When we’re young, we don’t consider death very often, but as the years pass and the people close to us begin to die, we ponder death more. Reflecting on mortality is an ancient practice. Both the Greek and Roman Stoics taught the value of “Memento Mori” (Latin: remember you will die). It doesn’t matter who […]
Becoming is sculpting yourself, and “Gymnastics of the Will” is the hammer that forges disciplined habits and intentional choices.
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During World War II, Pacific Islanders observed Allied forces receiving supplies from aircraft and mimicked their behaviors—building runways, wearing uniforms, and performing drills—believing these rituals would summon more cargo. The rituals were symbolic, a misunderstanding of the systems behind the cargo being delivered, as if by magic from the sky. Mass consumerism shares striking similarities
We love trees; we’ve always loved trees. Interestingly, we live on the High Plains now, where trees are few and far between. This makes us appreciate them all the more, and we often journey great distances to get a hug from one. When I was a young boy back on Walnut Street in Humptown, we
Good habits and consistency are the currency that pays the bills when you advance into your Golden Years.
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Patience is a virtue I’m still pursuing. I’ve made an effort, but I haven’t come close to mastering it. I excel at slowing down, enjoying myself, and not taking life too seriously, but I get easily agitated in situations involving others that are beyond my control. I try to laugh off people’s quirks, flaws, and
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During the counter-culture revolution of the 1960s and 70s, I was a liberal in favor of individual freedom and civil liberties. We respected and accepted opinions different from our own and were open to new ideas. On second thought, I was probably a Libertarian, but since they weren’t allowed in the partisan, two-party system, being
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The “Vernal Equinox’ marks the sun’s crossing of the celestial equator. The term “equinox” comes from the Latin “aequus,” meaning equal, and “nox,” meaning night. All around the Great Wide World, on the first day of Spring, night and day are the same length. The Northern Hemisphere’s, “Long night” season is finally over, and we
Daylight Saving Time (DST) started yesterday at 2:00 AM. The original intent of DST was to save energy by extending the time of day around sunset. Silly, right? I suppose they might have burned less whale oil in the 18th century when Ben Franklin proposed daylight saving time, but it doesn’t make much sense today.
We borrowed the title for this article from a Jimmy Buffett song. The chorus always floats around in my mind as we travel south towards Galveston Bay. These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudesNothing remains quite the sameThrough all of the islands and all of the highlandsIf we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane
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In nature, Chaos and Order perform an intricate dance. Opposing forces coalesce to create balance and harmony. Chaos is the primordial stew from which creativity emerges, and Order is the stabilizing force that reins it in. Cycles and seasons corral the serendipitous dance. “Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances.” ~ Maya Angelou
The depravity and insanity of the neocons have been off the charts lately, the cacophony of their war drums deafening. How confused and insane do you have to be to think that more war, death, and destruction are the way forward? Thankfully, a few of the sane leaders in our world sat down recently in
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When I was growing up on the flatland black-earth prairie of North Central Illinois, I loved “Snow Days.” We would wake up in the morning to the amazing white snow blanketing everything outside. Mom would have the local radio station on, listening for the school cancellation announcements. We would dance with joy when the expected