Dear Former Me

When I saw my primary on Monday she said I needed Zoloft or a therapist, maybe both. I had been overwhelmed with the stress of everything John has been going through, complicated mightily by the situation with Joel. For those new to YBR, Joel has been my co-author for over twenty years. He has developed […]

Drama Triangle Revisited Again and Again

Lately, almost EVERYTHING I read or see or hear or feel reminds me of The Drama Triangle Revisited, one of the more infamous SCS/NLP offerings.

A key awareness of Healing with Language is built on the Drama Triangle, developed by Steve Karpman. The main roles of the Drama Triangle—Victim, Persecutor, and Rescuer—are well-known, but […]

This Day’s Dawn

Those who are awake live in a constant state of amazement. ~ Jack Kornfield

This day’s dawn comes on the heels of a dark night. Actually, every day’s dawn does.

Last evening we took John to my primary. She agreed with the medicine list. She encouraged patience and confidence in the specialists he will […]

Already a Butterfly

In The Wisdom of No Escape: And the Path of Loving-kindness, Pema Chödrön qutoes Joseph Campbell, writing, “It has been said, quite accurately that the psychotic drowns in the same waters in which the mystic swims with delight.” One might wonder what it is that the mystic sees/hears/knows/experiences which leads to the more pleasant conclusion.

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Outside of the Lines

“If a wild animal like a cheetah can be tamed into forgetting her power, forgetting her majesty, forgetting her wild — then so can a woman.”

~ Glennon Doyle Melton

I watched an interview in which Glennon Doyle Melton reported an experience of going to the zoo and watching the “cheetah run” with her […]

Treasure this Day

If what I say resonates with you, it’s because we are both branches of the same tree.

~ W. B. Yeats

I’m not a “follower” of astrology, but MANY years ago something occurred that led me to respect the wisdom there.

Decades ago now, driving home on a snowy day, the roads were glare […]

Please Help Me Get Out of the Hospital

Buddhist teachings point to the most elemental cause behind our suffering — forgetting who we are. We forget our belonging to one another and to our larger body of earth. We forget our belonging to the boundless, loving awareness which is our shared essence. Instead, we live in a trance of egoic separation, with habits […]

Learn, Grow, and Change

One of the most extraordinary aspects of our humanity is our capacity to learn, grow, and change.

~ Sheryl Chard (Gratefulness.org)

One week ago today I got a call from the son of my long-time business partner, Joel Bowman, asking who in Kalamazoo could take his dad to the ER.

Of course, I am […]

Getting Ready

Meditation is not only permissible in the face of great suffering; it is a moral obligation. ~ Right Action in the Face of Suffering, by Dan Zigmond, March 15, 2022 in The Lion’s Roar

Often I use the Yellow Brick Road as a platform to share what is happening. Today I am simply going to […]

The Practice of Life

Last evening’s Group 2 was only five of us out of thirteen. I am not sure what qualifies as a quorum, but I am sure all thirteen of us were actively involved in the practice of LIFE.

Our meeting times were set at the first of the year but the evening before our meeting […]