Willoughwaves
Waddling’s the word for the way Willoughby walked. Willoughwaddles. He was an old man when we adopted him. But as slowly and arthritically as he moved 95% of the time, he was still ready for an occasional mad dash when we played hide and seek, or to stand his ground like the Rock of Gibraltar…
Love, adventure, grief, and Willoughby
Shortly before he died, we said the name “Lincoln” again, not sure why. Willoughby’s head turned quickly. That’s my name. That was my name. Why did you say my old name? I don’t know what memories flooded Willoughby’s mind in that moment. Just that his head cocked differently. Maybe it brought him back one last…
Letting the waves do their thing
Think back. Remember vulnerable-you. At your weakest, your most drained, your most crushed. What did it? “Trauma” is a universal experience. Your life may not have been dominated by it, but you’ve had your days. Younger me found refuge in my bedroom closet. I’d spend hours in there. It felt a little safer. Have you…
Willoughby
I don’t have many words these days. Life goes on, when someone you love dies, and that’s so frustrating. I want the world to stop for a minute. Or at least I want to take a step away from it all for a minute, but unfortunately I still have to get groceries and go to…
My Little Broken Buddha
My best friend gave me a little figurine of a meditating Buddha. Its head was still on. I meditate and I really like Buddhism. In a nutshell to me, it’s about letting go of our need for things to be just-so. Our first big excursion to the mountains since my last concussion, a long road…
Death
To my friend Peter F.You’re one of the tenderest souls the world has known.Be at peace.~ Death is yucky. It’s been on my mind this year. A lot. One of my first, best work-buddies died suddenly the other day. His name was Peter, too, and we used to set up a cup across the room…
Living for more time
Time is a weird and inevitable thing. If we get to the end of our lives having spent the whole thing fighting time, we will have lost. If we spend our days wishing we were younger, refusing to accept changes, we will always be feeling hurt and scared and defeated. If our deepest need is…
You still are and you still can
I am a world traveler. An explorer. An adventurer. Salty wind on a gloomy Scottish coast, with an order of fish and chips. Diesel smell from the red double-decker buses. Giant red Maple leaves painted on the airplanes, a little memory to remind me that I had technically been to Canada, even if it was…
Why Halloween
I think Halloween is an underappreciated Holiday. Not in every way. It’s many people’s favorite, because how fun to dress up, etc. But I mean what Halloween is actually about–the stuff of life behind the Holiday that the day puts us in touch with, even if accidentally and only a little bit. “The farther we’ve…
7 Words of Hope from a Nazi Death Camp
One of the hardest books to read, but one of the most rewarding. I just finished psychiatrist Viktor Frankl’s book Man’s Search for Meaning. During the Holocaust, which claimed the lives of an estimated 17 million humans like you and me, Frankl was moved from camp to camp, doing forced labor in brutal conditions, threatened constantly…
Sadness Doesn’t Always Need a Solution
I crossed paths with a coyote a couple nights back. It was awesome! Bear with me while I take you through a weird train of thought I had. It trotted across a dark road and down the hill into a neighborhood. As I kept walking, I heard nearby dogs start barking loudly. I could see…
This WEIRD Weekend
There is still that soft breeze you can feel touching your skin and blowing gently through your hair when you go outside. There is still that song that moves you deep inside every time you hear it. There is still that cup of coffee you make in the morning, the exact way you like to…
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