da Shop Talk: Journal

Let’s start at the end. With the abject terror of leaving something behind. The next thing is scary. There, I said it. But endings aren’t endings unless we let them be. Instead of inhabiting the fear that lu...

Inhale. Exhale.  Mindfulness begins with the breath. We start here because it’s simple, accessible, and something we rarely consider closely.  But maybe it’s not that simple. Breathing itself is automatic. W...

I talk to a lot of people. More than most, probably. In my day job, I tell other people’s stories, the kind you may not have heard because there’s no spectacle and no recognition. It’s my favorite type of st...

Recently, a friend taught me the Japanese word wabi-sabi. He described it as the appreciation of imperfection through understanding that every moment is fleeting. This moment will come and pass and never hap...

Lots of people think they’re not creative. While it’s true we can’t all be Lady Gaga, we can all create. I recently read Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, in which historian and philosopher Yuval Noah H...

When I was in college, my ex and I used to have lots of long conversations about our feelings. Too long. I’m talking three or four hours. Looking back, I can see that we probably didn’t understand each other...

“Good artists copy; great artists steal.” - Steve Jobs Wait. It was Picasso who said “Lesser artists borrow; great artists steal.” Or maybe Hemingway? “Immature artists copy; great artists steal.” No, no. It was Igor Stravinsky. “A good composer does not imitate; he steals.” Steal, indeed. 

I’m not a New Years resolution person. Maybe it’s because to me January 1 is just the day after December 31. Maybe it’s because 80% of people break their resolutions within two months. But I think it’s mainl...

In 2015, Oliver Sacks got unexpected news, he had terminal cancer. Despite his diagnosis and the difficult months that followed, Sacks was, more than anything else, grateful. Grateful and inspired. So much s...

This guest post is written by yoga teacher and writer Michelle Regan: What’s your favorite scary story? I grew up on the Goosebumps series and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I loved horror until adulthood when movies and books actually became scary.

This guest post is written by yoga teacher and writer Michelle Regan: A student told me recently that everyone has at least one book in them. I didn’t want to squash his spirit, but I disagree. He certainly...

"Running and writing have a lot in common. The rhythm of feet on pavement, the tapping of fingers on keys. Both feed a need to get what’s inside out. They require commitment and focus. They teach us about ourselves. They take us to our limits and back."