Umbilicus

That’s how it is with Dog.

2011-03-03T17:18:00.000+08:00

I never intended to blog about dogs, but note that my entry about Mia (the blind dog) received more comments than any other post so far. And many friends have emailed me individually to ask for a dog update. Apparently, it’s a popular topic. After my Mia blog, I briefly fell for a new black puppy at the Bali Animal Welfare Association (BAWA) shelter. I knew that she would easily be adopted

Wondrous mud

2011-02-20T19:43:00.000+08:00

It’s the season for mud in Bali. Many of the rice paddies are in their mud-and-seedling stage right now—rectangular pools of mud dotted with bright green clusters of rice seedlings that have recently been planted. Sometimes as I drive into town in the mornings, I see a neighbor guiding his flock of ducks up the road, into the paddies. The ducks’ job is to keep the fields free from

Mia and my reluctant findings

2011-02-08T10:51:00.001+08:00

Oh, I have felt so reluctant to blog this past week. And I still am, but here I go anyway. It would appear that my willingness to share of myself is directly proportionate to my level of contentedness. There’s nothing wrong here. Nothing specific. I just feel…less open. A bit frustrated. Something, somehow, is stuck inside of me. You see, I was going to adopt a dog. I made the mistake

The art:life:art challenge

2011-01-29T09:40:00.001+08:00

This week, an Italian woman, as she showed me her magnificent new home and yoga studio, said to me, “The Balinese are artists.” And in her lovely lilting accent, she emphasized, “They are artists.” I agreed whole-heartedly as I gazed onto the tile mosaic of vines, leaves and flowers curling across the living room floor; at the detailed design of pebbles and stones that pave the bathroom; at the

Shiva and Shakti’s dance

2011-01-17T09:53:00.000+08:00

The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was.Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere; they’re in each other all along. - Rumi Karl arrived last Thursday. After two months apart, our energies have come swirling into each other’s in a vortex of excitement, nerves, passion, fear and enormous love. This coming together is always beautiful but

Rain shower

2011-01-11T17:23:00.000+08:00

I have discovered that the hour of inevitable afternoon rain is a superb time for a shower. The outdoor bathrooms are one of my favorite features of Balinese architecture. As soon as the rain starts coming down, I step outside into warm spray from the showerhead intermingled with cool droplets from the sky above. It’s the ultimate rain shower.

Sumptuous spaciousness

2011-01-10T16:46:00.000+08:00

With no schedule by which to map out my days here in Ubud, I feel time and space around me expanding. In that plushness of breathing room, creativity is beginning to show her smile. There is never external silence around here—even at the darkest hours, jungle nightlife sings outside my bedroom window—but I feel a spaciousness arising within. I do feel reluctant to meditate or spend more than a

Three days in

2011-01-03T19:38:00.004+08:00

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Sacred navel gazing

2010-12-31T08:44:00.001+08:00

Dear readers, Through the innocence of asking questions, an opportunity has arisen that is leading me (once again) far from home and proving to me (once again) that we never know what life, love or the universe is dishing out for dinner. I am moving to Bali, Indonesia. I am in motion right this moment as I write, gliding along the Pacific Northwest coastline from Seattle to Vancouver. I’ll