Breakups

Routines can be powerful mechanisms to increase discipline, productivity, and positive momentum toward a desired outcome. The myriad of habit books, and their enormous sales, shows that. But a breakup of routine, unexpected and brief, forced upon you by circumstances, can also be useful, let alone fun. We can see the world from a different perspective on an ordinary Thursday when weather forces an alternative format for the day. And how insulated we have become to the ever changing serendipity of the world. Sometimes, it can be nice to break through the mundane, to see what’s on the other side.

Diminished Expectations

Is it bad to expect good things to happen? That sounds silly right? Of course we want to expect positive things to occur in our lives, in our day ahead. Hope is integral to the human condition. But I’ve also found, at least when going about the day-to-day, reducing my expectations enables me to appreciate all of the minute, wonderful things that happen constantly. Making that green light. Enjoying the taste and warmth of your coffee. Having the chance to observe a bird for a moment. There are beautiful, amazing things occurring all the time, every day. Because life is beautiful and amazing. We have to slow down to see it. And we have to alter our perspective to not expect everything to go our way all the time, so that when things do, we can feel true, satisfying gratitude.

Consequences of Travel

Going places old and new offers opportunity to grow as a human being while growing one’s life experience. When people travel, they go out and do things, and no matter how small, the environment contains inherent differences, meaning they are exposed to newness, the unknown. Being comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity strengthens independence, confidence, and perspective. Travel challenges people to be better.

Beautiful Morning

I was enamored with the natural world this morning. The sunrise was sublime, with the clouds reflecting the early morning light coming over the eastern rolling hills. You could see the moon clearly, its radiance capturing the rest of the sky. I saw a mother duck lead five ducklings down the creek on my walk. It was warm, and the sky changed frequently. It was bliss. We live on such an amazing world. It’s better when you enjoy it.

Together We Will Be

There are good people in the world. And there are bad people, or, people who don’t understand the full extent of it. Not to say the good people “get” it, but from a far enough vantage point, it becomes interesting. We are who we think we can be, together.

Babies Attack

Babies are everywhere! It is a dark time for the unparented, as children lurk in every corner. The childless couple tries to navigate this treacherous landscape, but the little cuties won’t let them out of their path of terror. Their only hope is to embrace the chaos and restore a balance to the universe, through child’s play, a sanity check, and an overall embrace of life. Their story continues…

Animal Communication

Animal companionship is a wonderful element of living on Earth. Humans are animals, whether we think of ourselves as such or not, and we have a tremendous capacity to communicate with other species due to our intelligence and accumulated knowledge. There’s something tantalizing about cross-species communication. Many of us only have opportunities with a few other species, pets or domesticated animals. But it’s possible in the wild as well. How lucky we are on this planet, to enjoy it with so many other organisms. Earth is incredible: one big beautiful amazing world.

Reading Everyday

For whatever reason I talked about the act of reading twice today. Once to reference a truly impressive achievement of our species: the global literacy rate over time. The second, an epiphany, was that once each person learns to read, she never stops reading for the rest of her life. We read every single day, whether it’s on our phones, sign posts, or written down on paper. And as long as there’s reading, there will be writing.

Youthful Moment

Does the refusal to give up the feeling of invincibility represent the last vestiges of youth? The last scraps of physicality are still there, still visible, in small ways. This thought train came across me today as I wondered about my own abilities. I think it helps to see the larger spectrum of time, of which we only experience one fleeting moment. But it’s our moment to love and enjoy together.

Information Balance

It feels like many are simply tired, of the constant stimulus of the news and social media, of the negativity permeated by both. I’ve tried multiple times to strike a balance for myself personally, and have not yet been successful. There has got to be a way to remain informed while staying positive and upbeat about the future of our world. It’s up to us after all. I’ll keep searching for it, because I refuse to stop believing.

Restful Perspective

The times for rest can be so peaceful, when you’re ready to recharge. It’s in these moments I think about the world and what we’re doing as a species. For some reason, while at rest it’s easier to see and to wonder. What are we doing well? What can we do better? When we all take the time to reflect, we can make better choices that serve us all.

Home Bound

Nothing beats coming home to a soft warm bed. I love traveling and I enjoy going on trips with friends, but being home is where I belong. And we can all buy into that.

Off to Reno

Even the smaller trips can be exciting. I’ve never been to Reno, and even though I’m told it’s not the most glamorous destination, I’m still eager to experience it for the first time. And what’s better than exploring a new place with a group of friends? To visiting new places and making new memories, here we go.

Tribal Scope

I struggle to keep up with the news now. It seems pandemic exhaustion has caught up with me, and I’ve mostly focused on my smaller tribe in the past few months. Others have told me similar things. I believe doing right by our innermost tribes will mostly mean progress for our society and larger world, but it becomes difficult to guard against the all too easy “us vs. them” mentality. We are all in this together, on one small, but beautiful world. We can be focused on our smaller tribes, but we can also strive to keep awareness about the one larger tribe of which we all are a part. As we enter a new era out of Covid, let us continue to push for a united humanity. Because we can, together, change the world.

Balance Together

When I discuss it with friends, both near and far away, it seems we all struggle with, or at least seek, the same thing: balance.

Balance of work and family life, with earning money to provide for our tribe and pursuing a fulfilling life.

I remind myself that no one has it completely figured out, that no one has mastered life.

With this recognition, we can strive to discover it together.

Time in Moments

It’s incredible how fast life moves sometimes, how we struggle to simply keep up with it. And then how it can slow down to single moments, one after another. Part of what makes us conscious is our ability to recognize and discern these differences in pace. Moments of importance matter, and we best be ready for them when they come.

Back to Figure

Being back in the routine, even on a Monday with little sleep, can be refreshing. Hard work at one’s vocation, time spent with loved ones… what else can be asked of being home?

This is always where the real work begins. How quickly can we integrate with the utility, yet maintain the expanded perspective gained while gone? Because that’s the balance. It is in these conflagration of moments of readjustment that we resume our lives.

Home from London

The feeling of returning home after a long journey simply cannot be overstated. I come back after gaining more respect for Britain, its history and culture. It’s a fascinating place full of interesting people. I can’t wait to go back.

London Long Days

The days become so long on a trip. You’re not consistently plugged into your phone or the internet, so your time is spent experiencing the natural world in front of you, the reality that exists in the present moment. It’s refreshing, as we can so easily get caught in the aforementioned during our day to day. London has been an eye opening experience for me. I can’t wait to come back, to have the long days again. It’s been a journey, and I’ve relished it. To travel to see a glimpse of a different life… to live long days.

All London Is

I just keep thinking today about how many people there are in the world. Visiting Buckingham Palace was crazy today; and yet, there were likely thousands of people at Times Square, the Grand Canyon, and the Golden Gate Bridge. The world is a lot smaller now, and more people can afford to travel. This is overall a good thing. Its reality today enabled us to see more typical, less touristy London. I noticed the subtle characteristics of Tube travel. We got to enjoy the park and see how Londoners enjoy their green space. The simple delights of the pub were of course indulged in. London is a massive place with millions of people and thousands of tourists. But it’s also a unique city with centuries of history and tons of character. I’m enjoying all that it is.