Finding My Voice Here

A friend of mine recently told me how under-skilled they felt in the writing arena. The simple piece of advice to just about anyone about anything they want to improve on is something like, “try and try more often.” Over-simplified advice? Maybe. True? I think so. But, what do you think? And what’s something you’ve been thinking about that you want to improve on?

The other night over dinner someone offered the table a slice of advice from their grandmother. Namely, happiness is about the thing(s) you look forward to. The discussion continued with arguments around what that means compared to living in the moment. How can you be present today if you’re always looking forward? A friend of mine recently gifted me with a book of quotes, “It always seems…

Vive la... Macaroon Independence in Brooklyn, New York #bastille day #experimentalsocialadventure

Two weeks ago it was my good fortune to be invited to an event hosted by my friend Ross’s company, Teuwen Communications, which was a press event for rosé of the Rhône Valley. The evening was delightful, the rosé was just the right type of crisp for a sultry summer evening, and the wine was pared with some excellently home cured meats from The Cannibal. And the other thing that was excellent…

Just another guy from Togo, born on a Wednesday #strangerconversations #kokou

A week ago I met Kokou (koh-KOO). These days he lives in New Haven. He’s originally from Togo. I absolutely love names, and since it was my first time meeting a Kokou, I asked him about his. And was more than a little surprised. Wait, you mean, EVERY person born on a Wednesday and is male is named, Kokou, I asked? Yep. Apparently many names in Togo indicate the day of the week someone is born on,…

Given All Things are the Same... Which One is Better? #America #China #samesamebutdifferent #choice

I had dinner with a friend and her mother the other day. An interesting question came up, “Given all things were the same, would you choose to live in America or China?” What is your reaction to this question? I wonder if it’s the same immediate reaction I had? I.e. The very nature of this question is problematic. I mean, how could anything you are comparing ever be the same in either the real or…

I’m Losing My Mind, You Too?

Losing Everything We Make I shared some of my recent experiences with Babci with a former teacher of mine yesterday. She’s had quite a few of her own experiences with dementia and Alzheimer’s from family members to a number of her contemporaries. After chatting back and forth for a few minutes, her eyes suddenly lit up as she commented on how the mind and memory are such a marvelous and…

Writing as a Compass

Why are you doing this? It’s a good question to ask of anyone about anything. And it’s a question several folks have asked me about this 60-day writing challenge I’ve started. It first came from my friend and former Linden Centre colleague, Sibylla, who was eager to join the 60 day party. What day are you on? How exactly are you doing it? And may I join the fun? were her most pressing questions.…

I love to run. There’s something so freeing about it. It’s one of those things that makes me feel absolutely alive.

On the contrary, I hate the cold.

Though the winter isn’t my favorite time to be outside, let alone running, but, hey, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, no?

But there’s something beautiful about running through the snow as I’ve recently been reminded by one of my running…

Do you live your life as a designer? A co-creator? A purporter of exceptional exceptions?

It’s easy to pass off just about anything to just about anyone.

And it’s especially easy when it comes to the way we feel about something or someone.

How often do we pass the buck to someone else?

“You are making this hard for me. Complicated for me. Challenging for me.”

“XYZ is influcing me in this/that/another way causing me to…”

But is that really true?

Aren’t we just choosing to let someone…

Love is... taking the path of least resistance for the most important things in our lives?http://wp.me/p3FDYH-ap

I was wondering about all of us who choose the easy path, the path of least resistance.

Like everything, it sure has its advantages. Also, it’s disadvantages.

And what are those?

When we choose the path of least resistance for the important things in life, like our health, our work, our relationships, and more – what does that say about us?

What message are we sending to ourselves? To others?

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A…