We can change the world.
Walking through the Moscow subway, September 2019
Sometimes it really does feel as though the weekends are for doing nothing. For rest and for rejuvenation for the week ahead. And that works if you do what you love. I’ve come to realize that as I’ve grown older: health time and happiness might be the most important things in life, but next comes purpose and passion through a lifelong mission. I want to work toward TAV being mine.
Observing the San Francisco Bay in silence, October 2018
Outlook can change so quickly, or at least it seems like it in retrospect. And that change is found in the silence, not in sociability with others or heads down work or even in music. But I’ve found the silence to also be the toughest test of tutelage for the outlook we all wish we had all the time. It’s a fleeting and delicate thing. But I guess that’s just life.
We’re on a planet with cheetahs! Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, October 2019
Our planet is so incredibly beautiful and precious. It’s there for us to see every single day, if we can and choose to see it. There are millions of species of living things that have evolved to work together in harmony. We inhabit this wondrous place together. Can we see it? Can we contribute to it together?
Observing both worlds in Laos, March 2019
It’s amazing how entrapped we can become in the internal world. We may move about through the external world, but if our mind stays entrenched, we don’t fully join it. Our two worlds remain separated. And it prevents true actualization of us as human beings. We must allow the two worlds to flow freely between one another. It’s the only way for us to truly share the experience.
Admiring the scenery in the South Bay this past weekend
As the days go by, you start to see the big three: health, love and time. Without some semblance of all three of these, there can be little life. We all need all three, and in a way, we’re searching for all three.
Stopping for a shot of the sunrise the other morning
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.
Sticking out on the road to get a shot, Sacramento, California, October 2021
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?
An experience with another one here, August 2010
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?
Wonderful scenery in Tibet, June 2013
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!
A magnificent bubble to experience, O’ahu, June 2021
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?
Approaching El Chalten, Argentina, March 2019
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.
Basking in the sunlight with the reliefs at the Yungang Caves near Datong, China - January 2014
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.
Following elephants in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania, October 2019
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.
Onion domes against an autumn sky in Rostov Oblast, Russia - September 2019
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.
Gazing in wonder at Muizenberg Beach in South Africa - December 2019
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?
Looking back at the Golden Gate Bridge, June 2018
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.
Hiking up Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa, December 2019
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.
Taking in the Umbrian countryside in peace, August 2019
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 sights and frights tonight, Campbell, California
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.
The view from a distance, Paul and Eddie’s
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.