Kathleen Gage runs a business out of Eugene, Oregon and enjoys a sweet daily life of peace. We "accidentally" connected by phone....and agree, there are no mistakes.

I was introduced to Debra Ruh recently, and decided to invite her to Peace Talk because of her remarkable experience. She had a down syndrome baby girl in her 20s, and went on to start a very successful company that helped major employers hire people with disabilities. Listen to her story here, and be inspired by her challenges becoming blessings.

Death is maybe the most frightening thing for many humans to contemplate. Loss, separation, fear. It's like death means....something horrible, and we haven't questioned if this is even true. Is there life beyond death? Who wants to know?

Anyone can question their thinking that a situation is not providing enough "x" whatever it is: money, food, time, security, love, happiness. Wow, what a difficult and common thought....but you can question it. I share how I did it today, with my thought "there aren't enough participants coming to my retreat!" LOL. There are, it turns out.

There's a voice of addiction you may be listening to that's ultimately got nothing to do with being addicted to a substance or activity. It's the compulsion to have the story "there is something wrong with this moment". You've got the voice that is NOT addicted, too. Can you hear it, even in the midst of total discouragement?

When you feel fear...what does your mind have to say about it? Sometimes, the threat is simply that you do not know what will happen, or you're concerned that there's a threat (but you don't know exactly what). Listen here to contemplate and wonder, what would it be like to not be afraid of experiencing fear?

Often we think we'll go to silent retreat, or meditate and quiet down, and THAT'S what we'll believe will bring us peace. But what if you could find peace in daily life? Isn't that the only place you'll really ultimately find it?

The poet Machado said that we all have four things that can bring us down when out at sea: rudder, anchor, oars, and fear. I notice my own tools often take me into striving and exhaustion, and fear....terrible. Who would I, or you, BE, without these fearful things? At peace.

Thank you for joining me for 100 episodes of Peace Talk!!

The other day I noticed the urge to suddenly get rid of an old computer taking up space. I felt anger at the very presence of this clunky thing. then I stopped, and caught myself. I realized, I was covering grief and sadness. The computer was bought when I was happily married, with cute small children, and a big beautiful house. It used to sit in an incredible spot near a window with a bamboo forest outside. Who would I be without the anger? Whole hearted. Grateful.

So many thoughts in the mind about what we should be, and aren't yet, and what we shouldn't be that we are. What if you're not the one in charge? Wow, what a fun and strange (and lighter) idea to consider!