The Wake Up Call for Lawyers

Hopefully there will be small moments of peace as we enter the winter solstice in the global north, at the end of a challenging year. It will be dark…but there’s darkness everywhere. And there’s also light. Which is the invitation of mindfulness: to be that light. The question is, how? How to be the light, for others and for ourselves?  In the stillness of the solstice - in the silence of the hear...

Here we are in the heart of the holidays, and there’s also so much else going on. For me it’s crucial not to rely on finding moments of calm, but instead to remember to create them. We all probably do that when we can by settling into the couch with a good cup of whatever. Which is beautiful. But what about also cultivating a state of mind that’s not couch-dependent?  One way to do that is with a...

If mindfulness begins with training our attention, what’s the recipe for its other components, courage and grace? For me, it begins with stillness. I get quiet and sometimes lovingkindness shows up. But sometimes what appears is a parade of horribles: anger, jealousy, greed, and their buddies. And all I can do is cringe. When that happens and I can stay put, it’s because of courage: that moment of...

It’s almost Thanksgiving in the U.S. so we’re supposed to be practicing gratitude. want to be doing that all the time, but it doesn’t always work out that way. Do you know what I mean? The world is just in a difficult place, and the trickle-down effect is pretty powerful. But even so, what if we take this one week, and turn it into a practice? And what if the practice was asking the question, over...

The thing about mindfulness practice is the benefits. I mean, that’s not the only thing - it’s not a benefit-driven endeavor. Hopefully there’s a little altruism mixed in. But the benefits are big. First, there’s the calm that arises when the body is still and the mind is quiet. That’s worth all the effort in the world, and it’s portable, too: I notice I can take it with me into my day, which is g...

Congratulations to Tuesday’s election winners. For me it was a practice moment: feeling joy and hope, and not turning those into something else with regard to the losers.  Which is a practice I can’t do without my basic, present moment attention practice. Which always begs the question of how to cultivate that. If mindfulness is present moment attention, courage, and grace, how do we cultivate the...

We know the practice: present moment awareness. But how do we practice when things are so rough and torn? First, with love. The invitation, moment by moment, is, can I bring not only awareness, but also love?  Second, with courage. Because no matter how much love we bring, this mind, this body, this world, will present challenges. It’s nothing personal - it’s just the way things work. So, courage....

Now that everyone and everything is mindful (except the federal government), is mindfulness diluted? I was starting to wonder so I’m digging into the question, starting with, “What is mindfulness, or ‘wise mindfulness’?” which is the next step on the path.  From 10,000 feet, to me mindfulness is looking in and looking up. Looking in, by practicing stillness, examining our fabulous minds and hearts...

When I look out at the human landscape right now, it feels like joy is in short supply. Sometimes it’s present, but plenty of moments cry out for an infusion of joy.  The first step, or one of the first, on the mindfulness path, is “wise effort.” In the past I’ve taken “wise” to mean the diligence to develop practices like paying attention, caring, and peace.   I still think that, but I also think...

We’re all on one path or another. Sometimes it’s the path of least resistance. Sometimes it’s the yellow brick road. Sometimes, to slightly misquote Robert Frost, it’s the path least traveled. For me the point is, to choose. Which is what mindfulness is all about. Stop, take a breath, observe what’s happening, and then choose the path. And crucially, ask before choosing, “Where will this lead?” Wi...

Good yontif you’re celebrating Yom Kippur. And to everyone, what is your day about today? What’s your intention for the day? And are you experiencing suffering? Not, are you experiencing pain and sorrow ? We are all experiencing that, if we’re paying attention, given the world. But are you experiencing the suffering that happens when we clench our fist or grasp for something to be other than it is...

What causes suffering? An ancient question with an ancient answer, and surprisingly, it’s not the hard things in life. It’s the way we think about them. It’s not the ridiculous amount of work on my plate or the unfair judge that causes suffering. It’s not the impossible partner or the associate who’s always late. It’s not even the scary diagnosis, or the fact that we’ll all get a scary diagnosis s...

