Powered By Pleasure
Find pleasure in being confident
In late August I offered my first poetry concert. I took a risk and stepped into new terrain. The concert involved speaking 14 poems from memory and from my heart. I was accompanied by cello music. While speaking in front of an audience comes easily to me from my teaching and facilitation, stepping into a creative offering was new. Read more >
Sep 24, 2015Pleasure is a risky business!
Pleasure means different things to different people. Last month when a canoe camping trip was being planned, one woman in the group wrote to say: “Nope, I won’t be there. Camping in a tent does nothing for me.” I love to hear people say clearly what does or doesn’t work for them. If you feel like pleasure is a bit of a mystery to you, or that it’s hard to get, here are two things I’ve learned. You have to take the time to really explore what gives you pleasure. You may notice some tried and true things that light you up, and some of those things will change over the phases of your life. You have to be willing to let go, to let yourself change, to be open to new possibilities. Read more >
Sep 14, 2015Maybe I can’t do everything, but I can do something!
Years ago I remember a naked summer swim in a large, beautiful, and very private lake in the wilds of Quebec, with a couple of friends. I don’t remember what inspired my outburst, but I do remember feeling very expansive and shouting into the wide, open sky above, with great fervor and gusto “I want to have it all”. I often have a really good chuckle with my younger self, because back then I truly believed that was possible! For years I would expend great amounts of energy trying to have it all and do it all. But I’ve learned that as enjoyable as those expansive sentiments can be, pleasure and fulfillment don’t necessarily come with volume. Read more >
Aug 25, 2015The Pleasure of Companionable Weather Spirits
Sometimes we think pleasure is a complicated thing. Do I have time to take some pleasure? Do I ‘deserve’ to do what feels good? Shouldn’t I work more before I take some pleasure? But when you enter the natural world and you gear down your mind, you’ll find pleasure couldn’t be simpler. My five days on a canoe camping trip last month helped me understand this simplicity. Read more >
Aug 19, 2015The Sky is Your Roof
Last month I spent five days canoe camping with my 28-year-old daughter on a lake in the Canadian wilds. Enjoying the pleasure of time spent in nature is something we share in common. And how great it was to get five whole days with one’s adult child! Quickly we settled into a lovely rhythm of cooking, eating, swimming, paddles, reading in our quiet spots in the hammock or stretched out on a rock, naps, campfires with music or close conversations, more naps and paddles. Just what such times should be about. Read more >