Productive Discomfort
The more you experience discomfort, the more comfortable you will feel in an ever wider set of circumstances.
Moving when you would prefer to rest.
Having the tough conversation when you’d rather avoid it.
Addressing the home maintenance issue that has been lingering.
Prepping the vegetables when microwaving a frozen meal is faster.
Honoring your calendar when you’d rather have a day off.
Going to bed when you’d rather stay up and watch a movie.
Walking the golf course when everyone else is taking a cart.
Walking the dog while wearing a weighted vest.
Drinking sparkling water when everyone else is drinking alcohol.
Growth is stimulated by discomfort. The people who grow the most find ways to spend more time in this zone of productive discomfort. We don’t have to always choose “extra,” but the more we do, the more we build our capacity, and the more we realize of our potential.
Sunday Supper
Baked Coconut Red Lentils & Greens
Sunday Music
Death Cab For Cutie Live on World Cafè
Snarky Puppy & Metropole Orkest Live
Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
Sleepy Creek
A restorative long weekend in Berkeley Springs.
Apologies for not publishing an essay last week. Lori and I hit the road Saturday morning of the holiday weekend to visit friends in Berkeley Springs, West (By God) Virginia. The week leading up to our trip was too full for me to crank out an essay in advance. The relaxation and fun that we had last weekend was a fair trade for breaking my posting streak. (Though it was nice to hear from a few friends who noticed its absence.)
Our friends' farm is in the northeastern panhandle of the state, Sleepy Creek running through it. It is less than two hours from Washington D.C. and nestled in closely with Pennsylvania and Maryland. It has served for many years as a gathering place for our friends’ friends and extended family. Last weekend was the first time in many visits where there were just four people there. This, along with steady rains for much of the weekend, made for a uniquely peaceful three days. The rain did not prevent us from hiking quite a bit. Of course we cooked, drank wine and talked a lot, which made the time fly by.
They have a large Blackstone grill/griddle, which I put to good use on Memorial Day, making smash burgers as tasty as you’ll ever eat - thanks in large measure to the wonderful ground beef from Tony’s Butcher Block and “Big Marty” potato rolls from Martin’s Famous. I’d never cooked on a Blackstone before. The experience was great…I could be tempted into buying one someday (but not until we reimagine our outdoor living area).
Being at the farm last weekend reinforced for me the importance of slowing down - not just on the weekends, to recharge my battery for the week ahead. But also to devote more time to cooking proper, simple food and moving my body. That’s it - work with focus, shut it down soon enough to cook a proper meal and unplug my brain for a little while. Every time I get into this sort of rhythm, it pays dividends in terms of health, energy and creativity. Thankfully, the weeks ahead should allow for this. I’m looking forward to a balanced summer, full of fun.
Sunday Supper
Garlicky Shrimp w/ Zucchini & White Beans
Sunday Music
Vince Gill was recently at the NPR Tiny Desk
John Mayer Live At The Chapel, 2006
Blake Mills & Dino Palladino on World Cafe
Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
Smart Luck
Thoughts on picking the right spouse.
Marriage is the highest-stakes commitment most of us will ever make in our lives. Twenty-nine years (as of today) of marriage to Lori has prompted me to frequently wipe my brow and thank my lucky stars that we found and committed our lives to each other. It is only with the benefit of hard-won experience over these years that I realize not just how great I have it - but how challenging it could have been had I committed myself to the wrong person.
So what are the stakes? I’ve talked in the past about the power of compounding - both money and knowledge compound as you accumulate them. So too do relationships. Trust compounds. The more two people can trust each other, the easier it gets to trust more deeply. Intimacy compounds. Acceptance compounds - when you know you are truly accepted by someone in all your weird, quirky glory it is incredibly freeing. Imagine how much energy you would have to expend if you felt compelled to hold back certain aspects of yourself.
If you have children together, co-parenting with the right person is paramount. Your offspring are going to adopt some of your spouse’s traits, so make sure they are likely to be positive. Sharing the sheer work of parenting. The energy to engage and play with the child, while getting all of the ordinary household chores completed - chores which have expanded thanks to your new little family member.
So what are the traits of relationships that stand the test of time?
Integrity under pressure. Can your potential partner act with integrity when the pressure is on?
The ability to change your minds. Are you able to express, and then retract views if you or your partner have a change of heart or understanding?
Emotional regulation. Can you and they manage your emotions, or do they often get the best of you? This is not being robotic - it’s feeling things, and processing them without them overwhelming you.
Core values alignment. Money, faith, ambition, lifestyle - if you are not on the same page with these things, there is a real potential to drift apart.
Shared vision for the future. Kids, or not? Where to live. How to manage money. Career priorities. Are you both on the same page?
