Holly has bonded her spirituality to her activism. She began her relationship with Buddhism through Fo Guang Shan, an international Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhist organization and monastic order based in Taiwan that practices Humanistic Buddhism. However, she finds herself more aligned with Stephen Batchelor’s more secular Buddhism currently. Holly works in homeless services and is very passionate about promoting the inherent worth and dignity of all people as well as eliminating stigma about homelessness and behavioral health.
12 months after 12 months of living in the now
By Holly Herring A year ago I wrote about my decision to spend the next 12 months living in the now. The date the column was published was 11/23/2022 which would make the 1 year point Thanksgiving Day this year. I’m not an avid celebrator of...
How Mindfulness Put the “Fun” in Funeral
Yesterday the family of my friend held a celebration of life in her honor. I knew it was approaching. I ran into her son, also my friend, the day before the celebration and he locked eyes with me when he asked “You ARE coming tomorrow, right? I can count on you?” A million thoughts paralyzed my mouth but I saw the look of importance in his eyes and I shook my head “yes”.
In all honesty I knew I nodded my head in the affirmative but my feet were already moving backwards to decline. I was fully prepared to let that family down. I didn’t like it, but I knew what would happen.
Budai and Shakyamuni at the Nail Salon
By Holly Herring I was a little bit late to the game when it came to getting my nails done at a salon. But, a good friend and I talked about it once and I decided I would give it a try. I was hooked after my first visit. Now, I was a beginner at salon nails...
My Big, Fat, Uber Funeral
By Holly Herring I don’t always talk about death when it hits close-ish to home. No, I typically have an outburst about it months or years later in a totally inappropriate way. This is just my way. I have plans to address this with a team of professionals real...
Armchair Quarterbacks in the Fishbowl of Life
By Holly Herring I decided to live my life out loud for a while. I was pretty brutally honest about myself. I voiced a lot of things in public spaces and gathered a pretty decent following. But I think I’m kind of done with it now. I discovered...
Turn, Turn, Turn: The Plight of the Essential Worker at the Turn of the Pandemic
We were pioneers doing street outreach during a pandemic that changed our world for literal years and yet we kept working. It was like walking uphill in wet cement each day, but we kept sailing in uncharted waters. We blazed trails. We created new standards. We gained an education none of us wanted.
12 Months of Living in the Now
By Holly Herring I am going to spend twelve months giving myself the love I usually give others. It's going to be a struggle, because it’s not my go-to move. I hit a bump in my path recently and I am taking some time away from some things to figure it all out....
The Auspicious Two Dollar Bill: A Survivor Story
The auspicious symbol of the lotus flower is a sign of overcoming trials and challenges. In the murky, muddy waters this lovely blossom arises, as if out of nowhere, and reminds the world that beauty does not have to be overcome by ugliness. The two dollar bills I was slowly collecting reminded me that I did not need to feel defeated. I looked at my two dollar bills as my own auspicious symbol of overcoming.
I Lost my Mind When I Lost my Foo Dog
By Holly Herring I had this pair of cheap, white, ceramic foo dogs for a long time. Once I moved to a new apartment and when I unpacked, just one of them was lost. I kept the other one around, waiting for its pair to pop up somewhere weird, but it never...
The Hungry Ghost Magnet
By Holly Herring It’s close to Halloween and I’m escaping my ghosts. I’m running hard and fast, through the holiday season, freeing myself from troubles that were never mine in the first place. I spent a great deal of time today in conversation with my good friend,...