Today, I surrender to the beauty of life Everything feels so light I woke up with a peace of mind And see no need to run or hide Today I feel free from all the ‘Should’ve’ Musts Or dancing between the ‘could’ve and would’ve Today I am all in And there is nothing in between I walk around, firmly feeling the ground Uninhibited, no longer … Continue reading The Beauty Of Life
Some days ago I received an email and it gave me Déjà vu. This story started back in 2022. I had been told that I should explore Tantra on many occasions over the years. Tantra? Should I explore sexuality with random partners and call it spiritual sex? No, thank you, that is not for me, I thought. Maybe it triggered my ultra-Iranian origins ; who … Continue reading A Tantra Way of Living
My greatest regret during my Peace Corps experience is that I wasn’t into taking photos at that time. I was into living life, though, as hard as it could be lived, tiptoeing right up to the line of being wildly self-destructive. It’s just that I don’t have much of a photographic record of all that living beyond the boundaries. I do have memories, tons of … Continue reading Repost: Places that “Made” Me: Installment Three
If you read my first installment, you know that I was a Peace Corps Volunteer and was sent to PĨock, Poland, a beautiful and fascinating city located on the Vistula River, to complete my Pre-Service Training (PST), a demanding educational regime that was designed to see if I’d be up to the various challenges I’d certainly encounter once I was sent off to the town or city … Continue reading Repost: Places that “Made” Me: Installment Two
When I was 17 years old, I worked in a grocery store. One day a co-worker and I were pushing a giant skid full of milk cartons through the store. The skid was piled high with milk crates and was much taller than we were. We were using a skid mover, which was being steered by yet another coworker; driver in the front, two “engines“ in the back. Continue reading Judge Me, Judge Me Not
This is an interview with Hanne Kristin Rohde, the former police chief of Oslo. She worked in the police for 25 years, the first 5 years as a police prosecutor, and the last 20 years as a manager. In 11 of these years at the senior management level; from 2008-2014 as police inspector and head of the Section for violent and sexual crimes in Oslo Police District. Continue reading A life of great variety
My mind works in mysterious ways. For example, three or four days ago, for no particular reason, the following question popped into my head: I wonder who said, “Clothes make the man”? I then almost immediately forgot that I’d asked this question—my brain having its own unique way of functioning—and went about my daily business. This morning I got online and found out that Mark … Continue reading Repost: Places that “Made” Me: Installment One
My adventure is coming to an end. I couldn’t think of a better way to mark the occasion than by finishing the poem that I started at the beach in Malaga at the beginning of my trip. Finishing and publishing this poem feels like coming full circle. An incredibly beautiful journey of over 850 km of steps and endless talks. Continue reading I wonder as I wander
I’ve been thinking a lot about anger recently. In fact, I’ve been looking at the topic long enough to be ready to put my thoughts on paper. For a person interested in studying anger and the angry response, this is a kind of perfect moment. There’s so much anger out there, being expressed in all sorts of contexts by all kinds of people, that there’s … Continue reading Repost: On Anger
Life is far from simple. It’s easy to feel burdened by the complex challenges our world is facing. Over time, I’ve learned the best thing to do is take a deep breath, shut out all the noise, and embrace the peace that comes from simple living in a complex world. Will you join me? Continue reading Simple Living in a Complex World
On Friday, October 11th, I attended a professional development workshop at the college where I’m employed. The title of the session was “Communication Skills for Collaboration.” Looking back, I don’t think the title gave an apt preview of what the talk would cover. Plus, the title was boring; whereas, the actually workshop was quite interesting. During the early moments of the presentation, the presenter began … Continue reading Repost: A Meditation on Something I Heard the Other Day
I’ve been thinking a lot about defiance lately. Actually, because I’m very much a contrarian at heart, I’m always thinking about ways to defy. That’s what contrarians do; they defy conventional wisdom (among other things). (By the way, it seems pretty clear that we need a lot more contrarians in the world.) I guess you could also say that I’m part of the resistance against … Continue reading Repost: Napping as an Act of Defiance
I have a serious beef with some of our tried and true inspirational sayings. It’s bad advice! In fact, I’ve discarded it for most of my life and that seems to have worked out pretty well so far. But, I’m tired of seeing others suffer needlessly as they cling to this nonsense, believing they’re doing the right thing. Continue reading Bad Life Advice I’m Tired Of Hearing
I’ve been forgetful lately. I’m talking like, I’ll be in one part of my house, decide that I need something from another room, head to that locale, and as soon as I arrive there, I can no longer recall what I wanted to get. I know this is a near universal human experience because I’ve had numerous friends, once I’ve told them about this tendency … Continue reading Repost: Does Anyone Know Where I Left My Car Keys?
He picked up the scissors again, took a deep breath and tried to relax. With the material stretched firmly between his fingers and his eyes carefully focused on the mark, the tailor squeezed on scissor handles. And just as the blades sunk into the fabric…
My friends, family, and former colleagues often ask me whether or not I miss flying. It’s been a year since I handed in my resignation letter and decided to divorce from a 12-year career. I’m incredibly fortunate to have had the time to decompress following all the political upheaval I was caught up in Hong Kong. When people ask me if I miss it, my honest … Continue reading Why I Miss My Job but Don’t Regret Leaving It
During an interview once, I was asked a question that made me a little nervous. The question was:
“What is a good conversation for you, and with whom do you have good conversations?” At that moment, that question puzzled me, but now I would like to pass that question on to you with my twist.
Earlier this week I read “The Shame that Keeps Us in Our Jobs,” an article by Paul Millerd, one of my LinkedIn contacts. Millerd’s piece, about work, work culture, and money, got me thinking about a whole bunch of topics. This blog is the result of that rumination. I want to begin with something I’ve wondered about throughout my career as a college and university … Continue reading Repost: On Work and Money: Part One
I don’t think this is going to be anything like any of my other blogs. Actually, I’m not for sure what this is going to look like or how it might turn out. That’s why I’m calling it an “experiment.” I will conduct my experiment by asking a series of personal, self-discovery questions and then answering them. Each response will be used to generate another … Continue reading Repost: Experimenting with Self-Discovery in Real Time
I recently had one of those weeks. You know the kind I mean? The ones where you have to dig extra deep to stay focused and get everything done but there’s a payoff at the end? Like the week before vacation where you have to get your work projects in order, home projects in order, buy extra food for the cat sitter, set the watering … Continue reading The Go-To Metaphor
