Forget what you think you know, forgive, and love.A friend of ours, Mark, dropped this little philosophical morsel into a conversation the other day.  We’ve been chewing on it since.  Although it seems to be so simple, there was something so profound and true to it.  However, those three things are probably the most challenging calls to action ever laid …

How to Use Art to Forget What You Think You Know, Forgive, and Love Click to Read Post »

MLK, Jr. Making a Peace Sign After Passing of the Civil Rights Bill 1964 “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.”  It’s February. That means Black History month. It means the month of love. It’s …

Is It Cliché to Use MLK? Click to Read Post »

Lee’s Postcard Barbara Fredrickson, one of our favorite psychologists and author of Love 2.0, provocatively asks “What if everything we know about love is wrong?” We like featuring her work in February because Valentine’s Day triggers so many preconceived expectations about love. These are usually associated with romantic love, with a connection that we believe can only be fulfilled by …

Everything You Know About Love Is Wrong Click to Read Post »

Rebecca–Rising Sun When we work with people in substance abuse recovery, we focus on identifying positive emotions they’d want to experience if their recovery from addiction goes as well as it possibly could. Using this “fake it ’til you make it” approach allows people the opportunity to imagine, and act “as if”, their ideal life was a reality. In this …

Low-Key Joy Click to Read Post »

Rebecca-Twins Not only is love wonderful to both give and receive, but it also improves physical health. That’s part of why we have been using Love-Kindness Meditation (LKM) in our workshops. We follow that up with response art, such as the drawing above done at a recent Smith Center workshop on Mandalas for Meditation, Peace and Healing. Although we had …

Love is a Vital Nutrient Click to Read Post »