A Little Parenthesis
“We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.”
An Ireland Thing (part 1)
My parents and sister came to Ireland with me. I've never travelled anywhere beautiful without thinking, "I wish my family could see this," so it was truly amazing to finally have them next to me on an international adventure.
One day I heard my parents talking in the other room and because I'm nosey with them, I was like, "HEY WATCHA TALKIN' 'BOUT?"
My dad said this and it was so lovely I wrote it down to keep forever:
"I was just saying to your mother that I love her in the USA and I love her in Ireland. I love her all around the world."
They're a couple of lucky ducks, those two. They really have each other's backs.
Mom and dad at the church in Galmoy, Ireland where my dad's family is from and his great aunt Judy is buried.
Recent Adventures
It's been a busy two months: Biking, climbing (for the first time!), so many deadlifts, archery (for the first time!), lots of live music, playing guitar on the deck, playing guitar at a pub in Ireland(?!), good food, gardening, hiking, camping, new friends, old friends, exploring the Wild Atlantic Way. And that's only about half of it ...
DON'T SETTLE
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”
Steve Jobs
honor the other
If you know me, you know I am 100% down for a lively debate ... but I'm starting to believe that our political beliefs are ultimately extremely personal. They are an amalgam of socioeconomics, religion, philosophy, education, environment and upbringing. Some of us hang out in the middle and are very confused about the mounting pressure to polarize. Some of us have fully formed ideologies that would take incredible force to change. Most of us are a mix of both.
But, surprise! We can become more open to each other without going anywhere near politics. We can listen and evolve. We can read, travel, think and wonder. We can prove our good character by respecting and caring for all who cross our paths. And we can lovingly and thoughtfully engage with our friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, baristas and bartenders without ever sussing out what side they’re on.
“We are sun and moon, dear friend; we are sea and land. It is not our purpose to become each other; it is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what he is: each the other's opposite and complement.”
Hermann Hesse, Narcissus and Goldmund
