Big Nature Picture

My favorite positive about the time change, which we’re all probably finally used to now, is how easy it is to watch the sunrise. The sun and clouds were incredibly beautiful over the east foothills this morning.

How often do we take such a miracle for granted? We’re living on the most amazing celestial body we have ever discovered. 

When we begin from this larger picture and the uniqueness of the Earth, the good seems better and the bad not as important. By appreciating the nature still here, we can embrace our humanity and truly enjoy all that this is. 

Leaning into the Holidays

The holiday season is rapidly approaching in American culture, and I still get giddy as an adult. There’s something different about this time of year. 

Perhaps with less danger this year, we can embrace the holiday spirit and be good to each other. There is still so much negativity in the world, but maybe we can change that when we spend time with our loved ones and appreciate it wasn’t possible last year. 

The holidays have always reminded me what’s most important, and our traditions enable opportunities to lean into it. Let’s use this upcoming holiday season to embrace the best of all of us. 

Awareness of Change

We subside into our new normal as the pandemic lingers on, accepting our symptoms and side effects. Or so it seems; will we look back in 20 years and recoil at what we allowed ourselves to turn into?

Do we not currently do the same with post 9/11? It can be difficult to maintain an awareness of our collective behavioral changes, but our present advantage is how starkly the differences are between pre-pandemic life and now. 

We can always strive for better, and right now it’s particularly important. How we will feel in the future directly corresponds to the action we take now. 

Adaptable Monkeys

I watched a woman use a special tool to seal the plastic bag for two bread loaves during a Costco run today, and it kind of amazed me. We have developed equipment and methods and mechanisms for every single part of our daily lives. 

And by “we,” I don’t mean us—most of these inventions or protocols were developed by those long before us. The everyday convenience we enjoy, whether in Silicon Valley or Africa, is the result of generations of progress.

We adapt to these circumstances, and learn to complain about red lights or UPS inefficiencies. But from a larger perspective, it’s all kind of amazing, how we organize, adapt, and live out our lives on this planet. 

Journey Home

Driving home today felt like We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen: there were fields and mountains and fog and valleys to cross. While travel is worthwhile, it’s also a nice feeling to be heading home. 

Even micro differences are noticeable in climate and culture. I can feel the water in the air here in the Bay Area tonight, and I pick up on subtle cultural differences when walking around. 

Such perspective is not earned through intelligence or effort, but can only be obtained through experience of “other.” If everyone travels a bit every once in a while, we will become more comfortable with what’s different, and more tolerant of other ways of life on this planet. 

Desert Visions

Lots of hiking and stargazing complete, our visit to Joshua Tree comes to a close. What a potent reminder of our planet’s beauty. 

In the desert you appreciate life during the day time, how plants and animals adapt to survive in such hostile conditions. While the nighttime brings quiet and the stars, a pause to contemplate the very nature of existence. 

When things are a little less easy, out in the desert, you can respect how far our species has come. It also brings forth hope for the future, that we may find harmony with the Earth, and strive for better. 

Park in the Desert

To put it simply, I was moved today. Joshua Tree National Park is one of the most unique places I’ve ever been; it’s bizarre and beautiful and alluring.

The moon watched over the desert all day, and I asked myself at one point, “how fucking awesome is it that there’s a moon, how beautiful it is and how it affects so much of our planet.” Such thoughts strike you often when immersed in the rhythm of the desert. 

There are so many incredible national parks across the U.S., and they weren’t made by humans—we only discovered them, and thankfully set them aside to be preserved and appreciated. Visiting these fantastical places changes our perception of this wondrous world. 

A Veteran-free Future

California’s scenery absolutely arrested me this morning as I drove out of the Bay Area, through the Central Valley, and over the mountains beyond Bakersfield into the desert. After 7 hours of driving, we were in a completely different environment, but still in California. 

The Earth is utterly beautiful, and I thought of that line in the opening moments of Dune, “my planet Arrakis is so beautiful when the sun is low.” We have the desert, and mountains, and the ocean, and wide open plains and dense forests and vibrant jungles. 

Must we fight over it? I look forward to the day when Veteran’s Day no longer exists, when any wars fought were so long ago that we look back at them as foolhardy, and instead enjoy this most precious planet we all call home. 

Societal Opportunity

Listening to the news while on a run today, I concurred with the anchor’s assessment of our collective feelings about society: we feel there is an inevitable decline. There’s no doubt that the pandemic has made visible many pervasive problems that persist in our nation and around the world. 

And while I may share in that view at times, it somehow, paradoxically, strengthens my resolve: there’s room to get better, which means it can be better. We can build a better world; it’s an opportunity. 

