jamesbriankerr
Lessons in Mindfulness: Am I Walking the Dog or Walking the Smartphone?
One of the many benefits of owning a dog is the way they hold up a mirror to our human foibles and help us become more aware, awake and...
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James Brian Kerr
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jamesbriankerr
Mar 20, 20213 min read
The Angel, the Raven, and the Poison of Self-Doubt
Do you have an ugly raven that sits on your shoulder and whispers sweet nothings of negativity and self-doubt into your ear? Has that...
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jamesbriankerr
Feb 13, 20214 min read
The Child Is Father of the Man. Don’t Let Him Die.
“My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky: So it was when my life began; So it is now that I am a man; So be it when I shall...
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jamesbriankerr
Feb 7, 20211 min read
Tabula Rasa: A Poem to Childhood
I’d been reading Locke in my room, trying to sense of it for a paper due, when suddenly the day went dark and a distant rumble drew my...
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jamesbriankerr
Jan 16, 20212 min read
New Poems: "Summer Swallows," "August," "Tabula Rasa"
Three of my poems are included in The Poet's Winter 2020 "Childhood" anthology. Here they are: Summer Swallows When the sickle has...
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jamesbriankerr
Jan 2, 20216 min read
Jimmy, Come Out and Play: Releasing Your Inner Child for a Lighter, Happier 2021
My new year’s resolution for 2021 is a simple one, although it’s going to take a little work and lots of daily reminders to put it in...
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jamesbriankerr
Nov 20, 20205 min read
Thanksgiving, COVID-Style: Giving Thanks in the Year That Wasn’t
It’s Thanksgiving next week and I, for one, am not feeling particularly in the holiday spirit. I come from a large family and normally we...
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jamesbriankerr
Aug 5, 20203 min read
Note to Self: Today I Will Not Talk Poorly of You
Dear Self, First, an apology. Yesterday I said some pretty mean things to you. It was Monday and I don’t particularly like Mondays, and...
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jamesbriankerr
Jun 20, 20204 min read
Let’s Take a Moment to Thank all the Good Dads out There.
Published: Elephant Journal June 20, 2020 You’re not rich. You’re not famous. They don’t see you on television or read about you in their...
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jamesbriankerr
Apr 18, 20204 min read
Getting to Equanimity
I was driving to the grocery store the other day and made the mistake of pulling in front of someone who apparently thought she owned the...
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jamesbriankerr
Mar 31, 20205 min read
We are Battling Two Enemies & only One of them is a Virus.
These are dark days for humankind. Published: Elephant Journal March 31, 2020 A dreaded virus has been let out of the bottle and creeps...
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jamesbriankerr
Feb 2, 20206 min read
Wrestling with my (Dying) Father: Lessons on Fatherhood from a Hospice Bed.
Published: Elephant Journal February 2, 2020 It was the longest night of my life. A night filled with surreal and phantasmagorical...
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jamesbriankerr
Jan 14, 20204 min read
“What if he’s Turning into a Butterfly?”—Thoughts on Grief as I Witnessed my Father’s Passing.
Published: Elephant Journal January 14, 2020 I sat by my father’s deathbed watching him labor for breath, wondering which one would be...
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jamesbriankerr
Dec 23, 20193 min read
How Losing a Parent Changes You for the Holidays.
Published: Elephant Journal December 23, 2019 It’s your first holiday since losing a parent—and everything is the same and yet different....
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jamesbriankerr
Jun 16, 20194 min read
Letting Go of Painful Emotions
Forty years of dealing with intense and at times turbulent emotions have taught me the importance of letting go. I have a Hamlet mind....
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jamesbriankerr
Apr 13, 20191 min read
Watching the Train of Troubles
I sit this morning during my meditation watching the train of troubles pass by. Worries about my kids. My parents. My job. Things I need...
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jamesbriankerr
Jan 26, 20195 min read
CAT Scans, Chemo, and Infusion Balls: Surviving the Cancer Journey
Published: Elephant Journal January 26, 2019 “Grit is the stubborn refusal to quit.” – Jonah Lehrer We tend to think of life as a journey...
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jamesbriankerr
Oct 13, 20184 min read
Taming the Taskmaster Mind
Who rules your life – you or your mind? An odd question, you might say. What’s the difference? I am my mind. My mind is me. Not true....
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jamesbriankerr
Oct 10, 20183 min read
Trash Day (A Poem)
I The black bear’s got me again. Walked out this morning and there he was, before the men had made their rounds, rooting through the...
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jamesbriankerr
Sep 16, 20183 min read
Battling the Twin Enemies of Doubt and Distraction
“Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.” – Henry Ford Of all the self-defeating habits that steal our happiness...
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