Nothing removes the shutters from our eyes like travel. It is by far the most compelling method for broadening our horizons and relativizing what we think is true about the world. Growth is not measured by the miles we walk, but by the lessons we learn on the […]
Feet dangling at the ledge. Looking up. Looking down. Looking left, then right. Looking straight ahead. We all face choices in life. Should we stay where we are? Should we take a new direction? Should we? Could we? Would we? Choices don’t contain inherent risks, […]
Change. It’s the only thing we can count on. And it’s gonna happen, whether we like it or not. Although we may try to prepare ourselves for life’s transitions, it isn’t really possible to consider all eventualities. Back in the day when I was scraping by […]
The greatest adventure of this summer was blogging for the Zelt-Musik-Festival (ZMF). Writing 27 consecutive Blogstage posts through the month of July, I attempted for the first time to blog in German. I didn’t really think anyone would read it. Much to my surprise, they did! Hanging […]
The slant of morning light tells me fall will be awakening soon. The dusting of leaves on the city sidewalks layer over the summer’s heat. A gust of wind sweeps them skyward as a crow calls over the sun-scorched meadow. It has been a fun-filled […]
As I inch toward the fifth decade of my life, I have taken pause to reflect on all the places I have been. The list is long. The road has been too. When people ask about my history, I tell them I left home at […]
When the swirl of the world has you entangled in its grip, know that the tornado is yours. It ain’t easy to understand, but these moments are your life unfolding. We make plans. We set goals. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it does not. Those […]
“Seven hours of consecutive sleep.” That was my birthday wish after having Kid #2. My mother laughed and promised me this phase would be over before I knew it. At the time, that fact didn’t penetrate my sleep-deprived brain. I didn’t believe her. Now I […]
The best laid plans often go astray. There have been countless occasions in my life in which I have drawn strength from that saying. Imagine if we could control everything that happens in our world. We would know exactly, to the minute, what would happen next. […]
They say the pen is mightier than the sword. In times like these, when airports where my children were supposed to be, blow up thirty-six hours prior to their arrival, I am apt to take pen to paper to make sense of it all. Only […]