I wonder about the trees. Why do we wish to bear Forever the noise of these More than another noise So close to our dwelling place? We suffer them by the day Till we lose all measure of pace, And fixity in our joys, And acquire a listening air. They are that that talks of going But never gets away; …
Nearly seven years ago, my aunt spoke those words from a hospital bed, surrounded by her husband, my wife, and me. What started as breast cancer had spread nearly everywhere in her body and a woman I loved more than words can paint had accepted reality while this nephew still foolishly held out for a miracle. She was looking forward …
Every evening, before I go to bed, I perform the following ritual: Pull out the gym clothes I’ll be wearing the next morning. Pull out the work clothes I’ll be changing into after my post-workout shower. Pack my gym bag with a towel and work shoes. Put my gym shoes besides the gym bag. Prep my coffee maker so I …
“One of the lies would make it out that nothing Ever presents itself before us twice. Where would we be at last if that were so? Our very life depends on everything’s Recurring till we answer from within. The thousandth time may prove the charm” -Robert Frost, Snow Everyone is familiar with the feeling of hearing the right thing at …
Occasionally, I think back to all of the times when I was trying to learn something difficult. Memories of frustration and anxiety. When I do that, the conclusions usually sound the same: “If only I had done this thing sooner…” or “I wasted so much time on that…” And then I wonder if I would be where I am today …
The saying goes, “Asking the right question is half the answer.”1 There’s a popular misconception of nature-vs-nurture. It’s built into the nomenclature for crying out loud. People bandy it about as if the two terms are constantly opposing forces, each trying to dominate the other. A more accurate way to think about this concept, then, might be to rebrand it …
“These people, thousands of them, were called the Muselmänner, the ‘moslems’ or ‘walking dead,’ for whom time ran out before they were able to shake the sense of nightmare and wake to their predicament. They starved, they fell sick, they stumbled into situations which got them killed. For them the collapse was too much, too many psychic and physical blows too …
In an effort to combat the aphids invading our garden, we have invested in nature’s cure — ladybugs. We purchased three containers, each one (the label promises) containing 1,500 ladybugs. That’s a total of 4,500 ladybugs. Who’s responsible for counting them? That’s gotta rank up there for one of the worst jobs in the world.
Life gives us many choices. Sometimes they may not appear to be there, but they are. Sometimes they are pretty tough, but that doesn’t eliminate their existence. These days, we have more opportunity than ever to achieve our goals and twice that amount of opportunity to distract ourselves. “The cost is too high,” you say. The cost of failure. Of embarrassment. …
“Whatever it is, figuring it out isn’t enough. Once you know something that might help, you have to do it.” — Doing It by Patricia C. Wrede You can read page-long descriptions about giant sequoia trees, but until you stand beneath one, you can’t truly feel how small you are. You can hear about your friend’s dreadful first date, but until …