“There’s nothing more addictive than something that almost works.” – Dr. Gordon Neufeld Many of us bemoan our addiction to our digital devices. What began as a curiosity – the magic of sharing a photo directly from our pocket camera with our family and friends across the globe! – has…
Spotlight Generosity
A friend of mine used to like to play this game. We were working at a camp, and after dinner, with 30 people milling around the cafeteria, she would announce: “Attention everybody! Brent will now be singing a song for us!” For the record, this game wasn’t my idea. Out…
The Problem With Selfies
I get it. Sometimes you just have a great hair day, and there’s nobody to take the photo but you. Or you head out for a frosty run before your kids wake up, and you simply must capture your snowman face before it melts. Exhibit A: But have you ever…
A Place to Play
The magic of the personal blog has always been the opportunity to create a little outpost on the web to call your own. A playground to explore ideas and thoughts. Amidst emerging social media platforms, and the ever-wearying “next big thing”, the personal blog remains a place to stake a…
The Minimalism of Winter
Last week while eating lunch and gazing out the window at the -30° cold, we noticed a small bird in the cedar by our deck. A pine siskin or similar sparrow, its gray, brown, and yellow-hinted feathers puffed out to capture each bit of warmth. Our kids jumped to the…
The Time is Now-ish
Last weekend my wife and I went out for dinner. As we finished our meal, we were coincidentally discussing how we wanted to improve our family’s diet, make better meals, get our kids to enjoy vegetables, all that. “The time [to make these changes] is now”, my wife stated. “After…
Instructions for living a life
Sad today to hear of the passing of the great poet Mary Oliver. I first heard of Mary Oliver several years ago via the above quote, which lead me to discover her poetry, and helped teach me a way of seeing the natural world. Her quiet spirit and attention to…
The Longest Night
At 4:29pm I stepped outside on my way home from work, watching as the sun set behind the gray winter sky. The overcast sky muted the moment in a way that made the daylight’s recession almost imperceptible. The night had silently begun, and with it, just as unassumingly, had our…
Running is Prayer
In the Navajo tradition, kids grow up learning about running as a part of their culture. They run east in the morning to meet the sun, and to meet the Creator. For the Navajo, running isn’t simply a way to stay physically fit, it’s a spiritual practice. Running is a…
Small and Sustained
Over the past year my curiosity has led me down two distinct but converging paths. One is running. The other is the wilderness. The two paths converge at this curious sub-culture within the sport of running: trail running. In my curiosity, I’ve fed on a steady diet of books and…
Hi, I'm Brent! I write about creativity, curiosity, design, and wonder.
Check out my newest book Pay Attention.
© 2019 Brent Manke