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Journey through the art of wonder…

Rolling Reflections: Till the Very End

We all have a time in our life that we refer to as the “back then” chapter. Whenever this sepia-toned chapter occurred for us, it represents all that is good, simple, and innocent about our past. We return to it occasionally for renewal: a nostalgic revisiting of who we once were in addition to a…

A Curious Case for Cats

During my mid-30s, I shared seven years of my life taking care of, and all-around adoring, a jet black cat called Emily Dickinson. My smart, funny, and ravishing fur companion showed me how to navigate the divide between mind and heart, past and present with a little more awareness. Like an unlicensed therapist who never…

Reclaiming Our Birthright with ION EcoBuilding

In 2016 I had the pleasure of editing a short video documentary, Building as a Birthright, about a sustainable Olympia-based building company, ION EcoBuilding. Led by Joseph Becker, ION EcoBuilding educates people about environmentally friendly building materials and processes, helping people appreciate the intimate connection between ecosystems and community through hands-on participation.  Much like the…

Living in the Presence of Divine Grace

In 2023 I had the immense pleasure of taking an extended course in Vedanta spirituality taught by Gordon Yonel that, I truly believe, would be of great benefit to all of humanity. If a 9-month course seems a bit extreme, like a late-stage pregnancy that you’re not sure how to budget in your schedule, please…

Love Yourself and Manifest Your Dreams!

If you’re ready for growth in your personal or professional lives, please consider life coaching services offered by Jade Hudek, The 5D Coach. Whether you’ve reached a plateau, lowest valley, or highest peak yet (until now), wherever you’re at in life, Jade Hudek can help inspire, encourage, and guide you even further. I had the…

Peace and Plants on Halloween 

As the sun is slowly setting on 2023, I’d like to take a moment to appreciate the lovely staff at Walter Andersen Nursery who have so generously supported my budding gardening hobby throughout this year. Offering guidance ranging from the basics to pro tips, the spade-loving free spirits operating this family-owned San Diego company have…

Winter 2023 Blog Update (Part 6 of 6) ~ Media Recommendations List

If you’re interested in followup resources to explore some of the themes I’ve covered in my Winter 2023 Blog Update project, I invite you to review my media recommendations below. Throughout my freelance writing work, I’ve contented myself to helping other people with little concern about financial compensation for my time and energy. Nowadays, I’ve grown…

Winter 2023 Blog Update (Part 3 of 6) ~ Lessons Learned: Conflict Management

If we live long enough, it happens to us all: The world, full of cold indifference to our golden-calf agendas, infiltrates our beating heart with its ragged claws—and pulls. With a single gesture, the ego is uprooted, leaving our bare awareness of self throbbing in monolog: “Feel! CONNECT!! Change! GROW!!” Eventually, we all stumble into…

Winter 2023 Blog Update (Part 2 of 6) ~ Reflections About Living Abroad

In November 2019, I moved from the U.S.—in San Diego, California—to Spain in order to teach English as a foreign language. I worked for two years as a cultural and language assistant in Murcia—in the southern heart of Spain—while surviving primarily off of a government living stipend. After relocating to the U.S. in September 2021,…

Winter 2023 Blog Update (Part 1 of 6) ~ Updates & Recent News

Greetings, visitor. It’s been over a year since my last full update and now (*sighs*) it’s time to say goodbye.  Although I don’t yet plan to shut down my website, this is a formal laying to rest of my grand blogging intentions. Since I began my website during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in…

Farewell, 2021: Happy Holidays!

Greetings, visitor! It’s been a long year and there’s so much to share. Until I have a chance for a full update next year, here’s a brief jingle like a dash of nutmeg on Christmas eggnog. Where do I begin? Although I can’t claim the Grammy-winning record of 2021, congrats to CardiB for WAP!, I…

Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 7 of 7) ~ What Comes Next: 2020, 2021, & 2022 [Revised]

Declaring one’s intentions can be risky. If public announcements don’t fall prey to hollow chest-thumping, they can feel restrictive, like binding contracts incapable of being changed. Noted. And yet I’m willing to accept these risks. I know that sharing my plans can offer some direction for this site’s development. So, think of this as a…

Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 6 of 7) ~ Lessons Learned: Conviction

After moaning for weeks about the touchy elevator in my new apartment, I eventually accepted that maybe the elevator wasn’t malfunctioning. Or, rather, if it was, it wasn’t in greater need of maintenance than my own expectations. Granted, many of the technologies I find in Spain are either currently broken, were recently broken, or are…

Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 5 of 7) ~ Current Challenges: Applying Energy Management

At the sagging end of 2020, I’ve begun to appreciate energy management more practically: merging the pursuits of mysticism with science, it’s not a philosophy that can exist apart from a practice. Despite the challenges that arose during an extended COVID-19 quarantine, I have managed to stumble forward in some ways. While confined indoors, I began a daily…

Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 3 of 7) ~ What I’ve Been Up To

During the COVID-19 quarantine in 2020, I had plenty of free time for projects that had long been shelved due to lack of time. This website was one of them. And yet after building it, I was not yet ready for the commitment of publishing regular content. Instead I was quickly consumed by other projects.…

Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 2 of 7) ~ A Moment of Clarity

After dodging this blog entry over the summer, I recently arrived at the end of my delay while lying on my bed one Sunday afternoon. Staring upward at the hanging ceiling lamp [pictured below], I found motivation the way a big toe stumbles upon a corner of the bed in the middle of the night:…

Fall 2020 Blog Update (Part 1 of 7) ~ So, Where’s the Content?

Forgive me, Father, for I have—  Okay, maybe I’m being just a little dramatic. Eight months after I launched this website in March 2020, I’ve had a modest visit count by most measures. Granted, I’ve shared very little content so far; nor have I made much effort to promote it. Still, the principle remains.  Although my infrequent…

US Halloween & Election Day 2020, Frank Zappa Style: The Torture Never Stops

Trick or treat? Halloween is paving the way for the United States presidential election this year, knee-deep in the COVID-19 crisis of 2020. Fortunately, as we’re peeling smashed pumpkins from the street, riding a national sugar high in various states of isolation, anxious and uncertain about our future, democracy persists. We remain citizens bound to…

US Independence Day 2020, Frank Zappa Style: Outside Now

Can we appreciate a home that we’ve perhaps never truly known? Would we recognise it if we found it? What would it look like? Of course, we can address the question figuratively, wax existential for a quick minute. But in 2020, we can now address the issue experientially. In a time when our homes have…

US Memorial Day 2020, Frank Zappa Style: Chunga’s Revenge

While we reflect on what freedom means to us during the COVID-19 quarantine, it’s a good time to celebrate where we can. For zealous patriots and protestors alike, whatever flag we raise or trample upon the lawn, only the foolish wait for history to sanctify our losses. If politics, at its best, aims for unity,…

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