“The strongest people are the ones who are still kind after the world tore them apart.” ~Raven Emotion A few months ago, I stopped being friends with my best friend from childhood, whom I had always considered like my brother. It was a tough decision, but I had to...

I never knew how much practicing gratitude and being grateful for the most simple things in life mattered. Not until I didn't have them. I took a downward spiral about 25 years ago, when times in my life became really dark. I lost everything: my home and my way in...

‘Then the practice will naturally ripen and gradually you will enter wonderful states. If you practise in such a way for a very long time, then you will surely realise great awakening.’ Zen Buddhism

TW: Mentions of emotional abuse, financial abuse, and distress. I recently made the really hard decision to leave my marriage of five years because it was extremely toxic and had damaged me and my 16-year-old daughter emotionally. My husband is highly emotionally...

TW: Mentions of addiction, trauma, and mental health struggles. I am 49 years old, and I have been in recovery from addiction since 2005. After many years in recovery and a failed marriage, I relapsed. In 2017, I spiraled down into a place of attention seeking,...

‘In the absence of self, the Buddha within is not diminished; rather, it shines forth unobstructed, like the sun emerging from behind clouds.’ Everyday Buddhism

‘The enlightenment in which you see your true mind and realise your true nature is transmitted outside of the scriptures; it is not based on names and words.’ Bassui Tokushō

The experience of nurturing a young life, entirely dependent on you (and perhaps your partner or family), is beautiful, but it also brings challenges. The transition from pregnancy, being the nongestational parent, or going through the adoption process to actually...