The Mantra That Changed My Life + Other Spiritual Musings

Secondhand fashion takes a turn for the divine

Growing up in the Midwest, Christianity was the set of glasses I put on every single day out of bed. It influenced the way I thought, ate, spoke, worried, loved, and got dressed, obviously. I’m not Evangelical any more (you can read about that a little bit here) but I don’t know what it would feel like to live in the world without some semblance of faith (more on that here).

I took this picture in 2016. This is the church we were married in last year.

All that to say, I’m a New Yorker of ten years and a self-identified seeker who happens to be an Aquarius. I read the tags of tea bags with the same reverence as I read Anne Lamott or the book of Proverbs. I’m curious, and when it comes to what might help me feel less lost in this world, I’ll pretty much take what I can get.

Also from 2016—a bookshelf with a wide range of “spiritual” texts.

So here’s one secondhand fashion obsessive’s guide to “more spiritual, less religious” and where I find comfort/inspiration.

An Open-Hearted Life: Transformative Methods for Compassionate Living from a Clinical Psychologist and a Buddhist Nun

I bought this book at a shop in Rehoboth last summer and have been working my way through since. It’s lovely, set up almost like a devotional, and has some really actionable frameworks for thinking about compassion for yourself and others.

✨ Takeaway: Instead of anger or judgement or envy, try sending the person you’re thinking about lovingkindness. They’re just a person who doesn’t want to suffer, as are you.