Juggling in Life

It can be difficult to keep all the balls in the air in life. But I think most of us choose the same priorities, regardless of ethnicity, culture or geography: family and love.

Adults Never Come

I think you’re never an adult. There are always more new experiences in life, and the world is always changing. That’s why so many people behave like children. Gotta keep learning and adapting in order to contribute. And that’s part of what it makes it beautiful.

Balancing Attention

The man as a person aside, I often think about Dr. Seuss’ line, “life is a great balancing act.” It’s a simple yet wise statement.

We can pursue success in multiple arenas in life, but excelling in all of them seems impossible. We have to choose what we give our attention to.

Almost all of us choose love or vocation. When we look at it that way, we’re much more similar than we are different.

In Between Time

The spare moments matter in life. All the few minutes in between things are wasted when we’re on our phone. I’ve been guilty of it a lot lately, and I’ve noticed how it’s robbed me of the ability to be fully present. That brief transition time, or that period of nothing, adds up to a lot of our life. And I’ve found I’m happier when that time is immersed in reality, fully present, experiencing all that life has to offer. When you do it regularly and consistently, it’s impossible to ignore the fact this is all a miracle.

All the Reading

There’s a simple unimpeachable way to feel excited about the future. To push back on any boredom or demotivation about life.

Just think of all the amazing books out there to read.

Writing Is

Writing is torture. It can drive one mad when reeling.

Writing is love. It can provide absolute clarity and purpose while in flow.

Writing is simply this: it is crucial for developing critical thinking, because it requires marshalling multiple thoughts coherently.

Maybe writing is our answer.

Packing to Live

An easy way to take stock of your lifestyle? Pack up your things to housesit for someone. Especially when it’s nearby—try to pack as little as possible. What you decide to bring can show you how you’re living. How you livin’?

Reflecting in the Wrap

Some days just wrap you up and spit you out. It can be hard to keep the bigger picture in perspective when life is “hitting you fast.”

But that’s also kind of the twist. We have to roll with whatever’s presented to us, keep going, and hopefully, find some time to reflect on it all.

Because it truly is one big beautiful amazing world.

Weekend Time

I champion the idea of a four day work week in the 21st century. But until that becomes the norm, we can cherish the magic of Saturday and Sunday. Bill Watertown said it best, that it’s not the weekend unless you waste some time. Part of life is to simply experience and enjoy.

Resisting Media Attention

I think my first foray into adulthood was learning to direct my attention how I wanted, instead of the media. We are continuously inundated with stories, told to care about them. But we can attain more meaning in life by pursuing that which we all want: heath, love and time.

Living all of it

You only get so many workouts in life. What may seem monotonous or even torture—we don’t live forever. I find it helps to cherish the little things, to find joy in the “annoying” drive to the store, or that really hard set, or the daily commute. It’s not easy, but wouldn’t you give anything to ‘suffer through’ such a moment one more time on your death bed? Life is short. But we can live all of it.

Bay Boating

Fog… on the water… today on the bay was absolutely beautiful.

We reflected how fortunate we are to live in such a paradise.

Experience equals your observations over the years, and I made them today.

We all live for the same reason.

Meaningful Monday Moments

Always back to reality on Monday, and it’s especially potent after a trip. But if you only look forward to the weekends, you’re only living a fraction of your life. Sometimes it’s the little moments on a Monday that can make life meaningful.

Attributing Empathy

My sister likely has limited capacity for empathy due to her circumstances. I’m sure it’s affected my own awareness for emotional intelligence, among many other ways in which she has changed my life. And I try to remember, in my worst moments, can I have a little bit more empathy? Can I place myself in another’s situation to try to understand their plight to some degree? I’m not always successful, but it’s accentuated my life experience, just as much as travel or anything else I often write about. Thank you Megan, you’re affecting the world in ways you might not even know.

On the road

Driving should be illegal. I think that often while on the road. Because we all share it together right? It’s a microcosm for our species. We share this one planet together—our individual actions affect us all.

Transition Time

Time fluctuates during transitions. The end of quarters, a move or breakup… it can fly by at the speed of light or pass laboriously in trickles. I often wonder about the fluidity of time, and how personal experience seems to influence it, instead of the other way around. Perhaps we are more powerful than we imagine.

Rest and Adventure

With each new day we are presented with further opportunity. Even on a day of rest, when it’s not fun to try to be productive, there is always something to learn, some new experience to have. That’s life. Because rest is only one small part of it. The other side of the coin is adventure.

Having a Weekend

It’s good to have some fun in life just for the sake of having fun. We are social creatures that enjoy play. And then, sometimes, you can have a weekend.

Priorities

I often wonder about priorities. What are mine, what are those of the people I’m around, what are the world’s? Are people our priority, and more holistically, should they be? These are the difficult questions we need to answer.

Biggest Accomplishments

The other day I thought about my top accomplishments. If someone asked you, “what are your biggest accomplishments thus far in life,” what would you say? I considered my answer:

1. I have succeeded in securing a mate, one of the primal purposes of mammalian species. My partner is the best, perfect partner for me. She is supportive and significantly increases my happiness, as well as my chances for “success” in life

2. I maintain a strong, close relationship with both my parents well into my thirties. That stat about children spending X% of their time with parents before age 18 is not true for me. My parents are two of the most important people in my life, and have enriched my experience. I go to them for advice and learn from their perspectives

These accomplishments might be atypical. Perhaps I can focus on the more “traditional” success measures. But I am proud of them nonetheless. What are yours?