First Impressions

A landscape designer tells me to attend to the entry of your property. You'd like it to tell your visitors, even if only very subtly, You are entering a special place.

Since i live in the woods, my "message" is quite subtle indeed. My first step was to rebuild the stone wall that marks the corner of my property on the road, thereby making it look "official" instead of tumble-down.

The next 200 feet of woods has been thinned considerably for a hide-and-reveal look at my house. Now-you-see-it, now-you-don't.

While we lavish attention on our bodies to make a good first impression, we allow our minds to run wild like unruly children. Let's lavish some attention on our minds as well.

Over time, meditation calms the mind, which then becomes joyful. Yes, the mind can be joyful even when life takes a left-hand turn.


A mind left to its own devices runs on anxiety, worry, desire, irritation, or judgment. Even though people can't see your mind, they can "feel" it.

What kind of first impression would you like to make?