Children, nature, and the practice of paying attention
I have lived a full life immersed in the joyous and interconnected world of young children, nature, and embodied mindfulness, for which I have immense gratitude.
Across decades of parenting and teaching, I have spent over 85,000 hours with young children. These young friends have taught me to slow down and listen deeply, both to them and to my own inner dialogue and challenges. Accompanying children has been a profound path of spiritual work and acceptance.
Much of our time together was out on the land, exploring forests and creeks. Then a debilitating neurological event abruptly changed my ability to teach and explore. What had been possible one day was no longer possible the next. It took me years to learn to walk again.
Buddhist practice had long guided me. Through the years of recovery, my attention turned further inward, with a desire to continually shed layers of attachment, both physical and mental.
The Dhamma is the center of my life. My intention is to live the Noble Eightfold Path fully, with confidence in the freedom this path offers.
I had always imagined that once my children were grown, I would ordain as a Buddhist nun. Age and health led me toward a different form of renunciant life. With the support of my beautiful family, I now live a wandering life in a kuṭi-on-wheels.
With few belongings, I have a rich landscape of practice before me. My days are centered on meditation and study of the Buddha’s teachings, with time in solitude deep in the forests and in the company of monastic communities. I study Pāli, the language of the Theravāda Buddhist scriptures, to engage more closely with the teachings that guide me. At the heart of it is learning to live what I study, in solitude and in relationship with others.
Alongside this wandering life, I continue to explore what it means to be present as a mother of olders.
This website brings together my Dhamma study and practice with writing and resources from my years in education.
Playfully, I still enjoy being in the creek, building forts, and getting geeky with Notion databases of the Buddhist Pāli Canon and language.
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