relationships Archives - The Open Heart Project

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Compassion fatigue and being loving while also angry: it’s possible.

October 14, 2024   |   14 Comments

Meditation begins at 14:59

Audio only version is here

I hope you are well and safe. If you are in a region impacted by recent hurricanes, my heart goes out to you and I hold you in my practice. I know that doesn’t change or fix things, but it’s true nonetheless. This morning I got an email from one of you asking for some thoughts on compassion fatigue. First... READ MORE

Love After Heartbreak

March 4, 2024   |   Leave a reply

Hello Open Heart Project, Since The Wisdom of a Broken Heart came out, I’ve had the honor of speaking with many people who are meeting this incredibly difficult life passage with courage and tenderness. We talk about the endless waves of grief, fear, and rage and how one could possibly weather them. We talk about the valuable, hard-won heart opening that can... READ MORE

On attention

June 26, 2023   |   1 Comment

Hello Open Heart Project, Seth Godin, the marketing genius, writer, teacher, and all-around awesome person is one of my idols. I receive his blog posts every day and, although our topics are different, in many ways I model my work on his for its clarity, usefulness, and soulfulness. He wrote a wonderful post about how empathy is the most important... READ MORE

On Anger

May 8, 2023   |   5 Comments

Dear Open Heart Project, Someone once asked me, “How does one let go of anger—not deep-rooted anger but anger over everyday trivial things? How can I learn to really let go of things that don’t matter in my life? Too much time is wasted on this use of energy!” Here’s what I said: I appreciate your wish to let go... READ MORE

My new book, “The Four Noble Truths of Love”

May 15, 2018   |   6 Comments

Can’t wait to share it with you. I hope you will find it inspiring, useful, and real. It is about what it really takes to open your heart in a love relationship. We are self-publishing this, y’all. I wrote this book for us specifically. Every single decision that has gone into creating it has been made with you in mind.... READ MORE

The Truth About Marriage Vows: Five Promises you Can Keep.

May 31, 2017   |   8 Comments

(Parts of this piece were published previously, but as our wedding anniversary approaches, I felt compelled to update it.) Next month, my partner and I celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary. Nineteen years. How the hell did that happen?! As we get ready to celebrate nearly two decades of wedded bliss, (and also of wedded hell, confusion, joy, and mystery), I’ve... READ MORE

Buddhism and Relationships: Eight Qualities of Love

May 15, 2017   |   3 Comments

Even though Buddhism is often associated with ascetic practices done by people in robes, as a 20+ year practitioner, it has been useful to apply core Buddhist teachings to my love life. Buddhist practice and study were helpful when I fell in love, got my heart broken, and, now, in marriage. In a recent post, I offered a way to... READ MORE

Buddhism and Relationships: The Four Noble Truths of Love

May 5, 2017   |   11 Comments

Earlier this week, I posted about applying the wisdom of Buddhism to romantic relationships. Is it even possible? Advisable? As a Buddhist and a wife, I would say yes. Relationships have periods of closeness and distance and no one can really tell you what governs their coming and going. It’s a mystery. During one such period of distance with my... READ MORE

Buddhist wisdom for relationships.

May 2, 2017   |   6 Comments

My 19th wedding anniversary is coming up next month. HOLY CRAP. I never in a million years imagined that I would be with one person for this long. Our marriage has been more than I could have hoped for but nothing I would ever have expected. Like most of us, when I was young, I dreamed of finding the right relationship.... READ MORE

Renunciation and the Church of Magical Eating

February 21, 2017   |   3 Comments

When you think of spirituality, you might call to mind a framework or set of rules that show you the way to inner peace, to end your suffering (and possibly even avoid death), is to be good. On the darker end of the spectrum, however, behavior is often driven by a fear of consequences (of not following the rules), an... READ MORE

Just You and Me

January 21, 2017   |   Leave a reply

Since the presidential election, I have felt called to do more. To get involved with organizations that stand for the values I hold dear, to call my elected officials to give them a piece of my mind (or at least read one of the suggested scripts from Facebook), to march and rail and educate myself about my own ignorance and... READ MORE

Dear Susan, How Do I Deal With Emotional Abuse?

May 11, 2016   |   2 Comments

A meditation teacher and award-winning author provides guidance on readers’ real-life problems. Here is her advice on domestic distress. Dear Susan, My boyfriend of 10 years now is so rude to me. He barks orders and isn’t sexually interested anymore and complains about all that I do. I feel worthless. What should I do? Dear Friend, Well, this is a... READ MORE

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