Pedaling Grace   “When you’re feeling kicked to the curb, look for the grace.”   That’s what my head said when I passed over these golden petals in the gutter.   When we’re at our lowest, this is exactly what grace can look like.   A few moments after passing over the flowers, from the…

flag etiquette     As I rode my bike this morning and listened to the soundtrack of Eckhart Tolle’s wise Martian-like voice narrating his audiobook, I heard him say, “…humanity is now faced with a stark choice: Evolve or die.” And then a moment later, “If the structures of the human mind remain unchanged, we…

Confession is Good for the Whole (Just Tellin’ it Like it Might Be) There’s a ton of debate these days on Covid19 (mask-wearing, social distancing, fake news, hoaxes, conspiracy theories, “opening up”), and racial equality (policing, which lives matter, equal rights, monuments, fake news, real data). I hear/see a lot of people professing to be…

Cherishing Opinions   When was the last time you challenged yourself? My religion is Jesus. And I often find wisdom in other places. That doesn’t mean any wisdom or teachings found elsewhere supersedes my Christian faith. I test ideas out. So, that said: There is a Zen saying, “Don’t seek the truth. Just cease to…

“OK, Snowflake.” (Eye roll)     (originally posted on my personal Facebook page on June 25, 2020)   “Positive intention doesn’t sanitize negative impact.”   That’s one line out of this twenty-minute podcast. The full twenty is worth a listen if you’re resistant to (and especially if you’re mocking) the current civil rights movement in…

Insult to Injury     Think of a gnawing pain you have had in your life, or one you still have, an injury to you or your family, anything deeply hurtful that you’ve struggled to overcome. It’s a well-known wound, sort of. This wound, through no fault of your own, is one that the majority…

The Pandemic, Racism, Politics, and Gnocchi   Gnocchi is my favorite food, especially homemade gnocchi. When I’ve successfully made a batch of potato dumplings ready for the red sauce, the texture is delicate, airy, and fluffy—they’re like tiny, heaven pillows. But holy gnocchi, there is so much below the surface.   Those babies ain’t easy….

 Override   The following is an excerpt from a blog post written on October 4, 2018, shortly after my first encounter with a big cat on the mountain bike trail. At the time, I wasn’t sure if what I had seen was a bobcat or mountain lion. I named the section of the trail, “The Maul” and…

Digging Our Heels In     According to Wikipedia, the term “confirmation bias” is defined as “the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information that confirms or supports one’s prior personal beliefs or values.”   All I have to do is look at my newsfeed to see there’s a whole lot of confirmation…

Dot Connecting   I’m a big believer in the power of connecting dots. When I saw the video of the woman in Central Park wielding her power over the birdwatcher, I was disgusted—no, BEYOND disgusted. Mind-body-soul-spirit disgusted. Revulsion. I don’t want to think she represents me. I wanted to look away. And this was before…