“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” — Maya Angelou.

Creativity is nature’s calling card, an energy that is thriving in every moment. Whether it is a plant flowering for the first time, or a dying star bursting into a supernova sending powerful radiation millions of miles into space, there is something new coming into existence in each moment. This active, creative process is also evident in the mind where new thoughts come to life, a process that repeats itself thousands of times a day. There is a hidden order in this seemingly disorderly…

Why meditate?

Meditation is getting to know oneself, beyond any version that the mind may project. What we perceive with the five senses is one version of reality. Microscopes and telescopes increase our reach into physical reality, showing us another flavor of material existence, but the inner realm is beyond the reach of the senses or any physical instrument. We perceive the mind, thoughts, feelings, and experiences, not through our eyes but directly through the subtle tool of awareness. Meditation enhances our understanding of ourselves through the expansion of awareness.

Meditation helps quiet the mind, which is the most superficial…

“I spent twenty years searching for this book…careful with it, the only known copy,” said Hamid Shah. He placed a gloved hand on the limp binding made of cloth and plucked his beard with the other. There was no title on the cover, which had dark stains that covered much of the faded gilding that perhaps had their own story to tell. I did not open the book, afraid that the loosely bound pages may come apart. I reached for a pair of gloves as if ready to perform delicate surgery. He shook his head and said, “Your hands are…

The Letter

It was the first time I had seen Rose without a wig or makeup. “They scheduled my autopsy. When everyone is celebrating, eating barbeque, watching fireworks” she said, wide-eyed and nervously clutching a crumpled envelope with the letter containing the lethal news.

Her oversized tortoise frame glasses slid down her nose as her head tremor increased in cadence. Sweat beads formed on her wrinkled forehead. Each time she tried to sit up taller, she sunk further back into her wheelchair. It had a customized cushion that helped her reclaim some of the height lost to age. …

There are three critical elements for success in any endeavor.

• Mind
• Energy
• Devotion

Luck is the wildcard. It is the icing on the cake. Unless we work on the three elements, chance cannot do much for us.

The mind is like the branches of a tree, our energies are like sunlight, and our devotion to the task is like a tree’s root system.

Success is the fruit we all seek for our efforts. It does drop out of the sky. It is not an isolated event.

Just as a fruit cannot grow in isolation, it needs nourishment from the roots…