Taking a Rest

It’s okay to be tired. That means you’re living. But it also means to rest up so you can go again. We’re not done yet as a species. We can do this. We just have to see.

Being Thankful

I’m so thankful for everything I got. I wouldn’t be where I am without the support of my tribe. Where would any of us be? On days like today, I look back and I’m thankful. It is one big beautiful amazing world.

Teaching Epiphany

I encountered a silly epiphany this morning: every single thing we know was taught to us. All knowledge that any one of us possesses relies on a foundation built by those before. When we learn how to count and read, when we learn the known properties of the universe or the theories of economics, we are being taught by someone else. This transfer of knowledge and information is what makes the human species utterly unique. No other plant or animal can teach so effectively and efficiently. Without teaching, we would still be in caves huddled around primitive fires.

And in many circumstances, it is a parent or guardian that instills these skills and values in a child. A mother or father frames our understanding of the world upon birth. I’m lucky to have a father who taught me my most important lessons: math isn’t scary but a puzzle to figure out, hard work matters and yields success, and humans are one race. Thanks Dad.

To Be Kind

I judge people so quickly and so easily. Not sometimes; it’s become my mode of operation. I can blame larger societal forces, the pandemic and how it’s affected us all so much, that the world is going to shit, etc. But I don’t have control over those things, and extremely little influence, if I want to flatter myself.

I have control over me. That’s it, that’s the one entity in this universe that I preside over. It’s pretty  simple when you look at it in that way. So what am I going to do? Will I help change the world? Because it seems to be, the best way to do that, is to be kind.

Information Overload

There’s a lot of information out there in today’s world. When before we could claim ignorance, we can now easily assert overwhelm. How do we separate fact from fiction?

It may well prove to be a defining element of our time, the Information Age. So far it has complicated organization and deepened tribal affiliations.

But we have agency. We can counter this confusion by adopting the largest unified perspective possible: the universe exists on enormous scales of space and time, and we are all inhabiting one pinprick out of all the possibilities; we are one species on an incredible planet full of other life; and we all want the same things in this existence we call life. When we start from there, we can wade the through the mass of information, and we can begin to change the world.

Enjoy the Ride

Sometimes you just have to forgive yourself at the end of the day; we can’t reach our lofty expectations every time. But we also can’t have too many such days in a row. There’s a weird inherent catch-22 in many things in life. We can help each other figure it out, navigate this ever-changing soup we call the universe. The ride will be a lot more fun.

Working Through It

Perhaps the signal of adulthood is to disregard being tired, to simply carry on because one must. That’s the resignation one sees on the faces of many who have lost any maverick nature. Like everything else, there’s a balance. To work on when tired can be noble. But it can also represent an acceptance of ways. Together we can help each other see the difference.

Bring the Adversity

I may have jinxed myself yesterday, as it took a day longer to get home. But although my flight was delayed, I tried to think of all the adversity my grandparents have faced in their lives. Part of having crazy, entertaining stories is having trials and tribulations. Yesterday was one of those days, and yet I got to spend time with my aunt and uncle. All things considered, it wasn’t that bad and could’ve been a lot worse. I hope to take such an attitude into the week and into the future. It’s not hopeless. We can change the world. And if we believe it, we will.

Leaving Time

I’m reluctant to leave this place, the slow pace and the inspiring beauty. This visit will likely be my last to this part of the country, and there’s some melancholy in that knowledge. It sounds so hyperbolic, but it’s not. A bear visited us twice this week, and I saw two (huge ass) deer and two bald eagles in my limited exploration time. This place is closer to nature than what I’m used to. It’s been good to my grandparents, and it was good to me this week as a reminder of what rural living looks like, living closer to the Earth. Such perspective can encourage us. We’re here together, and we can experience this beautiful environment together.

Universal Beauty

I owe a great deal to my grandparents. Being here this week has reinvigorated my passion for immersing in nature. While running today I had the thought, “there’s not a person on this planet who doesn’t find the Earth beautiful.” The rugged mountains or the waves in the ocean, the wild jungle or the empty sand dunes; every human on this rock is drawn to its features. We are part of this planet. We derive all connection in the cosmos from it. If we pause to recognize that, to take in the vastness, the exquisiteness, the uniqueness of the Earth…our problems seem smaller. We feel we have a chance to alter our course, to change the world.

