A few years ago, while packing up my garage to prepare for moving to a new house, I ran across a relic from my past. It was tucked in a forgotten box in the garage, between some obsolete computer cables …
The power of letting go
We all know this famous question. It’s a Zen kōan, a paradoxical riddle designed to open your mind. Another famous one is, “What’s the sound of one hand clapping?” And here’s my favorite kōan: “When you climb to the top …
Today, Thanksgiving 2021, marks 6 months, alcohol-free
My relationship with alcohol has been…complicated. My first drink was when I was 22 years old. I had been taught as a kid that alcohol was dangerous, a tool of the devil. I didn’t really care for it at first. …
Who I am now
The calendar tells me I haven’t written a blog post in exactly three years. It’s not that I haven’t been writing. I write almost every day, and I’m nearing the completion of a memoir. Writing the memoir has been a …
A strange case of déjà vu, a road trip, and something I shouldn’t have known
Three summers ago, my friend Kevin and I were on a road trip (our 16th together), heading north from Salt Lake City toward Yellowstone. It was a sunny late morning in June and we were taking our time, leisurely winding …
When we truly learn to see, there is beauty in everything
Are mundane objects really art in disguise? Is everything? I found a fascinating video this morning on Aeon, one of my favorite online magazines, which covers everything from psychology to philosophy to art. Memo Akten is a Turkish visual artist …
Tomorrow I get married
And of course, I’m feeling all the feelings: Nervous, excited, blessed, scared, lucky, anxious, overwhelmed, vulnerable, proud, happy. Even a little resentful of losing my freedom. Mostly, though, what I feel is that this is where and when and how …
What have we lost when we’ve lost the night?
Last year, Linda planned a surprise trip for the two of us to Dripping Springs, a small historic town in the heart of Texas Hill Country. The occasion was my 50th birthday, but I chose to ignore the fact that …
How will you spend your solar eclipse?
Don’t let the moment pass you by without asking a few important questions. At 10:45 a.m. that Monday morning, we all stood up from our desks and walked quietly out of the classroom and down the hall to the playground. …
Alaska! Photos from the land of awe
I was blessed to take part with my girls, my fiancé and a number of family members in a week-long cruise to Alaska. We sailed out of Vancouver, British Columbia, and headed up Alaska’s Inside Passage, with stops in Juneau, …