With the Sun

The beautiful sunsets don’t get old. As the days get shorter and darker, it’s always nice to feel the natural beauty. It’s a reminder for how good we really have it.

With the Tribe

I find myself surrounded by those I love and I don’t take it for granted. We have this one shared experience together… I want to enjoy the opportunity with my tribe. Can we make it that world together?

Grouping

And there are other things. Life goes on. But family reigns true. We make our way in this universe based on our tribe. Can we make it better for all?

Love you Momma

There are multiple points in your life when you realize your mother is your entire reference point for your experience, all that you know. Those moments should shake all of us, gender or identity  or century be dammed. I will never be able to repay my mother in any way for what I’ve been given. I guess on my momma’s birthday it comes to the fore. I love you Mom; sixty-two and comin’ through!

Bubbles

It’s an interesting bubble each of us live in. We know our own worlds and little else. This has been the norm for millennia. We just now have the global awareness to expand our perspectives, beyond our small spheres of understanding. Can we recognize it, and transcend?

Voting Momentum

I was uninspired while performing my civic duty of voting today. We’re definitely making steps in the right direction with encouraging people to vote. You see it in commercials during sports games, which have mass appeal to the population, and there’s more general consensus that voting is a good thing. That’s a long way from just a hundred years ago, or the beginning of the formation of this country, or a thousand years ago.

But it’s not enough to just show up and fill in bubbles on a piece of paper. The next step is to develop an informed citizenry that doesn’t need to be told to vote, and the step after that is to improve the voting system, and make the actual propositions more accessible and transparent to all. Yes there’s a long way to go, and it will take a lot of hard work to get there. But we’re on our way, and I guess that’s something. We have it so much better than many other places in the world, and I think in this specific case, we should be greedy to push for more.

Appreciating Present Moments

It’s okay to be excited for something in the future, to look forward to it. But I sometimes find myself doing so at the expense of the present day, the present moment. And that’s all that we have. Right now is what matters because it determines how we get to whatever we’re looking forward to, and whether we even get there. It can be difficult when we’re conditioned to view ordinary as mundane, but there’s beauty in the regular moments too. Maybe if we find those miracles, we can be kinder to one another, and make the world that much better for us all.

Solving Problems

Problem solving is a skill that requires practice. I find when I do it often for work or one of my hobbies, I strengthen the solving muscle. It’s easy to sit around watching the telly all day, but we all benefit when each of us improves our problem solving ability. It’s one of the small ways we can make the world better together.

Miracle Seasons

The recent rain has been welcome; we don’t get enough of it in California. It makes me appreciate the wonderful weather this state normally enjoys almost year round. Autumn is certainly here, and the leaves change and the temperature drops. Maybe because they only come once a year and California rarely cold, but I seem to always forget what autumn and winter really feel like. We’re so lucky to inhabit a planet with this orbit, to experience four unique seasons. Just living on this planet itself is a miracle.

Building for the Future

I had a thought about the future: in 30 years I’ll be in my 60’s (it was kind of a scary thought). And I wondered, “what will make me proud in 30 years?” Or out another way, what do I need to do regularly to contribute, to make an impact on this world? It certainly isn’t watching TV or browsing Reddit. This framing made me realize how precious our time is. If we’re satisfied with simply being alive, healthy, and with loved ones, that’s okay. But we all have a unique opportunity to contribute. All of us possess the ability to change the world in some way, no matter how small. So what are the non-negotiables that we must do each day to make that happen? It doesn’t occur overnight, but humans have a remarkable ability for effecting change over longer timescales. What will we build together?

Human Vision

I believe we can all subscribe to the same vision. We are all the same species after all. Every person on this planet can participate in a globally aware society. We can all unite around a common experience and purpose: life flourishing in the universe, the only place we know of that contains it. And together, we can change the world. We just have to see the vision.

