by Jeni | Mar 31, 2021 | Kindness, Language, Letting Go, Peace, Relationships, Spain, Travel, Yoga
Yoga at Puerto Deportivo in Gijon Shoshin is a word from Zen Buddhism meaning “beginner’s mind.” It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just...
by Jeni | Mar 27, 2021 | Family, Kindness, Language, Peace, Relationships, Spain, Travel, Yoga
Spring in the Cimadevilla neighborhood of Gijon This week in my Spanish language class, my teacher Cristina flashed a photo on the overhead projector of my neighborhood Cimadevilla because of it’s historic significance. Because our class is small, conversational...
by Jeni | Mar 22, 2021 | Downsizing, Family, Food, Language, Letting Go, Peace, Relationships, Retirement, Spain, Travel, Yoga
View from my writing desk Yesterday was cleaning day in our apartment. It was too early to run the vacuum cleaner and risk waking the neighbors below us, so I grabbed the broom and started to sweep. The repetitive movement of the broom bristles made a soft swishing...
by Jeni | Jun 7, 2020 | Bigotry, Family, Kindness, Life and Death, Peace, Politics, Racism, Religion
“He died for our sins.” In spite of being raised as a minister’s daughter, I could not fathom what that statement really meant. It never felt relevant to my life. Until now. George Floyd died for our sins. He died for our sins of racism, bigotry, and...
by Jeni | May 30, 2020 | Family, Kindness, Life and Death, Peace, Politics
We are witnessing protests that have morphed into riots from coast to coast. The predictable result of a trifecta of unemployment, fear and oppression, aggravated by three months of isolation and uncertainty due to the pandemic. The horrific video of George...