While we fight our way out of this pandemic and its many effects on our way of life, it’s important to also remember the learnings and the potential. We can change the world. 

Those Who Make Law

It is Congress who makes the laws in this country, not the President. I think about this often when engaging in political discussions with others. 

We call so much attention to the executive branch of government, but we argue about things that are controlled by Congress. This same body of government is the only one truly elected by the people. 

The focus must be shifted to those we vote for, and we must do more than vote. If we organize around demanding performance from our representatives, there will be much less to quarrel over. 

Every Day Miracle

It’s the every other ordinary days that life happens. The Monday's in November, the normal workdays with nothing special and a bedtime. 

There exists the opportunities for clear thought and true connection with others. It’s these nights I reach my deepest epiphanies. 

Something meaningful can occur any day; we don’t have to only look forward to the exciting days. From one perspective, every day is a miracle. 

Information Influx

We can be so sure of ourselves and our technological ability to deliver information, yet we still struggle to distribute truth. How confident can an ordinary citizen really be?

Re-enter the importance of openness, the capability to consider new pieces of information and all factors. At this juncture in our society, it’s the most integral trait we can develop. 

It is not too late to protect our environment, and bettering the lives across the globe is not hopeless. We are capable of effecting change; it starts corralling the influx of information. 

Gathering Moment

To gather with our tribe—is there anything more integral to our species? It’s not just social, it’s biological. 

We thrive in groups, and for most of our history they have been manageable ones. We have now come into a new age, one in which we truly embrace the entirety of our human race. 

That, or we fall; the situation could not be any more clear. What will it be from us, in this most pivotal moment?

Communication Across

I enjoy participating in political discussions with others, whether they be friends or coworkers or strangers. The only way we can understand each other’s convictions is if we communicate. 

There are too many silos in the world today, and we often aren’t even aware of our complicity. To push back against these mechanisms we must actively seek out differences of opinion and perspective. 

In the grandest, most longitudinal view, we are not in much disagreement, no matter where we fall on the political spectrum. We all want the same for ourselves and our tribe, we just need to expand our concept of tribe. 

Celebrating Things

As you get older you recognize there are reasons to celebrate: a friend’s birthday, or a reunion with a friend. These are occasions enough, valuable to our life experience. 

It can be hard to separate these occurrences from the lavish convenience of the everyday modern world. Did original thought originate from simpler times of those wanting more, or were those patrons simply the first of many to have those ideas?

Regardless it’s easy to fall victim to the routine of today’s world. When we appreciate true reasons to celebrate life, we embrace what it can wholly offer. 

Problems of Our Times

I mention to people that it feels like the seasons have shifted, and I always seem to get nodding heads. We are truly living in extraordinary times. 

We try (or not try, depending on your perspective) to stave off catastrophic climate changes to our planet, while running social experiments on billions of people through our technology. We’re still learning how to organize when there are this many of us. 

These circumstances raise the stakes, but they also make our time more exciting. We have interesting problems to solve, and the resources to solve them… let’s go do it. 

An Election Day

Today is Election Day in many places. There should be an exclamation point at the end of that proverbial sentence, as the consequences are real. 

I look forward to the day it’s a national holiday, that enables every person to vote, regardless of their “status” in society. We can all look forward to the day that these days correspond to systemic change. 

It’s only a matter of time, right? It is if we choose it is, and today services as another important reminder. 

Clean up Action

We feel better when our environment is clean. I experienced the simplest example of this upon tidying up my room today. 

But are the effects any less noticeable when it’s our neighborhood, our city, our country, our planet? Perhaps it just hasn’t been done extensively enough for us to notice?

There have been pledges and proclamations on the world stage recently about cleaning up the planet. The time is beyond them; these times call for action. 

Spooky Night

Like many holidays, Halloween changes when you’re an adult. As a kid it’s about candy, as an older kid it’s about partying, and as an adult it’s…just another day. 

I don’t have kids of my own, so I haven’t restarted the cycle yet. But I always feel something strange on this night, as if the night is somehow more alive. 

“Scary” was never the word for me with Halloween, it was always “spooky.” Tonight’s a night to steady and hold through, as we are all capable. 

A California Day

Some days are good because you simply get to enjoy them with people you love. Or they can be fun because you leisurely explore a new place. 

Seeing my grandparents in Sacramento today afforded me the opportunity to do both. It always surprises me how different two places can be when they’re only 100 miles apart. 

California is a vast, diverse place, as exemplified by the distance and differences between its capital and largest population centers. Travel in the Golden State can span one day, yet a multitude of experiences.