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 …
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 …
Peak experiences and the life-changing power of awe
Toward the end of his life, American psychologist Abraham Maslow (you’ve probably heard of his hierarchy of needs) recognized something interesting. As he studied the things that allow people to become “self-actualized,” or to reach their fullest potential in life, …
I’m declaring 2017 the year of empathy
Other people suck. I haven’t posted much on the blog lately, but it’s not because I haven’t been writing. I’ve actually been writing a lot, but mostly for an online writing course, which has taken up my creative bandwidth for …
Ask a grackle what time it is
Grackles are my favorite birds. You can keep your peacocks and parrots, robins and roadrunners. I’ll take grackles any day. Sure, they’re kind of ugly. They have an abrasive call. They’re annoying and invasive, and they frighten other birds away. …
I’ve stopped trying to be happy. Now I’m doing this.
True confession time: For a period of about three years, I paid a stranger to listen to my deepest, most embarrassing secrets. Part of the arrangement was that he was supposed to give me useful advice without judging me (though …
What you focus on matters…so focus on the BIG things
Happy Doomsday (aka, Election Day)! Now that this day’s finally here, I hereby officially add my name to list of millions worldwide who are excited to see this cosmic joke of an election cycle come to an end (or at …