" Most of all: to be true to yourself." ~ William Shakespeare Although I looked pretty good as a child and what you could call "normal", I was a ball of self-doubt and uncertainty from an early age. Rethinking, questioning my actions and generally thinking about what people took for me as naturally as breathing. Life felt like a big…
"What is supposed to give light must endure the burning." ~ Viktor Frankl The world is facing challenging times of crisis. Closed borders and travel bans, quarantine, lack of food, scary news and a lot of fear. Viruses do not care about our status, money or fame and spread from civil servants to famous actors. Being human at the moment…
I have always believed that friendliness is the truest level of beauty. And I just have to think of my grandmother to confirm that this is true. Giving, nurturing, understanding – she was all these things until the day she died undeniably radiant at the age of eighty-four. She smiled with her eyes and loved it out loud, and I…
Editor's Note: A number of helpful coronavirus resources and all related articles by Tiny Buddha can be found here. "Distance sometimes lets you know who is worth keeping and who is worth letting go of." ~ Lana Del Rey When COVID-19 started to change my life, I thought of my family. My parents, with whom I haven't spoken much since…
“A soft, simple life is not worth living if it affects the fibers of the brain, heart and muscle. We have to dare to be great; and we have to recognize that greatness is the fruit of effort and sacrifice and high courage … For us, life is action, the strenuous fulfillment of duty; Let us live in the dishes…
"Mental health is as important as physical health." ~ Unknown Our main focus in this challenging time is rightly on our physical well-being. But we shouldn't forget our mental health, as these are stressful times for all of us. Are we getting sick? Will our loved ones die? Will we have enough food to support the family? How will we…
"Until you have loved an animal, part of your soul does not stay awake." ~ Anatole France Unconditional love. The thought of my cats envelops me with warmth when I think of them. Why? Because we are so connected. It is an ethereal thing. Beyond Words. Beyond reality. Beyond rationality. When I hold them, I feel so spiritually connected. They…
"If you go through hell, keep going." ~ Winston Churchill A few weeks ago, the Greek government announced that our quarantine should continue "well beyond April 6," the original date for which it was scheduled. We knew this would come, but it was still difficult to hear. And at that moment my memories came back as a long distance runner.…
“Your heart knows the way. Run in that direction. "~ Rumi "I know I should forgive, but I can't." I squirmed in my seat when I said this to my teacher. I said this immediately after explaining everything I had experienced during our meditation practice. In meditation I had a vivid memory of the constant verbal and emotional abuse I…
“The problem is not the existence of stressors that cannot be avoided; Stress is simply the way the brain signals that something is important. The problem – or maybe the chance – is how we react to this stress. “~ The Book of Joy For the past few weeks I have been proud to be able to keep fear at…