The Spirit in It

The Spirit in It

My husband and I bought a house in the year 2000.  It faced the freeway.  Other than that, I liked the house but I couldn’t see living right across from the freeway.  Since my husband had already fallen in love with the shop behind the house, he said to me, “I will...
Turning Down the Volume

Turning Down the Volume

When I was growing up, I loved language. I remember reading James Herriot and how beautifully he described the life of a veterinarian. And A Tale of Two Cities in the 9th grade launched my love of great literature. When I reached college, my love of writing and...
9260 Miles From Home

9260 Miles From Home

Neighbors, friends, and even the mailman ask me why I’m traveling 9,260 miles from home this winter, enduring at least, if lucky, a 22-hour flight followed by a grueling five-hour car ride to travel the last 100 miles to the village where I stay in Bali,...
The Day A Shark Spared My Life

The Day A Shark Spared My Life

My first thought as I awake each morning is often “I wonder how the surf is today?” At 45, I was late to start surfing but was hooked the moment I took my first wave. I feel lucky that I live in Los Osos on the Central California Coast, close to the ocean and just a...
My Journey to Find a Spiritual Teacher

My Journey to Find a Spiritual Teacher

I did not move to Thailand in 2005 looking for a spiritual teacher. It simply happened. In the summer of 2005, my husband, 13-year-old son, and I relocated from our suburban home in Northern California to Bangkok for my husband’s job. Although excited to be living in...