Wild Goose Meditation

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Wild Goose Meditation

I am a registered nurse, certified meditation instructor & breath coach, mala artist and a founder of Wild Goose Meditation.

I believe world peace starts with inner peace. To that end, I offer meditation education & support, & live meditation workshops.

05/05/2025

Spring is not just a time of new beginnings; it is a reminder that all things must end, and in this too there is great beauty.

An ending can offer great hope for the future, making way for another beginning, but it also invites us to be fully present in what is happening right now. It invites us to witness the moment as it unfolds, and it allows us to grieve if that is what we need in the moment.

My photography certainly doesn't do it justice, but this morning I found loveliness in the remains of petal-less tulips, grape hyacinths going to seed, and the forsythia that the blossoms have died back on but is now full of beautiful green foliage. Partly because they signal the transition to another phase of the season where new blossoms are starting to appear, and partly because their end is in itself beautiful in its own cyclical way.

It's ok to feel sad about endings too. Here is another case of "two things can be true at once". ❤️

07/04/2025

When I was in high school, I volunteered at a local elementary school in the TESOL (teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) classroom. I got to know one of the teachers really well, and have kept in touch over the years. Marie belongs to the Ba'hai faith, which was explained to me many years ago as a religion that sees truth in all religions and strives for unity among all of humanity (I know there's more to it, that's just how it was explained when I was a teen when I went to some of their activities). And I really saw Marie (my teacher friend) try to embody that. This year when we exchanged cards, she sent me this little poster and it has been hanging on the inside of my door as a reminder to my family each time we leave the house. Anyway, it seems more relevant than ever, as we are in the most turbulent social climate that I personally have experienced, so I'm sharing it here. ❤️

17/03/2025

"We're going to cross the street, S. You need to hold someone's hand, ok?"
"I hold MY hand, mama!"

In a moment almost a decade ago, that was too cute not to snap a photo of, I recognized and related deeply with this desire for autonomy.

It's not just the stubbornness of toddlerhood, is it? It's the inkling that you know best for yourself, that you can do the thing- whatever it is, that it will feel better if you accomplish it rather than let someone do it (probably with mediocrity) for you. It's knowing that even if you do it badly, at least it was yours to own.

Everyone needs that empowerment.

It's why I allow my teenage son to drive himself to school everyday despite my anxiety about letting him grow up (he really is a good driver).
It's why I am politically aligned the way I am.
It's why I choose to DIY so many things instead of buying them.
It's why I am on a more autonomous spiritual path.
It's why my marriage thrives (coming up on 21 years) despite the two of us being firmly our own people.
It's why I haven't been to a salon in years and I cut my own hair (and sometimes it does go badly).
It's why I try to always respect the right of the individual to know who they are and what is best for them in their life.

It's an interesting juxtaposition of taking control and letting go of control- depending on what side of it you're on.

Does that resonate with you? In what ways do you like (or need) to hold your own hand?

01/02/2025

Books I finished in January that I liked enough to recommend. Pink dot denotes that I read multiples in the series. My favorite non-fiction book was The Body Is Not An Apology, and I think my favorite fictional book was The Queen's Gambit (Trilogy). Lots of fantasy reading this month, which I adore at any time but positively required this month.

I've already got a few books in the lineup for February, but I'd love your favorite recommendations, either for fiction or non-fiction. 🙂

07/11/2024

The world feels heavy-heavier than normal- to me right now. A lot of other people have expressed their feelings better than I could, so I won't say more than that. I didn't fall apart yesterday, but perhaps I temporarily forgot that the world is still beautiful.

I let myself wallow in the trough of my grief. A part of me felt I should jump immediately into action, looking for a silver lining, or expressing positivity, putting on a brave face for my kids at least. And I did what I could to reassure them, but a bigger part of me knew that I should not bypass difficult emotions and pretend that everything felt ok. So I wore the same cozy loungewear for 48 hours, wrapped myself in blankets, mostly stayed home, rested, and made oatmeal chai cookies. Still, I mostly felt numb.

Walking today, I remember that the earth is still here for me, the sun is shimmering on the frost just so, a juxtaposition of heat and cold reminding me that more than one thing can be true, and there is always a reason to keep hoping.

After dropping my son off at school, turning back towards home, and walking into the sun, I was struck by such an unexpected swell of tender emotion- warmth, comfort.

A love note from the universe, reminding me that there are bigger things, greater forces, than the strife and chaos of the moment.

Things still feel heavy, but it's good to remember that the sun still shines on everyone- meaning, no matter the choices we collectively make, the sun itself doesn't make choices on who to shine down on. Times are difficult, but the universe is still sending us poetry, still gifting us with little beauties.

Peace in, love out.

23/10/2024

A few weeks ago I went hiking with my family in a new area. I had read some reviews calling part of it "ugly" but I thought it sounded promising. We were after a waterfall, and I felt that would more than make up for any unsightliness.

In fact, there was no ugliness at all, only wild beauty and a reminder that human efforts to tame Nature are not held sacred.

We were hiking along a stream bed with no water and I was resigned that the waterfall may have dried up at this point in the year.

Approaching our destination, I began to hear the trickle of water over rocks. The stream appeared! As we followed it uphill, it grew wider and faster.

I went to cross the stream, stepping on a large stone, only for it to shift, dumping me into the water, then painfully squashing one foot and one shin. I was distracted by the pain brought on by my clumsiness, and I didn't look upstream, didn't see the waterfall just a few hundred yards off the trail.

I grumbled for a bit and then went on for almost another mile, expecting a waterfall to materialize around each next bend.

We finally turned around so that we could meet up with the rest of our family on time, and on the way back, guess what I saw?!

The waterfall I had missed on the way up was no less charming because I saw it later. It was met with more delight and joy for having had to wait.

The thing that I keep thinking about is how that beautiful waterfall was there the whole time. I couldn't see it at first because I was too occupied with my thoughts about my pain and anger at myself for not being more careful. When those had passed, and I was approaching from a different angle, it was un-missable.

Relatable, right? It's so easy to be distracted by thoughts and feelings and miss out on what's there in the moment. It's also totally unnecessary to beat ourselves up about that, because you have to feel it to heal it. And you can always tap into the beginner's mind and just start from where you're at. Should I beat myself up for missing that first sighting going up the trail? Or should I celebrate the moment when I saw it coming back down the trail?
The beauty is there, whenever we're ready to see it.

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