I have a week left living in Flagstaff after three months here doing contract work and I am experiencing a whirlwind of emotion. A week from now, this charming small town, wonderfully tucked away in the Coconino Forest and Northern Arizona mountains will be but a memory. I have no complaints. It’s been a lovely... Continue Reading →
It’s funny how life has presented me with recurring epiphanies about how I am in charge of my day, or maybe it’s a sign I need to pay more attention and apply what I have learned. Either way, I had a recurring epiphany this week when I was feeling stressed, discouraged, and like I just... Continue Reading →
I watched a fantastic TEDtalk the other day dealing with the causes of the increasing prevalence of anxiety and depression amongst the Western nations. (Here is a link to the talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB5IX-np5fE&t=393s) It really made me stop and think about our history and about how our societies have progressed through the Industrial and Information/Technological ages.... Continue Reading →
I want to embrace uncertainty. I want to be able to stare boldly into the randomness of this world and step forward with confidence and excitement. I want to thrive in a chaotic world, for a chaotic world it is. I want to be shocked, awed, and bewildered by the twists and turns of life.... Continue Reading →
I have been known to board up my emotions during turmoil and tragedy. I can remember back in my early 20s breaking up with my first serious girlfriend of three and a half years. I was so jaded and exhausted by the time we broke up that I don’t ever remember crying afterwards. I pushed... Continue Reading →
When things don’t go as expected, we tend to think we failed at something and we can easily be subdued by burdensome feelings of defeat. We have a choice in those moments, to accept the experience as a valuable lesson and move through it or to be overcome by loathing. It’s pertinent now more than... Continue Reading →
We would like to think we are islands, that we are our own separate entity containing our own thoughts, desires, personalities, and dreams. While we certainly are unique, perhaps we don’t realize to what extent the people in our lives, the people we choose to fill our time with influence us. And I don’t mean... Continue Reading →
Being back home after being gone for months really puts things into perspective for me. My hometown of Chattanooga is a charming, quant river town nestled in the mountains of Southeastern Tennessee. There is no place like it on earth for me but it is after all simply a location. The sights, sounds, and smells... Continue Reading →
Like many of us, I have struggled with anxiety in one way or another for most of my adult life now. Anxiety can be a killer of the mind as well as the body. It can suck the joy right out of any situation and leave you feeling trapped and drained. Anxiety is multifaceted. Anxiety... Continue Reading →
I came across a fantastic video in my YouTube feed this morning by Pete Holmes, a comedian/author, where he talks about two key things to achieving inner peace. The two principles for peace and happiness that he discusses are learning to suffer/resisting nothing and not giving into external validation/criticism. What he discusses has really resonated... Continue Reading →
