Just an Ounce of Real Joy

On the cold, salt-stained pavement of the Walmart parking lot, today, there were four tiny finches. They were hopping and twittering merrily as they ate the remains of a frozen and crushed french fry. I couldn’t help but watch them a moment. They seemed so happy. Very alive. Animated, loud, a...

#philosophy#motivation

So, it Turns out I'm Going to Die…

Chuck Palahniuk said it best in Fight Club , “In the Sylvia Plath sense of the word, we are all dying.” Because we are. The moment you burst from your mother’s womb, slick with placenta, blood, and mucus, screaming and pink, your clock is tick, tick , ticking.  We’re all dying. Every minute...

#philosophy#death#motivation

Animal Meditation III

One of the more recognizable birds in the world, the cardinal, with its flaming red crest, has long represented hope or good fortune. However, they also offer us a great lesson on our relationships and love. Cardinals are one of the few creatures that are primarily monogamous. A female will pick...

#philosophy

The World, it is a Changin'

The world may change. It may be chang ing . It might insist that certain beliefs, or morals, or ethics must also change. But they don’t have to. You do not have to change your beliefs. You do not have to change your morals. You do not have to change your ethics. For many of us — relig...

#philosophy#religion

Illness

Have you ever had one of those days where you feel a little catch, a little tickle in your throat? A touch nauseous?  You climb into bed with a subtle dread, thinking “I’m pretty sure I will wake up full blown sick.” That was me, today. Yesterday, I had a sore throat — nothing unreasonable. Took...

#philosophy#motivation#gratitude

Just Because You CAN…Doesn't Mean…

Butterflies are magnificent creatures. So fragile and petite.  They fly in a whimsical, dancing manner on the breezes, feinting around any attempts to grab them or interfere. For some, they migrate thousands of miles to their places they were hatched, lay eggs, and then the offspring will tra...

#philosophy#self improvement

I Am a Failure.

In Jocko Willink’s book Discipline Equals Freedom, he has a segment talking about the importance of fearing failure. And I agree. Bringing this idea into the framework of Eudaimonia, I like to audit myself. For Physical Wellness , what would failure look like for myself? Maybe I let myself sl...

#philosophy#motivation

Quick, No One is Watching

There is an old joke that something is “only illegal if you get caught.” The logical extension is “Is it wrong if no one catches me?” or “If no one sees me?” For all except the sociopaths or supreme narcissists, if something is “wrong” — especially by your own standards  — then it’s wrong, no m...

#philosophy#motivation

You're Fooling Yourself.

We often spend such an amazing amount of time with escapism. We read tremendous amounts of fiction. Stories. Harry Potter. Lord of the Rings. Hunger Games. 50 Shades. We read these to escape from our reality. Then, we fire up our PlayStations. Our Xboxes. Nintendos. PCs. Escape and augmen...

#philosophy#life#addiction

Grievances

We all have things we should forgive. We all have things we perceive to be unforgiveable.  Each day, we wake up and pull on our pants and shirts one limb at a time, but we also are placing a metaphorical weighted vest of grievances on our shoulders. A good practice for when we are overflowing w...

#philosophy#love