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
Have you ever wanted to reinvent your life? Have you tried several times but failed? Reinventing yourself professionally or personally can be a challenge but also a great adventure. Follow these 6 steps to succeed. First step: find or wake up one of your passions. Concluding one phase and starting another one is not easy. Reinventing yourself requires more commitment than a simple change. Consequences may … Continue reading Reinventing Yourself Could Be a Good Idea. Find It Out How by Following These 6 Steps
Before I get into the body of this piece, I’d like to say that the conflict in Ukraine is especially interesting and tragic because I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Poland during the mid-nineties, not long after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall. I was sent to Rzeczpospolita Polska—I still remember quite a lot of Polish—to … Continue reading Repost: What Vladimir Putin’s War Has Taught Me
Exactly one week ago, on Saturday morning, my wife and I got into the backseat of my father and stepmother’s car, in Georgetown, Texas, pulled out of their garage, and headed eastward, to make the hour-long trip to the small town of Rockdale, Texas, population 5,323. Our goal was to attend a memorial service to commemorate the life of my uncle, a man I’d always … Continue reading A Sad Day, a Happy Day
Commentary by Troy Headrick I have a lot in common with David, musician and subject of this shortdocumentary by Parisa. For example, we both have eye diseases. In my case, I was diagnosed with a dry form of Macular Degeneration and will eventually lose a lot (if not all) of my central vision. He also left his place of birth and “found himself” abroad. That … Continue reading A crazy way of expression
Remember the fireflies?
Where are they?
Remember starry nights?
Can you see them from your house? Continue reading Turn Out The Lights
There’s a scene in the recent Top Gun film where Tom Cruise is getting a rollicking for an audacious stunt he pulled. The General tells him that soon they won’t need pilots anymore. Pilots who eat, sleep.. who disobey orders. He says, “Your kind is headed for extinction.” At which point Tom Cruise turns to the General and says, “That maybe so sir, but not … Continue reading The Danger With ChatGPT Isn’t What You Think. It’s Worse.
We might have experienced difficulties in the relationship with our partner. Distance, unkindness, distraction, not listening, too busy, and much more. I read this story and I want to share it with you. I think it has a powerful lesson to teach us. Sometimes things are easier than we think but we cannot find a solution because we are too distracted by the complications that … Continue reading How to Make Your Partner Love You Again
