When I think of all the things in life that I really enjoy, the activities or spaces or conditions that provide deepest joy, they have a surprising thread running through them all. They are those things or times when I am lost in just one thing. What is also fascinating to me is that the […]

There is reality and then our approximation of it. Maybe there are an infinite number of realities actually, but that is a different talk. The key here is approximation. We make many many assumptions, approximations, short cuts to move through this world. One of the most basic, one that is at the bottom of that

It is currently raining and I’ve got what appears to be a sinus infection. I just largely undid today what I had spent most of yesterday working on. People in my inner circle are going through a handful of first-world-problems (sadly there are always a few facing larger threats). Likely for most anyone reading this

I know that people are basically good. I know that there is suffering. (I know that….) A cold pale ale tastes especially tasty after a hard day’s physical work. I can always do better. I am a decent person. I could always do more (or less). There is no best path. Sports can simultaneously be

Most of us “get” this cliché. It just makes sense. It is so familiar. We have likely lived this many times. But, let’s look around its edges, see what some of its corollaries are, some of its less obvious benefits. Heck, by the end of this little passage I may even convince myself to turn

We have to be willing to throw it all away. This can be understood easily by looking at this proposal from a few different perspectives. First, nothing that we know is right anyway. Or another way, all that I know is that I don’t know. A tree is not the same as the word tree

I practice yoga and go for a long walk every day. I meditate every day. I go to the mountains to hike the countless trails through the Cascades once the snow melts out and only stop hiking once it returns. I see a counselor every week. I hug my wife at least a couple times

A powerful learning for me after several years of counseling was to understand coping mechanisms and see and own mine. We all have coping mechanisms (CM). At some point in our lives a particular CM produces more benefit than detriment. At other times, it is mostly harmful. Often, we outgrow CMs though it may take

This is something that I have been working on for many months, likely years. I know that it is the healthiest way to live. I know that I want to live this way. It is really hard, but I am making progress. I can only offer my first-hand experience embracing this, working it from my

I know what you mean. If I were you. When that happened to me. The list goes on and on. Often well intentioned, though not always. We can never know what it is like for someone else. We can never know what it is like to walk in their shoes. Even if that person checks