Learning to See the World

Today was my grandpa’s 87th birthday. From him I’ve received much of my smarts and a lot of my outlook. I’ve inherited his appreciation for how things work and his growl. He took his family across the world, and I now seek to travel as much as I can. His recognition that every person is a free individual was passed down to my father, and then to me. He’s lived quite an amazing life, and he’s not through yet. Thank you Grandpa for all the laughter you spurred in my childhood, for all the blocks and puzzles and bows and arrows. Thank you for your example of how to live a full life. I love you, and happy birthday.

Rural Living

Long drawn out conversations after supper. Watching the weather go by throughout the days, just witnessing the Earth. Spending time doing nothing with family. These are some of the passings of time in rural Colorado. I am so glad I came, to experience this one last time. I hope it can serve as a sort of reset, which we all need every once in a while. It truly is one big beautiful amazing world, and much bigger than us. When we accept that, we can be grateful and happy for all we can enjoy.

Seeing it

And we wait on the weather tomorrow. I try to think the last time the next day’s weather dictated so much of the day, when it held so much importance to a mission. We hope to sell my grandparents’ car tomorrow, and it requires decent weather to make the pass to Denver.

Such reminders roll into my consciousness as I stay here in Battlement Mesa, among the mountains and fields. It’s a different lifestyle. I sit reading Calvin and Hobbes with my grandfather, talk of times gone by with my grandmother, and watch the weather go by across the mesas out the window.

It’s a jolt to my firm ground, a warning to my subconsciousness: we are privileged to live out on this rock, and any tribal guidance is warmly welcome against the cold of the elements. A soft Californian, I see the pathway ahead of the human race. It is one of difficult decisions, and integrity if we are to survive and prosper. We can change the world, we just have to see it.

Grandparent Perspective

It’s been really nice staying with my grandparents in rural Colorado. Everyone says hi to each other here, and the pace of life has really slowed down. I sat with my grandma tonight and listened to her stories, and we discussed history and politics. It can be enlightening to hear the perspective of someone so different in age than you; they see the world differently. Before bed we got to the big picture. That the world will be alright, that humans insist on cycles of history and yet inch forward toward progress. People are good. We all want the same things, and in that we are more similar than we are different. Life is this grand mystery, and we’re just a small part of it. Yes, we can do our part to change the world. But we can also enjoy one hell of a ride.

Flying on 9/11

It was an introspective day to fly on 9/11. The prices were certainly cheaper, that’s for sure. But more than 20 years later, it’s incredible to reflect on how much the United States, and the world, has changed. Technology has proliferated and accelerated since September 11th, and it doesn’t feel we are leveraging it in the best way to improve the world. The pandemic and 9/11 are the two biggest events in my lifetime. How can we learn from them, how can we be better? Today I start by being with some of my family. We’re in this world together. If we can all remember that, we have a shot.

Wondrous Life

It’s a wondrous thing, to have a tribe. There are many out there who don’t. We can remember this as we try to grapple with this brave new world.

Real Life

There’s certainly the game, the rat race. But there’s also the beautiful existence beyond that construct; and every single person on the planet is privy to that experience. Life truly is amazing when we look past the mechanizations of modern life. We are all human, riding this spinning rock hurtling through space together.

Guiding Change

I heard wise words aloud today, that people change. Not that they can change, that we are capable of change, but that we do change. It’s inevitable, and resistance is futile. Change is an integral component of space time, woven into the very frantic of our universe. We can accept it, and we can guide it, to create a new universe of which we are a part. We truly can change the world.

Belief vs. Fear

It seems there are two ways to look at the future: a perilous walkway, or a path of opportunities, ahead. One of the strongest emotions is all that separates the vantage point between these two perspectives: fear. Collectively we can let it build and ravage through what has been built, or we can decide to eliminate its control. We can change the world. We just have to believe in it.

Choose with Nature

The summer isn’t going out without a fight, and it may be indicative of the years ahead. The seasons feel like they’re shifting. We are connected to this Earth, whether we collectively acknowledge it or not. We can help contribute to the betterment of it, if we so choose.