Healthy conflict. Do you fight fair? Are you able to apologize?
Generosity. Are you both default generous to each other?
How well do they know themselves? Are you both committed to continuous personal growth? Do they own their experience and take responsibility for their own happiness?
Some ways to assess these things in a potential partner:
Observe them under stress. Meet their family and observe that dynamic. Watch how they treat their commitments (to work, to friends, promises made to others).
A silver-bullet test that can help assess all of this: Purchase and build a piece of IKEA furniture together! All will be revealed.
Sunday Supper
We made this Andouille Kale Bean Stew with Cannelini beans instead of Black-eyed peas yesterday. This Honey Mustard Chicken Pasta looks good. How about Bulgogi Sliders w/ Scallion Salsa? (Yes, please.). Salmon Poached in Broth.
Sunday Music
Don Was & The Pan-Detroit Ensemble at the NPR Tiny Desk
Moby Live at KCRW recently.
Gilberto Gil playing samba.
Deep Melodic House Music on Vinyl
Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
Momma
4 1/2 years since Ma Bell passed on.
This weekend I began the work of reclaiming one of the boys’ bedrooms. Up until this point, it was a time capsule of sorts, mostly holding clothes that he outgrew (physically or stylistically). But also a few gems that either he or his parents will want to hang onto for a while longer.
The fleece blanket with the Periodic Table of the Elements on it. His strength in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) was encouraged early in life. His sketchpads. (He was really a STEAM kid (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math)).
A painting my mom made, just for him. Still hanging on the wall. A pig atop a sheep, which was itself atop a cow. The sheep saying “dis is driving me crazy” - something the lad once said when Mimu was caring for him. Creativity, layered with practiced skill, layered with family history all in one piece of art.
We have so many great totems - physical objects created by my parents, that carry so much meaning. Furniture that my father built, and my mother applied the finish. Paintings done by mom. It’s impossible not to think of them often when opening a door or a drawer on one of their many creations.
Beyond the physical reminders of Mom, her spirit lives on in my children, without a doubt. The care that she and Dad gave them in their early years, and the time we were able to spend with her in her final years really mattered to their development.
The room will look and feel different when my office occupies this space. But that picture will still be hanging there. I’m wishing a happy Mother's Day to all the moms today. May they all leave such a positive, enduring mark as my mom was able to leave.
Sunday Supper
Sheet-pan Miso Chicken w/ Radishes & Lime
Mean Green Salad w/ Tahini Miso Dressing
Sunday Music
Vinyl Live House Set by Lulú Matheou
Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
No Redeeming Value
Anti-harshness as a guiding principle.
A clip of an interview between Andrew Huberman and his guest Terry Real found its way to me this week.
“If you get one thing from our conversation today and you only get this, this one thing will be enough to change your life and I mean it. Here’s what it is: There is no redeeming value in harshness. Let me say it again: There is nothing that harshness does that loving firmness doesn’t do better. Be firm, but with love. Not harshness. And that’s you treating others, that’s the way you allow others to treat you and very much, that’s the way you treat you. I am on a anti harshness campaign, and what I say to friends, family, students - and it’s true; at 75, I have a deal with the universe: If it isn’t kind, I’m not interested. And that adaptive child that lives inside me can be very harsh to my own imperfection. And I will say to that, or to Belinda, or to a colleague, ‘You may have something to say to me, and it may be in my interest to learn and listen to you, but you have to say it like you’re on my side. If you can’t say it like you’re on my side, I’m not going to listen.’”
The podcast that the clip comes from is titled “Defining Healthy Masculinity & How To Build It.” I had never encountered Terry Real previously, but now I feel compelled to seek him out in media.
He put it so well: “There is nothing that harshness does that loving firmness doesn’t do better.”
This observation couldn’t be more timely (perhaps it’s even a tad late: “If you can’t say it like you’re on my side, I’m not going to listen.” really speaks to our current moment). So many of us are speaking past each other, ineffective because of how clear it is that we are not on each other’s side.
A couple of year’s ago I looked at America’s stated core values in an attempt at getting more of us on the same page. Whether it is citing Bible verse, or the Declaration of Independence, if the reader decides that that the author is just trying to score points for “the other side,” there is no getting through to them.
But the simple lens of harshness may be a more effective reframe. Please consider embracing Terry’s anti-harshness approach to life.
Sunday Supper Ideas
Pepper Steak Celery Stir-Fry w/ Lemon
Pork Chops with/ Feta, Snap Peas and Mint
Chicken Thighs w/ Asparagus, Radishes and Lemon Vinaigrette
Sunday Music
Infinity Song, also at the NPR Tiny Desk
Irene Ketikidi Live At Piraeus Club Academy
Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
Energetic Beings
We know so little, but are quickly learning.
