So…a friend and I started a podcast. There’s a lot of confessing, challenging, a bit of conflict, and a touch of cussing. But most of all it’s a conversation between friends. This project grew out of years of relationship and talking about our ventures and missteps and learnings and stories. And we want to share…More
Tag Archives: midlife
Overcoming one of our greatest obstacles: ourselves
Our lives are determined not just by what we think but how we think. Before I started writing I used to believe I couldn’t write. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that my high school papers, after being graded, had so much red ink on them that they looked like someone…More
Savoring life
Life is short; enjoy today. This week an old friend’s wife died. It was sudden—tragic. She was young, around my age, too young to die. They likely had dreams of growing gray together, wrinkled, swinging on a creaky porch swing, talking about their grown kids and grandkids. Now that’s gone. See, life can sucker punch…More
When You Savor Life, You Are Rich
An urgency to live well grows in us when we see our parents growing old. Or at least that’s what happened to me yesterday. “It felt like a few days ago when we took these pictures,” my mom said to my son as she showed him an album of Polaroid pictures of me when I…More
True happiness can’t be bought
The best things in life don’t come with a receipt. But all of our lives we’ve been told—no, sold—that if we buy this or that thing we will be sexy, better, satisfied, happy. But it’s not true. We’ve been duped. I remember going into stores and buying this or that article of clothing for my…More
One of the greatest blessings we often overlook
Time is a gift. Each second is a boon for your life, it’s a harvest of blessings before you—a feast. Drink deeply from it, savor each morsel, enjoy, laugh, love—live. This very second has been given to you. It’s an opportunity and invitation to grow, learn, try. That dream you’ve wanted to realize, the book…More
The best thing about losing
Losing doesn’t just mean you’ve lost. For, when you lose, you gain. Whenever a friend leaves, you move away, get fired, close a business, it’s awful. We hate it. We should, because losing sucks. No one wants to have something taken from them. But what I’ve noticed is no matter what (or who) was taken…More
Reflections from a funeral
Funerals aren’t just about death; they’re also about life. And this past week, while at my friend’s dad’s funeral, I could see that he lived richly, and he knew it. I don’t mean that he drove a Maserati, had a big house, or had some huge title. He didn’t. He was normal, just a regular…More
One of the smartest things you can do
Getting smarter isn’t about knowing everything, it’s about admitting what you don’t know. “I don’t know,” is such a simple phrase, but many of us have difficulty saying it to ourselves let alone to others. It makes us feel weak, vulnerable, stupid. But you’re not. It’s the furthest thing from the truth. Saying “I don’t…More
Are you living for the right person?
We all live for people. But are you living for the right person? Maybe you became a buttoned-up lawyer because your parents “made” you, when you really wanted to be an artist in paint-covered jeans, flicking the perfect strokes like Bob Ross, but it was too “impractical.” Now, you’re miserable. Or, maybe you’re feeling frantic…More
John Pa 