When in doubt, take the scenic route
Advice for young people who have no clue what to do with their lives.
The feeling of the first smile
An impossible attempt to capture and save the feeling of my firstborn’s first smile forever.
How to Do Hard Things and Win Big
Winning big can happen by stroke of luck, but more frequently, it starts in the least expected place: in your imagination.
What are the Magical Words you’re Waiting for?
We experience those moments in life when someone tells us exactly the right thing at the right time. It could’ve been a relative, a friend, a teacher, or a random passerby we’ll never see again. These special words they bestow upon us impact our journey. We can look back on that moment in time and…
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A Simple Solution to the “Sunday Scaries”
In the United States, the week starts on Sunday: In Latin America, the week starts on Monday: Living in Latin America, I noticed the “Sunday scaries” don’t seem to exist among the professional population. By contrast, Americans love to tweet about the Sunday scaries: that feeling of dread in anticipation of the upcoming workweek, looming…
Lemons and limes are the same fruit in some countries
I’ve noticed an adorable example of linguistic determinism in Spanish and Papiamento speakers. They use the word “lemon” (limón) for both lemons and limes. This multipurpose use of the word “lemon” makes these two fruits the same, conceptually, in their minds. For example, if you order a soda water with lemon at a restaurant in…
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How Ailments Serve Us
The smallest physical ailment reminds us of our mortality. Its interruption to our day reminds us of our wealth in our otherwise good health. “A healthy man wants a thousand things, a sick man only wants one.” — Confucius Without an ailment to distract us, we are the wealthiest we can be. We can whimsically…
What move will you make in The Time in Between?
I just finished the miniseries The Time in Between (for the third time in my life, I’ll admit), and lately I find myself relating to the protagonist in her periods of strife. Sira Quiroga grew up poor in Madrid and was destined for a simple life. Not long into adulthood, her collection of experiences have…
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Sonder and the People of a Pandemic
I don’t want to claim to know you, but if you had been asked in January 2020 if you would like to live through a pandemic, I’d bet the answer would’ve been a resounding “Fuck no!” Put more delicately, being a Person of a Pandemic is excruciatingly difficult. We’re all aware of this at some…
Two Perspectives, Same Circumstances
Last week I was on a road trip with my friend and roommate. We were moving from Phoenix to Portland in her mammoth 16-foot Ford van, taking the scenic highway up the California coast. The van is quirky, with sticky doors that need to be full-on body-slammed to open and close. She’s an old fixer-upper,…
The Fallible and Productive Knowledge Worker
Do we just have to rest our fingertips on the smooth keys of a keyboard to sneak an interaction with our environment? Is the knowledge worker only comfortable in meditation when her hands grip a device? The wind chimes sing just a meter from her ears, leaves tumbling gracefully in the breeze, and the sun’s…
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Karma and Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion
People I talk to have widely varying conceptions of karma. I’ve noticed folks fall into one of three camps: Some who deeply understand karma in a spiritual sense and let it drive many of their actions; those who have a surface-level belief in it; and others who believe it’s too esoteric, or maybe even bullshit.…
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The Beauty of Missing Someone
Every day I miss you. Every day you cross my mind. When you do, I smile. Other days, a lump forms in my throat. Heat rushes to my cheeks as tears form in the corners of my eyes. I either wipe them away, or let them pour out. Depends on the day. Every now and…
Surfing the Waves of Life
All photos by me, on iPhone. Watching the foamy white energy from the Pacific crash onto land, I realize my mind is blank. Coming out of a daze, I look around me, then down at one of my favorite possessions. I’ve had this towel for over 6 years; years during which I’ve carried it around…
Uncertainty: The Only Thing That’s Certain About the Future
Over the years, I’ve pinpointed the source of most anxiety to uncertainty; a fear of the unknown. I’ve noticed this to be true in my own life, as well as in the lives of others. It’s that feeling of, “I don’t know what’s going to happen.” Why do we feel a sense of certainty at…
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My Method: Self-Evaluation, Habit-Tracking, and Weekly Review
Through multiple iterations over several years, I’ve developed a self-evaluation process that’s highly effective (for me). If you are just getting into self-evaluation, or looking for ways to modify your current approach, welcome! If you need some inspiration or reasoning as to why you should self-evaluate, check out this essay. I hope I can offer…
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Benjamin Franklin’s 12 (13) Virtues for Self-Improvement
Temperance: eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation. Silence: speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation. Order: let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time. Resolution: resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve. Frugality: make no…
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My Guiding Principles
What are your guiding principles? Not your moral principles – your guiding principles. They guide your decision-making, and they become especially relevant in trying times. That’s why it’s important to consider what your guiding principles are, so that you already have them when an unexpected hardship arises. I believe everyone should have personal guiding principles,…
Always Stop to Smell the Roses (Even When you’re Late)
This is part 3 of a 3-piece series. Read part 1 and part 2 to get caught up to speed. Am I actually advising you to stop and smell the roses, even when you’re in a hurry? Yes, I am! We’ve discussed walking a different route for a new, broader perspective. We’ve explored lifting that…
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Chin up, Buttercup | Seeing more through Tree Gazing
This is part 2 of a 3-piece series. Read part 1 here. Yes, the world may be looking grim right now. It may be hard to “look at the bright side” amidst a global health crisis, imminent economic depression, and mass social isolation. In the first article of this 3-part series, we explored the benefits…
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Facing a Problem? Walk a Different Route
Part 1 of a 3-piece series. You know how people talk about the value of another point of view? Seeking another viewpoint can help us when weighing decisions, brainstorming, working in a group, developing empathy, and in many more ways. It helps us see things in ways that we don’t normally see them, thus elevating…
How to start feeling grateful in less than 30 seconds
I used to be a negative, depressive person. Over the years, through positive influences and intentional personal development, I converted into an overall happy person. But being happy is a practice, and it sometimes requires some maintenance. Some may call this maintenance “happiness hacks.” The basis of all happiness hacks is gratitude. Anyone that you…
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Why it Feels Weird to Achieve your Goals
Have you ever hit a goal that used to seem like a faraway dream? Whether it was getting that promotion, buying that dream car with your hard-earned money, or traveling to that dream destination — after the excitement of it all died down, did you feel a little lost, tense, or confused? I remember striving for a…