Today’s newsletter is written in honor of an exceptional woman, Judith Saly, who turns 100 tomorrow. Judith is my first friend to have lived for an entire century, and I’m eager to share some of her life story and valuable wisdom with you.
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Taking a full 24-hours away from technology helps us gain more awareness about our often-unconscious habits and attachments while giving our brains and nervous systems a much-needed rest. It reminds us that recharging ourselves is more important than recharging our phones and helps us establish healthier boundaries with our devices every day so that we can experience more calm and peace in our lives.
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I have what psychologists call “porous boundaries.” Common characteristics of such boundaries describe me perfectly: fearing rejection when I don’t comply with other’s expectations, overexplaining and feeling bad when I say no, getting over-involved in other people’s problems, and a tendency toward oversharing. My porous boundaries extend emotionally and energetically as well—when I’m with someone who has an upset stomach, I often begin to feel sick too.
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I have had two clear “awakening” experiences in my life. The first was as a third grader in Brooklyn when my class took a trip to tour Pete Seeger’s boat. As I lay on the deck with my eyes closed, palms resting against the polished wood, a strong sense of awe and reverence filled me. The sun warmed my face as the boat rocked gently on the water, and I suddenly had the best feeling of my entire life: CONNECTION.
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As a best-selling author, speaker and life coach, Martha Beck helps countless people by unveiling the most intimate details of her life and healing journey as she shares the powerful lessons she’s gleaned with honesty, bravery, pragmatism and humor.
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My father believed that shallow breathing was “endemic to our day and age”—an indication of how much tension we hold in our bodies and how often we routinely suppress our feelings. He was convinced that changing how we breathe can lead directly to deep relaxation and profound healing.
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“Although we are part of a country and culture that places utmost reliance on linear, rational thought, our greatest wisdom doesn’t reside there. To gain access to our deepest knowing and discover what we’ve been storing in our hearts for so many years, we can tap into our imagination, emotions, memories, intuition bodily knowledge, dreams, and the relationships we have with the earth.” - Patrice Vecchione
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Today, I’m happy to share a piece I wrote for Spirituality & Health magazine—Leaning Into the Back Side of Your Chakras—that features a delightful practice I’ve been doing to help me balance my continuous output (everything I do in the world) with sufficient input (re-fueling, nourishment and rest).
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My dad once wrote: “Whenever I compare myself or my life against my ideas of perfection, I come out the loser. Nothing is perfect—not my family, not my job, not my body. If I have to wait for perfection to be happy, I will surely be waiting forever. The very belief that life should be a certain way—that I should feel happy—greatly contributes to my unhappiness.”
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"To always have faith in the limitless power of love" was the transformative agreement my father was committed to embodying every single day.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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