The Heroic Journey

During a week in June 2002, after making a personal and public commitment to be mindful and to “smell the roses,” my travels took me toward Oklahoma. I left the Tulsa training, breathing in the beautiful May afternoon as I made my way to Oklahoma City. There were many signs for the Oklahoma City National Memorial. Once again, I fought my litany of excuses in favor of going directly to the hotel: “I’m tired”, “My feet hurt,” “I’d rather watch Frazier,” and “What if I get lost

It is May 14, 2004 and my most recent travels have brought me to an extraordinary retreat center near Asheville, North Carolina. It is 7am and I have three hours before I teach. With a steaming cup of coffee, I sit on the huge porch at the lodge, preparing for my day. At my feet I have a book, two highlighters (a yellow and an orange one), my lessons and this journal. As I work on my presentation, I look up to think and each time I look up, my eyes linger longer and longer.

She looked to be only three or four and her disheveled ‘I’ve-been-traveling-all-day hair’ was held by a pink ribbon. A fuzzy jacket and leggings matched what held her ponytail, while her long black eye lashes rested on flawless cheeks as she slept peacefully. [more…]Just watching the scene in front of me was like balm for my restless and weary soul. A good four city tour was nearly over but an extremely delayed flight out of Chicago-O’Hare and a completely broken iPhone had l