Published in Personal Growth·4 days agoHow To Stay BalancedFinding balance in life is not about perfection. Or making sure everything receives equal attention. It’s about avoiding extremes. Trying to strike a perfect balance in life is itself extreme. It can’t be done. We’ll either convince ourselves we’ve done it and not realize we’ve missed something. Or we’ll realize…Life2 min read
Published in Personal Growth·May 7Living By FaithWe came into the world with nothing and we’re going to leave with nothing. Everything we gain and experience along the way is a gift to be appreciated, and shared, and lost when it’s time for it to be lost. Stop trying to figure it out — whatever it is…Life2 min read
Published in Personal Growth·May 3The Value of Living In The MomentWe don’t always have what we want, but we usually have what we need. Things usually don’t turn out the way we imagine they will, but they usually turn out the way they should. Take it one day at a time, deal with what’s in front of you right now…Life1 min read
Published in Personal Growth·Apr 30Don’t Be An Idiot, Like MeI just laid on my side for five minutes and now the pain in my shoulder is killing me (written in June, 2020). Yesterday I spent ten-minutes folding laundry and afterward my back was killing me. Two months ago my shoulder was in so much pain I couldn’t move it…Life4 min read
Published in Personal Growth·Apr 26If You Can’t Trust Yourself, Who Can You Trust?On The Absurdity Of Biblical Authority — In Christian fundamentalism you are taught to distrust yourself. Instead of trusting yourself, you are taught to trust someone else. In particular, you are taught to trust your pastor and dozens of people who lived thousands of years ago (some of whom never revealed their identity). In other words, you…Christianity4 min read
Published in Personal Growth·Apr 22The Best Thing We Can Do For Our Mental And Physical Health“Stop thinking, and end your problems.” ~ Lao Tzu This may be the best piece of advice I’ve ever stumbled upon. It’s true. We invent many of our problems in our mind. I’m not sure it’s possible to consistently transcend all external problems, but we can certainly make them seem…Life1 min read
Published in Personal Growth·Apr 18Thoughts On Sacrifice and Self-PreservationWhen I was a police officer I was taught that officer safety is essential to public safety. In other words, if you respond to an incident with reckless abandon you might end up dead or seriously injured. Then you’d be no good to the people you’re there to help. To…Life2 min read
Published in Personal Growth·Apr 15The Value of SilenceMost of us don’t like silence, because it forces us to confront ourselves. And sometimes what we find staring back is emptiness. We’re also afraid of silence, because we equate silence with insignificance. We want to be heard and seen. We want to make ourselves relevant. …Life2 min read
Published in Personal Growth·Apr 10Empathy In A Time Of WarOne of the United States’ most decorated Vietnam War veterans said in a 1989 interview that he respected people who protested the war in the 1960’s. Including those who chose to go to jail. Because they “at least tried to help America within the system.” But the “guys who went…Life2 min read
Published in Personal Growth·Apr 5The Value of MinimalismThe less you own, the less you have to take care of. The less you own, the less you have to replace. The less you own, the less money you need to earn. The less you own, the more time you have for other things (and people). The less you…Life2 min read
