Smiling and Living Fully

Even the present is filtered through a Rube Goldberg mechanism we call a brain. Which is why we do the best we can to accomplish what sounds like a paradox — quieting our mind in order to be mindful.

5 Key Words — Mel’s Mouth Glossary

Words unite us and words divide us, whether they are understood as intended or not. I live in an area where I sometimes get asked: “Are you a Christian?” My reply: “Probably not in the sense that you intended.” I post in melsmouth.com the words I need to write in the hope that you need…

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A Look Back at a Bloody Arrest

I realized just a few days ago that I am writing this blog, melsmouth.com, not just for me, but for my son Thomas as well. He died June 1 in a skateboarding accident at the age of 29. He was a thinker and a writer who had not yet found a niche and an audience,…

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Happy Birthday, Thay!

Thay’s messages are simple. He conveys them over and over again: Stop. Breathe. Enjoy the moment. Listen mindfully to others. Cultivate your compassion. Speak and act from love.

What’s Wrong with Liberals

…it no longer feels like games we’re playing – more like a war. We no longer recognize the humanity of the other side. We fail to see how “their” belief system can be anything other than selfish or stupid.

I Love Autumn

I wonder what it is that predisposed me, or opened me up, to fall, autumn colors, impermanence and Buddhism.

Buddhism and the Brain § SEEDMAGAZINE.COM

Reblogging a perceptive look at neuroscience, Buddhism and Western religions: Many of Buddhism’s core tenets significantly overlap with findings from modern neurology and neuroscience. So how did Buddhism come close to getting the brain right? Source: Buddhism and the Brain § SEEDMAGAZINE.COM

Honoring a Daughter’s Spirit, and a Son’s

Thomas was a thinker and a writer who had not yet found a niche and an audience. I never expressed sufficient pride in his attempts, but I know he’d be proud of me now that I seem to be finding a niche of my own and an audience. His spirit lives on in this blog just as Sienna’s spirit lives on in the Tulsa Children’s Museum.

Becoming a Laureate

Many of us — at least those born into the developed nations of the world, knowing that our basic needs will be met — start life thinking that anything is possible. Fame and fortune may await us.

Everyday Healers

I wanted to honor the doctors, nurses, and other volunteers who put themselves in harm’s way because, well, they say to themselves: “If I don’t do it, who will?”