One of the things I love about writing is getting into that mental state where the words come effortlessly, without my having to think too hard about it. That moment where I’m lost in the work, and have no awareness of the ticking clock or the buzzing fly. Just me and the work. Beautiful. Zen.…
Category: Dojo Wisdom
Week 8. Understand and respect the art
When I first began training in the martial arts, I met a lot of people who were interested in what I was doing, a certain number who would do it themselves if only they weren’t so afraid of getting hurt, and a handful who rolled their eyes and asked me if I thought I was…
Week 7. On having enough
One of the most important lessons in Dojo Wisdom is the one that says, “If you think you don’t have enough, you will never have enough.” The human appetite for more is enormous and insatiable. That’s the fundamental principle of philosophies such as Buddhism. And the cure is to stop feeding the craving. This is…
Week 6. Guarding your ears, take two
When I first began training in the martial arts, I had a lot of fear. I was afraid I would get hurt and that people wouldn’t like me and I would never fulfill my dreams and I would never have a family and on and on. The first kick started breaking away the fear. But…
Week 4. On the art of not solving problems
It is probably apparent that for most of my life I have been a type A, achievement-oriented person, and so my response to every challenge that comes my way is to do something about it, which is why being Jessica’s mother is so maddening. There is nothing I can do about it. There ought to…
Week 3: Goals revisited, or, What are you hiding from?
I have already settled on an approach! I am just going to label entries by week. That way you can follow along without my having to pretend this is anything more than a series of blog posts prompted by my revisiting Dojo Wisdom. Last week I talked about what people sacrifice to reach their goals.…