Moving with it

There’s always a scramblin’ in life. We can choose to resist the motion of the universe, or embrace it. There’s a movement to the world. We have the freedom to decide if we want to move with it. And what I’ve learned so far: it’s much better when we do.

News and the World

Today I listened to and read the news, for the first time in a month. The brief sojourn didn’t appear detrimental to my mental health, and I believe the reason is consistency. We are what we repeatedly do, and think about, after all. Staying informed can be a semi-regular activity, one that isn’t solidified every hour of every day. I don’t know how I’ll stratify that, but I think that’s my new strategy.

Because instead of focusing on the negativity, we can return to awe; our ancestors saw the magic of reality because their lives were so hard, and we can view it too, without going back on technology, if we pause and ruminate. The breath, the weather changing, the feeling of intimacy and love… there is amazing universe all around us, all the time. We don’t have to stop trying to understand it, but we will enjoy it more if we appreciate it all.

Spooky Surprises

There’s always something surprising with Halloween. As a child I felt the spooky atmosphere, and I rejoice its presence with the kids today. For whatever it is, it feels American in a true sense, in a good way. As humans, we should treat our children right. They should enjoy the fun of an old tradition. I was reminded of that tonight, and I forgot how fun it could be, even as an “adult.” To the unknown, on October 31st each year, with our tribe.

People Living

When I’m asked how I am, I respond with “there isn’t a single thing I can complain about.” Not because my life is perfect; no one’s is. But because I dearly love the people in my life, from my innermost tribe to my most casual friends. The people are what make your life. Being with them is living. Let’s go live together.

Working it out

You struggle at the gym, wondering how humanity can be so self-absorbed as you observe someone on the bench press for 45 minutes.

And yet you consider where we were 350 years ago. There was no organized distribution of equipment to “get fit” because we knew it was good for us, regardless of identity or affiliation. There was literal, casual bloodshed in the streets.

That doesn’t exist today. It may happen, but it’s not casual nor common. We’ve built something together. Or rather, our ancestors have.

So when it becomes frustrating in 24 Hour Fitness, it can be helpful to reflect on the progress we benefit from. It’s truly easier than it ever has been before. And there’s more to go. Let’s work on it.

Uniting Now

I find myself dragging conversations to the bigger picture. I’m not quite sure why that is, but I wonder about it a lot. Tonight I thought, “I identify with the human species, as does every other person.” Whether any of us feels affinity or not, I think we all identify with humanity.

And it’s a sense of incredible pride and incredible doubt, perhaps even shame. We can develop complex economic models around the global economy, but in the year 2022, have we organized around kindness and our most universal identification?

I remember how far we’ve come over the decades, the centuries. Timescales I can’t fully comprehend because they’re orders of magnitude beyond my continuous consciousness. How do we balance the acceptance of our slow steady progress and the yearning to do better right now?

This question has only become evident to people like me in the masses very “recently,” and perhaps the exciting new predicament we find ourselves in. Perhaps it’s a rallying point for us all in the 21st century. We’ll only know if we unite.

Vast U.S.

I had a fun conversation with colleagues this week about traveling and the diversity of the United States. It’s such a huge beautiful country, and I was reminded how little I’ve seen of it. In the West I’ve seen many of the national parks, but there are still so many states and regions I have yet to explore. It’s clear in discussions with others that the diversity abounds in all parts of the nation. I look forward to exploring it and better understanding this complex country.

Striving in Transition

I find it important to always keep striving, because once you let up, it’s harder to reengage at the same intensity. Discipline equals freedom, as they say. It can particularly be hard in times of transition. But those are also often the times that matter the most.

Five Years and Autumn

Some days embody transition, and some days feel like a special occasion. It’s rare a given day can do both. Today felt like any other, a further encroachment into Autumn with the cool air and changing leaves. It also was five years with my partner, and thus a wholly significant day for me. Thank you Angel, for always supporting me, and for making this world a better place. Together, we can change the world.