  In classical mindfulness there are six different realms, including the human realm which is considered the best one in which to wake up. One of the reasons for that, is that it’s not easy being human. We get old, we get sick, we die. We lose things and we also lose people. We get into arguments and if we’re lawyers, those can be consequential for us and for our clients so we have to win. The wor...

There’s a misunderstanding that mindfulness is about suffering. The truth is, mindfulness is about the end of suffering and how to go there. It’s optimistic. Given the moment, that seems like something we can all use.   Mindfulness originated with Siddhartha, who became known as the Buddha, which means, “awake.” The Buddha was many things including a phenomenal psychologist, who mapped the mind an...

What does it mean to approach each moment, each day, as if it’s the most ordinary day? How would it feel to do that?  And what if it’s not an ordinary day? What if it’s the day of a big trial, or your birthday, or the 500th Wake Up Call?  I’m learning that to practice mindfulness – to really practice, moment by moment, day after day – is to pretty much say: no matter what’s happening, practice wit...

The Wake Up Call @499 Ten years ago, the Wake Up Call was an unlikely dream, of a place for those of us who were practicing both law and mindfulness, to be together. And here we are, at Wake Up Call #499. Ten years plus, of exploring how these highly trained legal minds, and those of us who have them, can be different with, and benefit from, mindfulness. Howe we can be more effective. How we can b...

I sometimes think the world would run more smoothly if I were in charge. Or let’s face it: I often think that. Do you?  The problem, or one problem (because there are many), with this kind of thinking is, first I have to believe I know what’s best for others. I don’t mean when that’s my job. I mean when it’s my colleague or partner or kid. The next problem is, when I think I know what’s best, I’m...

There are people in the world who, at first glance (or second, or third), don’t seem to me to deserve positive regard. At all. Maybe there are people like that for you, too. But in an ancient tale, five people are traveling through the forest: the leader, their beloved, a friend, a stranger, and a wicked person. The group is attacked, and one person must be sacrificed in return for safety for the...

Even when my intellect and emotional life feel like they’re in tune, I still have so many old, internal, tangles in my mind. And in any given moment, those tangles can cause me to tense up, grab hold, or turn away.  My tangles were probably formed a long time ago. Daily practice helps me to see them more clearly, and to begin, slowly and playfully, to untangle them. Practice that’s oriented toward...

 What happens for you when your body or mind signals that it’s time to relax, and you pay attention to the signal? From a Netflix perspective, it might be just that: turn something on; turn off all the rest. That seems legit – I do it plenty. From a mindfulness perspective, though, relaxation is different. It’s letting go. For me, it’s a few minutes in stillness, watching thoughts, emotions, and s...

I feel like we’re trying, every day, to be kind, and ethical, and to serve well. We’re even taking the time to cultivate these qualities. And I also feel like when we fail, it’s hard. And even harder to turn towards the situation with clarity.  What gets in the way, for me, is justification and denial. And that’s when I slide backwards. Not because my “fail” is terrible, although it might be. But...

Pretty difficult moment, and here we are at the 4th of July. How many more of these will we celebrate? But that’s not so much my question. My question is more about how I can do my best to be kind and to provide whatever benefit I can in a divided world. And also about how I can bring kindness to myself when I fail.  Happy Independence Day tomorrow. See you on today’s Wake Up Call, and stay safe o...

In Zimbabwe, there’s almost 90% unemployment. In South Africa, there are the remnants of apartheid. America has cancelled US AID to the poorest of poor, and is about to tax a huge lifeline: money that gets sent home. Conditions on this amazing continent are not easy, to say the least.   And through it all, to a person, the Africans we’ve met, from so many countries on this patchwork continent, are...

I wonder about the power of generosity to  set the tone of the law, or change it. Right now, we’re everyone to their corner and then knives out. What if we could be passionately on the sides of clients, causes, justice, but in a different way - not with a classic, take no prisoners approach, but with generosity? And with faith that the choice to do that would be seen as skillful, not weak?   In a...

Not much can change on the global scale, or even in my community (or even in my house), if I’m not thoughtful and intentional about my own personal behavior. I know that. You probably know that, too.   But I’d also say, not much can change if I’m not thoughtful and intentional in a specific way : by being a little (or a lot) more generous; by committing, and making sure, that nothing I say or do w...