G. Scott Graham on Medium

When Strength Comes Back Fast — And What That Taught Me About Equanimity, Grief, and HealingA few months ago, I couldn’t open a jar of pickles.Not because I didn’t want to. Not because I wasn’t trying.Because I couldn’t.After two hand surgeries — right hand in October 2024, left hand in December — my grip strength was gone. My physical therapist, Todd Holt, pulled out a hand dynamometer (that “squeeze thingy” that measures grip strength), and the results were humbling:14 pounds of pressure from my left hand38 from my rightFor context, the average for someone my age is around 85 pounds.That number felt miles away.But I kept at it — squeezing putty, doing finger stretches, showing […]

Grief Doesn’t End — And That’s Not a ProblemWhy I wrote Come As You Are: Five Years Later, and why I keep writing about grief.The road to grief and love never ends (photo by G. Scott Graham)A few weeks ago, I was a guest on a podcast. I shared some very personal, sometimes messy details about my life — my inner world, my struggles, the grief I’ve carried, and what it’s been like to fall in love again after losing my husband.Afterward, a friend reached out. She told me how much she admired the vulnerability it must have taken to speak so openly. I appreciated it. But I […]

Equanimity: Present Moment Echoes and the Art of DesireEquanimity has always come easier to me when sitting with pain than when sitting with pleasure. Maybe it’s because I lean more toward stoicism — because I can grit my teeth and endure rather than surrender. But I don’t think it’s just that. I think I’ve built a genuine ability to be with suffering, to meet it without flinching, to let it move through me without resistance.I learned this in vipassanā. The adhiṭṭhāna sittings — one-hour sittings, three times a day, starting on Day Four of a Vipassanā course as taught by S.N. Goenka — where for that entire […]

Success Without Structure: Some of Us Aren’t Built for RoutinesBlowing up your alarm clock is the first step in joining the Routine Resistance!Resist the Routine!For years, I believed in the power of routine. Not just believed — I worshiped it. I saw routine as the secret weapon of the successful, the master key to unlocking productivity, the one thing separating those who achieve their dreams from those who don’t.And why wouldn’t I?Everywhere we look, we’re bombarded with stories of high achievers who swear by their morning routines, evening routines, and sacred habits that supposedly make them superhuman.You know the drill:Wake up at 4 AM.Meditate for 20 minutes.Journal your deepest […]

Practicing the Eight Precepts: Living with PurposeThe Buddha taught the Eight PreceptsThe Eight Precepts as a Guide to Ethical LivingIn a world filled with constant distractions, endless choices, and moral gray areas, finding a framework for ethical living can feel overwhelming. For those who have encountered Vipassana meditation, the Eight Precepts serve as a foundational guide — not just as rules of restraint but as aspirational principles for living a life of clarity, intention, and kindness.G. Scott Graham’s Living the Eight Precepts challenges the traditional view of these precepts as mere prohibitions. Instead, he presents them as an opportunity to shift from a mindset of […]

Mangala Sutta: Blueprint for Modern HappinessImagine waking each morning feeling genuinely fulfilled, your mind clear and your heart deeply at peace. Now, ask yourself honestly: Does this describe your typical day?If not, you’re certainly not alone. Most of us spend our days chasing happiness, rarely pausing to consider what truly cultivates lasting joy.This is precisely why the Mangala Sutta, the “Discourse on Blessings,” holds profound relevance today. This ancient Buddhist teaching reveals 38 blessings — conditions that lead directly to genuine happiness and well-being. You might ask: how can such ancient wisdom, delivered in a vastly different time, still guide us meaningfully today?The brilliance […]

A Commitment that Requires a Guarantee is not a CommitmentThe road ahead has no guaranteesIt’s February 15, 4 o’clock in the morning. The world outside is dark and cold here in Vermont, and I am awake, thinking about commitment.Fitting, I suppose, that these thoughts come the day after Valentine’s Day — a day draped in hearts. Hearts on cards, hearts in windows, hearts wrapped in ribbons and chocolate boxes. But if love had a truer emblem, it wouldn’t be a heart. It would be a knot.A knot, when tied with care, is strong, enduring, unbreakable. And commitment — true commitment between two people — is exactly that. […]

Groot and Rocket pose at the Entrance Sign for Parc national de la YamaskaContact DetailsAddress: 1780 Boulevard David-Bouchard, Roxton Pond (Québec) J0E 1Z0Phone: +1 450–776–7182Website: https://www.sepaq.com/pq/yam/OverviewI visited Parc national de la Yamaska at the end of September, so paddleboarding with the dogs was off the table. The general rule is that the combined air and water temperature should be at least 100°F (37.7°C), and I knew it wouldn’t be anywhere close. I didn’t even bother bringing the board.Most of the park was shut down for the season. The paddleboard rental facilities, sprawling beach, and multiple food stands were all closed. The only thing […]

Groot and Rocket pose at the Entrance Sign to Parc national du Mont-OrfordContact DetailsAddress: 3321, chemin du Parc, Orford, QC J1X 7A2, CanadaPhone: +1 819–843–9855Website: https://www.sepaq.com/pq/mor/OverviewThis was the first of two national parks I visited in Canada, and I quickly realized that there was a significant difference in how these parks were managed compared to those in the United States. I had assumed these were true national parks, but it became clear they were more like local parks with a national label — something, it seemed, rooted in a misplaced sense of entitlement. The park even had a golf course, which should have […]

Groot and Rocket pose at the Entrance Sign for Grand Isle State ParkContact DetailsAddress: 36 East Shore South Grand Isle, VT 05458Phone: +1 802–372–4300Website: https://vtstateparks.com/grandisle.htmlOverviewMy trip to Grand Isle State Park was never meant to be about paddleboarding — so much so that I didn’t even bring my board. This was a scouting mission, a chance to see if the park might be worth a return visit with my board. October’s chill had settled in, and with the combined air and water temperatures far too low for safe paddling with the dogs, it simply wasn’t worth the risk. The rule for dogs and water […]