vision! But in the East, in Japan, there are also alternate aesthetic values. This quote from the novelist Junichiro Tanizaki presents a traditional … Continue reading →

Posted in Flowers, Japan, Mindfulness, Quotes, Writers | Tagged Darkness, Japan, Patterns, Shadows | 16 Comments

Schadenfreude, and other Genius German expressions!

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Touch2Touch

If most people know anything at all about the German language, it is that it can produce some of the longest, bulkiest words ever, which mostly seem impossible to pronounce. For instance, in English we simply say Incorporated; the German … Continue reading →

Posted in Definitions, Etcetera, Mindfulness, Quotes, Wisdom | Tagged German, Ideas, Language | 49 Comments

Unlocking the Gate of Dreams —

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Touch2Touch

Our recent trip to the newly expanded and renovated art gallery at Yale University proved a treasure trove of images and impressions, and they haven’t quit yet. A dear friend who combined dual professions of artist and monk once said, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Definitions, Etcetera, Memory, Mindfulness, Paintings | Tagged Art, Art Galleries, Curiosity, Dreams, Imagination, Museums, Painting | 28 Comments

Non-Violence and Hard Boiled Eggs

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Touch2Touch

I make really good egg salad. Which, of course, starts with hard-boiled eggs. When my egg salad comes to the table, it looks great, usually in its blue-and-white Chinese bowl, maybe some thin-sliced radishes adorning it, maybe nothing at all, … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddha, Definitions, Enlightenment, Etcetera, Mindfulness, Personal Essay, Quotes, Wisdom | Tagged Ahimsa, Compassion, Eggs, Gandhi, Kitchens, Non-violence, Patience, Time, Violence | 33 Comments

Remember, Don’t Bop Yourself on the Head!

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Touch2Touch

The trainer showed me how to do the exercise: Lie down on the bench, he said. Take one weight in each hand, raise them straight up above your head, then slowly lower them down to your ears, hold, then lift … Continue reading →

Posted in Etcetera, Health, Mindfulness, Personal Essay, Wisdom | Tagged Communication, Fitness, Listening, Medicine, Mindfulness, Thinking | 33 Comments

Kwitcherbellyakin —

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Touch2Touch

I’m not really talking to you! I’m talking to myself, in another sort-of New Year’s resolution. Not a formal resolution, because I never find those work for me. More of an intention, really. In this case, an intention to tone … Continue reading →

Posted in Color, Etcetera, Flowers, Happiness, Mindfulness, Spring, winter | Tagged Flowers, Hope, Seasons, Spring, Winter | 35 Comments

The Universe Within —

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Touch2Touch

Remember the fabulous lotus pond my friend introduced me to? It wasn’t only the beauty of the lotus flowers that so touched me when I wrote that post. For decades (this is many years ago) I carried around a quotation … Continue reading →

Posted in Definitions, Enlightenment, Etcetera, Evolution, Flowers, Memory, Mindfulness, Photography, Quotes, Wisdom | Tagged Hinduism, Lotus, Memory, Spirituality, Wisdom | 32 Comments