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New book: Pay Attention
We often find ourselves feeling distracted and discontent, bored with our everyday routines. As Louis CK put it, “everything’s amazing, but nobody’s happy”. We look for a change of scenery, or dream about a life somewhere “out there” where everything life will be amazing again. Wonder, though, is based more on posture than location. It’s…
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The New Car Scent
In 2007 I married my way into Volvo ownership. Our 1987 Volvo 240 might have been falling apart on the outside, but it had a strong heart, and bravely carried us over mountain passes, through winter storms, and proved to not shy away from -30 temperatures (even without a block heater). Our Volvo wasn’t new,…
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Does the typeface really matter?
I was reading a book recently, For the Time Being by Annie Dillard. When I got to the last page I discovered a note – right-aligned – from the book designer. It read: A Note on the type The text of this book was set in a typeface called Baker Signet, designed by Arthur Baker…
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The ball’s in your court
Good tennis players can bat the ball back and forth endlessly. As long as neither player makes an error or takes a chance, the ball will stay in play, but the game won’t make any progress. Watch all agonizing 1:40 of this longest rally in Grand Slam history. 71 shots of back and forth, back…
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What you need is here
The words from Berry’s beautiful poem have been resonating with me. What you need is here. What you’re looking for isn’t in tomorrow or some day. Not in a new house or outfit. Not in a new job or income bracket. Not in your screens or daydreams. Not in the hopes of a winning lottery…
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How to Draw (lessons from a 7-year-old)
I don’t draw well. But I’m learning, thanks to my 7-year-old. When I was a kid, I drew all the time. I drew animals, hockey players (goaltenders sporting 90s Jets gear was my specialty), just about anything. I enjoyed the life of a prodigy artist and drew for the adoring masses (namely, my mom and…
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Naming the Dust Bunnies
We recently welcomed our third child into the world, making life exciting, rich, and also messy. Actually, the past few months have been a process of turning our house upside down, re-organizing beds, bedrooms and clothing to make room for a newborn, and there’s no promise of it being turned right-side up any time soon.…
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Consider the Birds
“Consider the birds,” a wise man once said. So I did. My daughters, wife and I, over breakfast on this springtime morning watched our backyard, and considered the birds. Chickadees, juncos, house sparrows and finches. Magpies, grackles, crows and jays. Robins, flickers, a song sparrow. At least I think it was a song sparrow… I…
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It’s Always Impossible
Until it’s not. Do you remember when Tony Hawk landed his first 900? Millions of people, including myself, watched history get made in real-time during the 1999 X-Games when Tony tried and tried and tried again (10 failed attempts in all) to land the first 900 degree spin (that’s 2-and-a-half full rotations). It was an…
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Gifts and Graces
What do you notice? What do you pay attention to? Most of us, most of the time, are paying attention to the time (or lack of it), the thing we’re stressing over, or the thing that’s undone. That’s how we’re wired. We’re good at spotting danger and conflict, and paying attention to the things that…
