Category: Journey
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Are There Really Only Two Types of People?
That’s something that I have believed for many years – givers and takers. You are probably thinking right now which one you think you are. Some people seem to move through the world asking, What can I get from this? Others seem almost constitutionally wired to ask, What can I give and contribute? We tend to know which…
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The Conversation You’re Having Before the Conversation Even Starts
Do you ever stop to wonder why we spend so much time preparing for a conversation leaving little room to be truly present in the conversation? Think about how often we do this. You’re driving to work and already having the meeting. You’re in the shower explaining yourself to your spouse. You’re walking toward someone’s…
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Why Is It So Hard to Let Someone Be Wrong About You?
Think about that. We all do it. And we do it so often we don’t notice. We are constantly on guard to prevent it and when it happens, it consumes our attention through worry and doom-casting. And when someone does get you wrong, there is a sudden and almost irresistible urge to “clear this up.”…
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Engineering the Human Foyer (Part 2)
The Forgotten Purpose of the Foyer for the Nervous SystemIf the foyer performs such an important function in our physical lives, then perhaps it deserves to be understood as something more than an architectural feature. Perhaps it is a design pattern. One that has quietly helped human beings navigate meaningful transitions for centuries. If that’s…
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Engineering Human Flourishing (Part 1)
The Forgotten Purpose of the FoyerWe rarely notice foyers. They’re simply there. The entrance to a hotel. The lobby of an office building. The waiting room before a doctor’s appointment. The gathering space before a wedding. The reception area at a yoga studio. The quiet hall before entering a funeral. They exist in nearly every…
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The Practices of Remembrance
If you’ve read the previous essays, you already know I believe the veil isn’t built all at once. It accumulates. Layer by layer. Every disappointment. Every fear. Every certainty. Every adaptation that once helped us survive. Which raises another question. If the veil naturally thickens… what thins it? I have come to believe humanity has…
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The Witness and the Wheel
There is a part of you that has been working tirelessly for as long as you have been alive. It learned to anticipate danger before you knew what danger was. It learned which words earned approval. Which mistakes carried consequences. Which parts of yourself felt safe to reveal. And which parts were better kept hidden.…
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The Nervous System Is the Body of the Soul
There are moments almost every human being has experienced. You wake moments before someone quietly enters the room. You suddenly think about someone you haven’t spoken to in years, only to discover they called later that day. You walk into a meeting and immediately sense tension before anyone has spoken. You meet a stranger and,…
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The Forgotten Sun
I have a suspicion. Not about ancient wisdom. About ourselves. I suspect most people spend the first decade of their lives becoming who they are… …and the next several decades becoming someone else. Not intentionally. Lovingly. Patiently. Almost invisibly. We begin life remarkably authentic. Watch a young child long enough and you’ll notice something adults…
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When the Veil Begins to Thin
For the past several years, I have been exploring what I have come to think of as a Renaissance of Remembrance. Not the remembrance of facts. The remembrance of ourselves. That journey has taken me through engineering, biology, hydration, fascia, yoga, meditation, neuroscience, resonance, and the ancient wisdom traditions. At first glance, they seem to…