How many people would be vegetarians if it were not for bacon? The candy of the meat world is a cruel temptress! How many people would be Jewish or Muslim? Do we have to cover our heads (basically Jews and Muslims) or may we not (basically Christians). And who’s uncovered heads offends God anyway, women […]

It happened again. I was talking with someone I hadn’t seen in at least half a year, a neighbor of sorts. After a bit of “we’ve been doing this and that” she mentioned that her daughter had recently been hospitalized for a dangerous eating disorder. The number of pounds she had fallen to scared me.

I’m currently traveling through Spain. I am visiting many new cities as well as some that I have been to before. I have visited several other cities in other countries on other trips as well, often separated by about a quarter century between visits. I am finding again and again that my reaction to a

I cannot imagine a world without my wife nor my daughter.   I cannot imagine a world without good music. How about red and purple sunsets? Don’t forget butter on warm crunchy baguettes. Not just good music, but pounding sweaty live music. That first or even second album in a small little club. Having your

Traveling far from home with limited language skills is humbling and illuminating. One thing that it allows me to do is get clarity on what is important. I can see what others from different cultures value. I can empirically determine for myself what is important. Strange how many of the things that we regularly spend

Do not fear mistakes, there are none. I really like this thought. I think I really needed to hear it today. I know that I will need to hear it again (and again). The words are credited to Miles Davis. Who knows exactly what he said or meant; there does appear to be a bit

I could likely begin every one of these posts with “I’ve learned (or am learning) the hard way the following, just a head’s up, don’t be me. This is certainly true of this lesson that I have to learn and relearn and forget for long stretches and then re-relearn. Opportunity costs are sneaky, they are

This is a reflection on balance. Anything in excess or applied at the wrong time or for the wrong reason can be detrimental. Excessive pleasure is dangerous. You can be too nice, too giving, too brave. Everything must be in balance. Just stay with me here.   One tool that I have developed for myself

I’m throwing down the gauntlet. I’m just going to (naively) state that we can all be happier, we just must decide that that is what we want. Oh, and come up with a plan, and implement it religiously for quite a while, and then have it start magically become automatic. I’m going to run this

I didn’t realize it when I bought my blue backpack in college that I was actually buying a good friend, a teacher, an aspirational goal. I had always bought a cheap backpack pretty much every year of school for as long as I could remember. Sometimes they would last a little longer, seldom as long