Well, it’s been an interesting month. In 1966 Robert F. Kennedy gave a speech in which he cited a Chinese curse: “May he live in interesting times.” (Having studied Chinese in college for two years I can say with confidence this isn’t an actual saying in China…but hey, it’s a good phrase.) I’ve learned a… Continue reading An Arm and a Leg
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Oh Deer…
I trust your 2020 is off to a good start? My decade has not gone…exactly the way I was planning. On December 16th I was headed out to the Oregon coast to make some repairs on a small water leak. Around 8:30 PM on Highway 130 that winds and bends it’s way along the Nestucca River,… Continue reading Oh Deer…
The Next Best Time
This poem came from seeing a quote my friend Liz Belz-Templeman posted from Richard Powers Pulitzer winning novel The Overstory: “When is the best time to plant a tree?Twenty years ago. When is the next best time? Now.” It struck me this isn’t just true of planting trees but really anything important in our lives that take… Continue reading The Next Best Time
A Slightly More Dangerous Version of Yourself
My least favorite personality trait in others is arrogance. That cocky bro who pretends to know way more than he does…for me this is a nightmare in a group situation. And while the supremely-sure-of-themselves hope to give off an air of strength with their invulnerability, I almost always sense fragility, fear, and weakness behind the… Continue reading A Slightly More Dangerous Version of Yourself
Nefilibata
Words delight me. Especially words like Nefilibata, a Portuguese word that literally means “cloud walker.” A Nefilibata, or cloud walker, is a dreamer- someone who allows themselves the freedom to remember that all we can see is not all there is. Once a friend visited me from overseas. We had known each other through social… Continue reading Nefilibata
On Doing the Impossible
Last year I was at my son’s track meet in Lake Oswego, Oregon. It was a beautiful Spring day. I remember looking down at all of those absurdly fit young people feeling fairly confident I was never in shape like that…and supremely confident I never will be at this point. And I was just struck… Continue reading On Doing the Impossible
Atopos: When the Path Gives Out
When I first moved to Oregon I discovered hiking in the Pacific Northwest wasn’t quite like the hiking I had done in Texas or along the AT in New Jersey. The guidebooks say things like some places are best June through August…they don’t say “can kill you” in March. On my first really big trip… Continue reading Atopos: When the Path Gives Out