Reflecting from northern Thailand, I explore life’s big questions amid rapid change and rising AI. Using ChatGPT as a modern oracle, I asked about spirituality, God, and prayer—and shared diverse, thoughtful answers. This post invites you to reflect on technology, uncertainty, and living with intention today.
I Continue reading Navigating Life’s Uncertainty: AI and Spirituality
Ever wondered if you’re really doing pranayama right? In this post, I revisit my journey with breathwork—from confusion to clarity—and why conscious breathing is so much more than a technique. It’s a gateway to deeper transformation, but only when approached with care. Continue reading Pranayama – The Cosmic Life Force Energy
What if your entire life has been guided by a hidden thread—one theme quietly shaping your journey?
From your greatest challenges to your most joyful moments, there may be a pattern, a deeper purpose, waiting to be discovered. This blog invites you to explore the “red thread” of your life—the invisible force that connects your past to your present, and your purpose to your path. Continue reading The Secret Thread That Weaves Through Your Life
Hello and Happy New Year everyone! Yesterday on my personal blog, I shared that my theme for 2025 is intentionality. Sometimes, simplifying life and living intentionally means letting go of some things. With that in mind, I’ve recognized that I need to take a break from Wise & Shine so this will be my last post here for a while. Before I go, though, I … Continue reading Intentional Living Sometimes Means Letting Go
In pursuing happiness, we often search for external sources of joy. Yet, true happiness often lies within, waiting to be uncovered through introspection and self-discovery. By asking ourselves the right questions, we can navigate our journey toward fulfillment with clarity and purpose. What is My Purpose? The quest for happiness begins with a fundamental question: What is my purpose? This question prompts us to reflect … Continue reading Finding Happiness: Asking the Right Questions to Unlock Fulfillment
Last week, I heard of some new research about Ikigai, the Japanese concept that loosely translates to your life purpose or reason to get out of bed in the morning. I’ve long been a believer in Ikigai, but the research confirms it can not only add years to your life, but also life to your years! Read on to learn how Ikigai can help you … Continue reading Ikigai Can Add Years to Your Life – And Life to Your Years!
Before Christmas, I visited a man with whom I had kept a weekly appointment for many years. Something inside me insisted that I should visit him. It could be one of the last times I would see him. I followed my inner voice and tried to call him, but the three numbers I had for him didn’t work. So I decided to show up at … Continue reading Accept Me Without Strife
In August 2022, I dived into the heart. I did it by visiting the Anahata Ayahuasca Retreat Centre in Pisac, Sacred Valley of Peru. I was there for my own reasons, but once again, my journey had led me to someone who had been pushed into a corner by life and forced to make a change. During my trip to Peru ( July to October 2022), … Continue reading Dreaming into heart
The Ramana Maharshi self-inquiry meditation inspired my “Who am I?” poem. I send massive gratitude to Ramana Maharshi for inspiring me to shape this poem. – Who am I? I was born in the city of Isfahan That’s the place my parents met They fell in love, danced the flame of love and drama kind of – Who am I? I am a daughter A Sister A … Continue reading Who am I?
It’s that time of year again when people think about the new year and how they’d like to make changes in their lives going forward. We often refer to these proposed life modifications as “new year’s resolutions.” The other day, while stepping out of the shower, the idea hit me—insights come as flashes of insight and often at the strangest times—that the way we verbalize … Continue reading Repost: The Importance of Language When Making New Year’s Resolutions
I read these three fundamental statements by Alfred De Musset that according to him encapsulate the key aspects of the essence of success : “Seeing is knowing, wanting is being able, and daring is to have.” This post explores the possible implications of these statements, unraveling the layers of insight they offer on the path to success. Seeing is Knowing The saying “seeing is knowing” … Continue reading The Essence of Success: Reflections on Seeing, Wanting, and Daring
In “What I’ve Learned about Life while Watching My Father Age,” a blog I wrote several weeks ago, I mentioned that I’d been reading On Death and Dying, a wonderfully insightful book written by Elisabeth Kϋbler-Ross. Throughout that tome, the author argues that doctors need to take a more “human” approach while treating dying patients. She also points out that the field of medicine stresses the … Continue reading Repost: The Real Secret to Being Happier and More Successful in the Workplace
My greatest regret during my Peace Corps experience is that I wasn’t into taking photos at that time. I was into living life, though, as hard as it could be lived, tiptoeing right up to the line of being wildly self-destructive. It’s just that I don’t have much of a photographic record of all that living beyond the boundaries. I do have memories, tons of … Continue reading Repost: Places that “Made” Me: Installment Three
If you read my first installment, you know that I was a Peace Corps Volunteer and was sent to PĨock, Poland, a beautiful and fascinating city located on the Vistula River, to complete my Pre-Service Training (PST), a demanding educational regime that was designed to see if I’d be up to the various challenges I’d certainly encounter once I was sent off to the town or city … Continue reading Repost: Places that “Made” Me: Installment Two
This is an interview with Hanne Kristin Rohde, the former police chief of Oslo. She worked in the police for 25 years, the first 5 years as a police prosecutor, and the last 20 years as a manager. In 11 of these years at the senior management level; from 2008-2014 as police inspector and head of the Section for violent and sexual crimes in Oslo Police District. Continue reading A life of great variety
My mind works in mysterious ways. For example, three or four days ago, for no particular reason, the following question popped into my head: I wonder who said, “Clothes make the man”? I then almost immediately forgot that I’d asked this question—my brain having its own unique way of functioning—and went about my daily business. This morning I got online and found out that Mark … Continue reading Repost: Places that “Made” Me: Installment One
On Friday, October 11th, I attended a professional development workshop at the college where I’m employed. The title of the session was “Communication Skills for Collaboration.” Looking back, I don’t think the title gave an apt preview of what the talk would cover. Plus, the title was boring; whereas, the actually workshop was quite interesting. During the early moments of the presentation, the presenter began … Continue reading Repost: A Meditation on Something I Heard the Other Day
I’ve been thinking a lot about defiance lately. Actually, because I’m very much a contrarian at heart, I’m always thinking about ways to defy. That’s what contrarians do; they defy conventional wisdom (among other things). (By the way, it seems pretty clear that we need a lot more contrarians in the world.) I guess you could also say that I’m part of the resistance against … Continue reading Repost: Napping as an Act of Defiance
I’ve been forgetful lately. I’m talking like, I’ll be in one part of my house, decide that I need something from another room, head to that locale, and as soon as I arrive there, I can no longer recall what I wanted to get. I know this is a near universal human experience because I’ve had numerous friends, once I’ve told them about this tendency … Continue reading Repost: Does Anyone Know Where I Left My Car Keys?
My friends, family, and former colleagues often ask me whether or not I miss flying. It’s been a year since I handed in my resignation letter and decided to divorce from a 12-year career. I’m incredibly fortunate to have had the time to decompress following all the political upheaval I was caught up in Hong Kong. When people ask me if I miss it, my honest … Continue reading Why I Miss My Job but Don’t Regret Leaving It
