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Chattering Mind

After a long day yesterday, I stopped at ABC Carpet & Home, a mecca of pretty, pricey, spiritual things. Buzzing past all of the crystals and Marys and Buddhas, I went straight for the bodycare wall. The eco- and toxin-conscious store only stocks lotions and potions and pastes and masks and scrubs by all-natural companies…

Ok, it’s not just the scrumptious body oil that wows me, it’s the amazing Gifts of Compassion at ABC Carpet & Home’s store and website. Many orgs offer a similar donation-as-gift program, but none have such diverse offerings–or packages for certificates as nice(ABC uses hand-sewn sari fabric). By partnering with organizations like Seva Foundation, The…

“True charity only occurs when there are no notions of giving, giver, or gift.” –Buddha From the book “Good Karma: How to Find It and Keep It”. By Valerie Reiss. Amy’s on vacation.

It always amazes me when the word—or symbol for—”peace” upsets people. A couple in Pagosa Springs, Colo. was recently told by a community association to remove a peace sign-shaped wreath from outside their house, reports The New York Times, lest they be fined $25 a day. They told the couple the symbol was politically divisive…

Just wanted to spread this far and wide. This week’s cover story in the Village Voice is about the link between 9/11 and blood cancers, especially Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. That’s what I just recovered from. My exposure to Ground Zero was not as intimate as the 75 recovery workers who now have some form of blood…

Really great article in this week’s New York magazine, “The Science of Burnout” by Jennifer Senior. The subhead alone speaks volumes: “In a culture where work can be a religion, burnout is its crisis of faith.” It’s about how burnout—that crispy, dulled, done feeling—is a researched phenomenon with relatively consistent symptoms. Attempts have been made…

If you have a modern-ish sensibility and live in an apartment or a small-scale house, you may love this blog as much as I do. Apartment Therapy.com has been my haunt for the last two years or so for home-related inspiration of all kinds. It’s not just hints on buying pretty stuff (though there’s a…

As her post-“Artist’s Way” work has seemed more and more recycled, one thing I still love about Julia Cameron’s books is the little quotes she puts in the margins. I’m always happy to dip into these bite-sized, short-attention-span founts of wisdom. Julia’s latest, “Finding Water; The Art of Perseverance,” landed on my desk today. Here…

My name is Valerie and I’m a Satya-holic. As often as I can afford (only a few times a year, really), I go to Satya, a wonderful “yoga-inspired” jewelry store. I walk across the slate floors and gaze at lotuses and Buddhas and Ganeshas and sparkling stones arranged by color. I try on everything yummy…

I’ve just moved into a new apartment. In Brooklyn, land of my ancestors. It’s sweet and cozy, and at 500 square feet just about double the size of my last place (I know, we’re ridiculous here). I’m obsessive about making a house a home as soon as possible. Ideally I’d take a week off to…
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