"To always have faith in the limitless power of love" was the transformative agreement my father was committed to embodying every single day.

Myra GoodmanJune 18, 2021

Slowing Down to Savor Summer

A few weeks ago, I took a haiku writing class with one of my favorite authors and teachers, Natalie Goldberg. One of the prompts she gave us was to write ten haiku about summertime in five minutes, but to convey the season without ever specifically naming it. What a lovely exercise!

Myra GoodmanJune 11, 2021Nature, Circle of Light, Hilary Nicholls, Featured Teachers, Seasons

Off the Screen and Up to the Stars

For most of my life, one of my greatest pleasures was gazing up at the stars on clear, dark nights. As my eyes adjusted, I was always mesmerized by the countless new points of light that kept magically appearing as time went by. I never tired of communing with such vast, mysterious splendor.

Myra GoodmanJune 4, 2021Nature, Tech Detox, Technology

Wisdom from Paulo Coelho

I first discovered the Brazilian author, Paulo Coelho, decades ago when I read The Alchemist—a mesmerizing story about a young boy who learns to listen to his heart and find the courage to follow his dreams. “You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it’s better to listen to what it has to say,” is wisdom I will always remember from this short, inspiration-packed novel.

Katie DutcherMay 28, 2021Paolo Coelho, Words of Wisdom

Food to Live By

My father, Mendek Rubin, wasn’t alive to witness our book, Quest for Eternal Sunshine, get published and be so well-received, but I believe that on some other dimension he is rejoicing. Getting books out into the world was of huge importance him, and when I published my first cookbook, Food to Live By—The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook, he was extremely delighted.

Myra GoodmanMay 21, 2021Recommended Books, About Myra, Earthbound Farm, Recipes

Wisdom from Lao Tzu

This week, I am happy to share some wisdom-rich quotes from Lao Tzu—a Taoist Chinese philosopher from the sixth century B.C. who is said to have authored the Tao Te Ching. Many famous sayings trace back to the Tao Te Ching, including “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

Katie DutcherMay 14, 2021Words of Wisdom, Lao Tzu

Mother’s Day Metta

I sat down to write this Mother’s Day essay on Wednesday, April 21—the morning after George Floyd’s murderer was convicted on all charges. Instead of the upbeat post I intended to create, it feels crucial to acknowledge the gravity of this moment. Along with feeling relieved that justice was served, I am also experiencing a tidal wave of shame and heartbreak over the cruelty and dehumanization that Black Americans have been forced to endure for centuries.

Myra GoodmanMay 7, 2021

The Forces that Shape Us

Last July, in a blog titled “Wisdom from the Stars,” I announced that I’d decided to study astrology by enrolling in an entry-level class at the online astrology school run by my friend, Debra Silverman, who is an extraordinary therapist, astrologer and advisor to many celebrities and thought leaders. I promised to report my findings in a future post… and here we are!

Myra GoodmanApril 30, 2021Astrology, Featured Teachers, Debra Silverman, Self-Discovery, Recommended Books

Waking Up to Water

Fresh running water is something many people living in developed countries take for granted. When we turn on the tap, water magically appears. If we want hot water, we simply twist a handle.

Myra GoodmanApril 23, 2021Nature

Happy Anniversary "Quest for Eternal Sunshine!"

This week marks the one year anniversary of the publication of Quest for Eternal Sunshine—A Holocaust Survivor’s Journey from Darkness to Light, a book based on an unfinished manuscript my father, Mendek Rubin, left behind when he died in 2012. The four years I spent researching and completing the book transformed my life in significant and unexpected ways.

Myra GoodmanApril 16, 2021Book, Lessons from Mendek, Trauma, Recommended Books, Hilary Nicholls, Meditation

Wisdom from Maya Angelou

A writer, poet, filmmaker, actor, dancer, civil rights activist, and much more, her list of “firsts” is very varied and impressive. From being the first black female streetcar driver in San Francisco when she was sixteen (her “dream job”—she loved the uniforms), to the first female inaugural poet in U.S. presidential history in 1993, Maya Angelou was a brave pioneer.

Katie DutcherApril 9, 2021Words of Wisdom

Days of Remembrance

Days of Remembrance for victims of the Holocaust falls on April 8th this year. During its first commemoration in 1979, President Carter spoke these powerful words: “We must remember the terrible price paid for bigotry and hatred, and also the terrible price paid for indifference and for silence… We must recognize that when any fellow human being is stripped of humanity—when any person is turned into an object of repression; tortured or defiled or victimized by terrorism or prejudice or racism—then all human beings are victims, too.”

Myra GoodmanApril 2, 2021Holocaust, Survivor Stories

Pondering Perspective

I took my first writing class at Esalen Institute in Big Sur in the fall of 2012, a few months after my father died. It changed my life. The remarkable writing teacher, Laura Davis, told us at the outset of the workshop that if we plan on writing anything autobiographical, we need to give up the hope that our family stories will feel accurate to everyone involved.

Myra GoodmanMarch 26, 2021Writing, Laura Davis, Patrice Vecchione, Featured Teachers

Birth

My new grandson, Elián Ruizquez-Goodman, was born late at night on January 30th. My daughter Marea labored for forty-eight hours to bring her ten-pound baby into this world. Although arduous, she gave birth in the comfort of her home, surrounded by loving, skilled support.

Myra GoodmanFebruary 26, 2021

The Wisdom of Trees

I live on a farm on the central coast of California with two small groves of towering redwood trees. I visit one every morning when I walk my dogs, stopping to stand amidst the trees, tilting my head up to look at the sky through their branches.

Myra GoodmanFebruary 19, 2021Nature

Compassionate Communication

It’s often said that we don’t need to move to India to live in an ashram in order to get enlightened—all the opportunities we ever need are available right at home, in the midst of our daily lives. For many of us, as we approach a full year of pandemic restrictions, these opportunities for self-realization and growth abound.

Myra GoodmanFebruary 12, 2021Featured Teachers, Patricia Wolff, Communication, Buddhism

Laughter

My father, Mendek Rubin, wasn’t just a wise inventor and philosopher, he was also a man who truly loved to have fun. He frequently shared silly jokes with my sister, Ruthie, and me, but what amused us the most weren’t the actual jokes—it was his delight in telling them.

Myra GoodmanFebruary 5, 2021Lessons from Mendek

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

International Holocaust Remembrance Day will be observed on January 27 to honor the six million European Jews who were exterminated by the Nazis and their accomplices. These official remembrance days are of tremendous importance, but I personally never need a reminder. As the daughter of two Holocaust survivors, a day doesn’t go by when I don’t think about that horrific time in history. The Holocaust lives inside of me, and my whole being is perpetually trying to come to terms with it.

Myra GoodmanJanuary 22, 2021Lessons from Mendek, Holocaust, Book

Be True to Yourself

Being our true selves, not the person we believe we should be, can take a lot of courage. Most of us were raised to behave a certain way by being praised for “good” behavior and shamed for “bad” behavior. That’s how we were taught to conform to the traditions and expectations of our family and community—to “follow the rules.”

Keys to HappinessMyra GoodmanJanuary 15, 2021Lessons from Mendek, Self-Discovery

My Father’s Relationship with God

My father, Mendek Rubin, grew up in a devout Hassidic community in a small town in Poland where strict adherence to ancient Jewish laws and customs defined virtually every aspect of life.

Myra GoodmanJanuary 5, 2021Lessons from Mendek, Mendek's Story