“He was weary of himself, of cold ideas and brain dreams. Life a poem? Not when you went about forever poetizing about your own life instead of living it. How innocuous it all was, and empty, empty, empty! This chasing after yourself, craftily observing your own tracks—in a circle, of course. This sham diving into…
“All people, no matter who they are, all wish they’d appreciated life more. It’s what you do in life that’s important, not how much time you have or what you wished you’d done.” — David Bowie “If you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go…
“Many people feel they are powerless to do anything effective with their lives. It takes courage to break out of the settled mold, but most find conformity more comfortable. This is why the opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it’s conformity.” — Rollo May (via Poetic Outlaws) Some of us have an…
And we died of the future, of calling and mission only we could keep, leaping into every favorite season; sinking into roots, dreams, and books. — Li-Young Lee, First World “I am losing precious days. I am degenerating into a machine for making money. I am learning nothing in this trivial world of men. I…
Who hasn’t thought, “Take me with you,” hearing the wind go by? And finding himself left behind, resumed his own true version of time on earth, a seed fallen here to die and be born a thing promised — Li-Young Lee, To Life We feel the urgency to live, feel it deeply within. We see…
Greek coffee is a lot like Cuban or Turkish coffee. Strong and bitter and best mixed with a bit of sweetness. They warn you when you receive it not to drink it to the last drop, for you’ll find the grounds there. There’s none of that filtering nonsense with Greek coffee, friend. Americans drink to…
the path to heaven doesn’t lie down in flat miles.It’s in the imaginationwith which you perceivethis world, and the gestureswith which you honor it — Mary Oliver, The Swan Heaven is right here, friends. Whatever comes later is unknown to all of us, no matter how much faith we hold. The trick is to be…
“Rejoice! The purpose of life is joy. Rejoice at the sky, the sun, the stars, the grass, the trees, animals, people. If this joy is disturbed it means that you’ve made a mistake somewhere. Find your mistake and correct it. Most often this joy is disturbed by money and ambition.” — Leo Tolstoy (via Poetic…
If most of life is lived in a steady state of routine, we have the opportunity to add micro-bursts of exceptional living now and then to spice up this dish. Some people take that opportunity whenever a free moment comes along, some embrace routine for their entire journey. Bursts of unique experiences can be quite…
I learned a few things yesterday that change my worldview. Most notably, I’m not the Skee Ball player I once was. Someone’s got to finish last. I provided enough evidence to convince myself, grudgingly, that I’m not as good as my wife and daughter. So be it. More importantly, I suppose, was spending the time…