Council Corner: Happy returns; embrace our differences
It is Saturday morning as I write my first Council Corner. A fresh cup of coffee and a fresh, brand-new day. I love mornings, often getting up at 4 a.m. to prepare for the day.I am happy and grateful...
View ArticleCouncil Corner: Excerpt from the State of the City 2017
Here is a sequence of six propositions, each of which builds on the ones before it, that concerns the curious relationship between survival and opportunity in these tumultuous times:1. This...
View ArticleCouncil Corner: Ashland’s climate action plan
For many in Ashland and further afield, this has been a frightening start to 2017, with the change in priorities of the current administration and the effect this change may have on the elimination of...
View ArticleCouncil Corner: Welcome to Ashland — it's complicated
I've said before that I sometimes think on our “Welcome to Ashland” signs, our town slogan underneath should read “It’s Complicated.” That seems to embody what it is like to deal with the myriad issues...
View ArticleCouncil Corner: Reasons to be optimistic
There is a lot of angst and frustration with government right now in our country and our communities. Times are challenging, resources constrained and expectations often out of sync with limited...
View ArticleCouncil Corner: Getting acquainted with Traci Darrow
Since this is my first Council Corner after being appointed to the City Council on Feb. 21, I thought I should let readers know more about me.Who is this person? Where did she come from?I was born and...
View ArticleCouncil Corner: It's April 12 — do you know what your community is doing?
It has been five months since the fall elections. For many of us these five months have felt like a revolution. Personally, my appetite for the crises of the day is waning. I've come to the conclusion...
View ArticleInner Peace: I trust you, Karim Sulayman
Here we are: Christmas Eve and Hanukkah 2016. For seven years this column has focused on peace, inner and outer; open mindedness in a tolerant, judgment-free zone where many contributors have shared...
View ArticleThe art of giving thanks in the new year
‘Tis the season of friends, family, pumpkins, nog, a new year, giving and feasting. I call it the "High Holidays." I’ve been at many a holiday table when before the meal we went around the table and...
View ArticleInner Peace: Bearing witness to a divine presence
Recently I was asked an intriguing question: “ How does Divine presence show up in your life?" The veil between this existence and the hereafter becomes most transparent for me when I accompany one who...
View ArticleInner Peace: The insidious nature of marginalization
There are many polarizing issues in our society. They deal with politics, religion, abortion etc. The result of these intractable views has led to human discomfort and tragedy. These conflicts are in...
View ArticleTrue righteousness (peacefulness and love) and true patriotism
Believing that one’s political views are the only correct ones is being righteous. When one feels the need to convince others that this is the only correct viewpoint, it is arrogance.Therefore, two...
View ArticleNext time, reach for the music
Many people know that listening to music can lower blood pressure, slow heart rate, deepen breathing, lessen pain, reduce stress and generally improve one’s sense of well-being. Such documentary films...
View ArticleActivating the inner spirit leads to true freedom
I want you to imagine two apples — one is sour and the other is sweet. They both have seeds in the middle which represents core beliefs. You came on this planet to learn and become smarter, learning to...
View ArticleTaking a walk in the divine path
I’ve never done this before in my life: 240 pages, written, rewritten, edited and polished in a little over six weeks. George Frideric Handel did his Messiah in about that much time, but he was a...
View ArticleResilience strategy: Stop. Look. Listen.
Trains have always fascinated me. As a counselor, I often refer to the “STOP, LOOK and LISTEN” sign found at railroad crossings as an anxiety reduction technique to help my patients get back on...
View ArticleFor inner peace, learn to acknowledge projections
His Holiness The Dalai Lama has said on occasion that we will not have peace in the world until we have inner peace. Many spiritual paths help us become aware of the duality of the split mind...
View ArticleInner Peace: Memoirs and mindfulness have the power to heal
A recent poll found that the number-one retirement aspiration of baby boomers is to write a memoir.Amazing?! Not really. For years I suffered from a debilitating self doubt. I hid it reasonably well in...
View ArticleThe holy wildness of inner peace
My conscious quest for inner peace began when I was 18 years old after a transcendent experience in which I spontaneously experienced a peace beyond my life circumstances. I spent the next 15 years on...
View ArticleNew Thought embraces creative spirit
There are many authors-teachers who have recently gained popularity in the western culture. People like Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Eckhart Tolle and even Joel Osteen are professing...
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