I love mindfulness, partly for its promise of liberation, but also for the ways it helps me on a very practical level, to navigate through life. The lists and aspirations are a huge support, and a kind of blessing, especially right now.

There’s another way to explore mindfulness, though, and that’s through a poetic lens. That lens isn’t more or less supportive, or more or less of a blessing. It’s just a different way of looking. The poetry I’m most interested in is the Dhammapada, a collection of verses that offers all of the teachings in 26 chapters.

I guess what I’m also saying is that right now, poetry feels like a refuge. Please join me on the Wake Up Call if it’s like that for you, too, or if you’re simply looking for refuge. Or stay tuned here, for some snippets.

And stay safe out there.

Seems like setting an intention to be kind and to not cause harm would be a simple thing. But then look at the world, and all of the devastating consequences that happen even when the responsible person claims their intentions were good.

What if we paid attention to intention at the beginning, middle, and end? Meaning, before we spoke or acted, while that was happening, and later? And if we discovered that we’d caused harm, what if we apologized and made amends?

It might not be easy (at least for me). But it’s a formula for powerful change. And it sure feels like we could use some change right now.

Happy Women’s History Month. The theme this year is, Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future. I’m in if you are.

Wishing you safety, wellbeing, peace, and change

It’s funny the way we toss around our points of view, as if we’re entitled to any which one. Or at least we feel like we are. It’s a free country, right?

But wouldn’t it be better if we were more deliberate? And chose a point of view that included caring about everyone, and all the critters, and also the planet? And also took into account that whether or not we adopt a wise, compassionate, point of view, is largely in our hands? And has consequences?

Because it does. Our point of view matters because it’s our rudder. It determines which way we’ll turn when the times get tough. Which they have. So don’t we want a point of view that always, or as often as possible, points us in the direction of safety for everyone on this small, watery, boat we call earth?

♥️♥️

Sometimes I wonder if “wise livelihood” is possible in the law. Can we support ourselves and our organizations and not deal in intoxicants, poisons, weapons, or humans…given the many nuanced interpretations of those words? Including the ways we might, from some perspective we can’t quite see, inadvertently be dealing in one of those ways?

And can we ever completely do no harm, in our adversary system? In our divided country? Our impacted world?

Maybe. And then I wonder, what if no one does that perfectly, but everyone stays committed? That alone feels like a huge deal. A win. One that could, maybe, turn the tide. And if it doesn’t, then at least at the end we’ll be able to say, “I pointed my work; pointed my heart and mind, towards wisdom.” Which is, by itself, a great thing.

Happy Lunar New Year. Ramadan Mubarak. Have a reflective Lent. ♥️♥️

The mind isn’t naturally cloudy. It’s naturally clear and luminous. If you’re in the habit of watching a sunset or looking into the faces of children or elders or the mirror, you probably already know: luminosity is right there, right here.

But if you look in the mirror and don’t see your own luminous mind – and heart - they’re all one system – maybe the clouds have rolled in. And in that case, maybe, just for a moment or hour or day or week, clear the sky, and protect your beautiful mind. Take a break from news media and social media. Choose a tall glass of soda water with lime, or a hot cup of tea. Watch that sun set, or watch the sun rise if you’re an early bird like me. Watch Ken Burns’ American Revolution (not a paid post, but it’s so inspiring).

There’s wisdom not in turning away permanently – we have work to do! – but in taking a break. I’m taking a week off to welcome the 2026 class of the Mindfulness in Law Teacher Training to our first Intensive (!!), so the Wake Up Call will be dark next week.

Happy Valentine’s Day. While you’re out buying chocolates, think about giving yourself a little love, too by giving your luminous mind a break.

♥️♥️

There are so many subtle and not-subtle ways to disrespect other people. When I do it, I can feel the boomerang effect of disrespect. It creates a field. I feel like we’re seeing that play out in Minnesota, in Washington, in the world. It’s a terrible thing.

There’s only one way I know to be truly respectful: see everyone, including myself, as worthy of my patience, generosity, and love. Listen. Care. When I practice those qualities, I feel positive reverberations. And who knows how far out they flow?

And yes, there are people I want to leave out of that flow. I want to, but I feel like it would be better not to. I feel like it would be better to find a way to see them as worthy, too, all evidence to the contrary. Because what if no one has ever done that - seen them as worthy? What kind of pain are they carrying? And isn’t that what they’re sharing, and what we’re seeing play out? Which is also a terrible thing.

Honestly, I feel like we have some real power, still, as lawyers and judges and law students and law professors. The power to stand our ground, protect our democracy, stand up for the rule of law. So the question on my mind is, will we use that power? And the other question is, how?

I have enough. Sometimes I have to remind myself, but it is a fact. It’s not in question. There’s no world – at least in this moment – where my family goes hungry or sleeps on the street. How about you and yours?

There is enough, for everyone, if only we can be generous and compassionate. I feel like that’s also a fact. But sometimes it’s hard for me to remember when so many aren’t getting their share, or any share, right now. How can we remember there is enough, and help make that a reality?

And I am enough. Whatever I have to give, however much love I have to offer right now, is enough. It has to be, because it’s what I’ve got. Maybe tomorrow I’ll have more, or less, and that, too, will have to be enough. How do we remember that we are enough?

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I’m looking around. And it looks to me like there’s just so much harm. Not only our government, but also the ways it’s easy to mimic what’s happening on the national level, even when we don’t mean to: forgetting how much harm we can cause by not offering kindness to everyone (or by forgetting what “everyone” means).

What about looking for ways to not cause harm? And every time we see them, not only not causing harm, but doing something kind? Including for ourselves: what about looking for ways to do kind things for ourselves (which for me, anyway, feels easier when I’m not harming others)?

Because if not now, when? ♥️♥️