I came across this article this week, which continues to resonate. It profiles the thinking of Martin Picard, a researcher at Columbia University. Through his research, Picard has been exploring the hypothesis that everything from stress to aging can be explained by how energy moves through our bodies.
The notion that “We Are Energy” sounds like something from Eastern philosophy rather than a Columbia research lab. Before you think this tiptoes too far into the land of “woo-woo,” consider some of the learnings Picard has observed in our mitochondria. In middle school we are taught that mitochondria are the “powerhouses” that exist inside of our cells, converting food into energy. Picard’s research is proving that these important cells do more than just keep the lights on - they adapt, communicating with each other as the needs of our bodies change. They change their number and structure, adjusting how they produce and distribute energy. They are the only organelles with their own distinct genetic material (mtDNA, which is inherited exclusively from mothers).
We are a long way from the future predicted by Star Trek or Star Wars, where tricorders or other fictitious gadgets scan our bodies and heal us. But Martin Picard’s insights may be leading us in that direction. As a layperson, I’ve lived long enough to observe things in my own body and mind state that seem to correlate with some of what this article shares - simple things, like how sleep improves mood and function, the way that other peoples’ “vibes” can be contagious in a group setting, elevating or depressing the mood in the room. The positive effects of hugging someone you love. Deep tissue massage that speeds up the healing of physical injury. Maybe these are all affecting us deep down in our mitochondria.
Time will tell whether Doctor Picard is truly uncovering important new knowledge about how our bodies work. Efforts like his pull humanity one micron further out of the primordial ooze as we continue to wake up from our primitive beginnings.
Sunday Supper
I love Brassica. When I am pressed for time, I appreciate having them as an option for fast, quality nourishment. I also love the Lebanese culinary diaspora. I went to Aldi yesterday to see about prepping the components to make Brassica bowls at home. For $55 I was able to purchase the ingredients to make a lot of bowls, including 3 lbs of chuck roast and 2 lbs of chicken. I prepped the following four recipes, along with some chopped kale and green cabbage and a jar of mild pickled giardiniera, and the resulting bowls are very comparable to what I enjoy at the restaurant:
Tahini Sauce w/ Garlic & Lemon (to drizzle over everything)
Sunday Music
Norah Jones and Madison Cunningham talk and play songs with each other. Amaia playing at NPR’s Tiny Desk. Rehman Memmedli performing live on KEXP. The Corrs at the Isle of Wight Festival last year. Michael Stipe performing on The Late Show earlier this week. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
Keep Mixing It Up
Variety truly is the spice of life.
Friday morning we fired up the U-Haul and started driving. Per usual, Lori and I tried to cram five days of work into four. We were pretty well cooked at the start of this adventure. The mission: deliver furniture to our younger offspring and get him properly settled in to his new apartment. (Side benefit: Hotel Bell has been meaningfully de-cluttered.)
We caravanned - me in the U-Haul, Lori in her station wagon. We considered traveling together in the truck, then flying home. But there was no time savings, and committing to a flight might mean leaving before we felt the job was done. I have driven U-Haul trucks a few times - but never so far, never through Chicago during rush hour, and never through a storm as severe as the one we encountered Friday night. An 8 1/2 hour trip ended up taking 12 hours. Oofta!
In Chicago, I began to fear that I might run out of gas. Within five minutes, Lori found a gas station just one block off of the exit, with an easy path to re-enter the slow-crawling critical path to our destination. The fuel stop cost us fifteen minutes, at most. During a relative lull in the storm, Google Maps directed me to quickly take an exit, allowing us to avoid a major slow-down.
The whole time, we were solving problems - both as they arose, and avoiding them entirely by anticipating them in advance. Where to park the U-Haul, since we won’t be unloading it tonight? The best place to park the U-Haul for the offloading? How to dispose of this couch if it won’t fit in the apartment? Navigating an unfamiliar territory, on a timeline, with clear outcomes we were driving toward.
It was all super-stimulating. Our son is in the same boat - just two weeks into his new job, living in a new town, dealing with a new landlord…this type of stuff is extra-taxing, and extra-good for us, at least within a certain range. Everything can be overdone.
This week was a reminder to seek out more productive discomfort. It’s certainly not always fun, but it really did make me feel extra alive these last couple of days. I want as much “extra” as I can get.
Anyway, Lori and I are starting a new business: Ninja Rooster Movers - we get up at the crack of dawn and move in your furniture so quietly your neighbors will never wake up.
Sunday Supper
Fight Big Beef by making these tasty Salmon Burgers this week. Pair them with this Carrot Ribbon Salad. These Mexican Pork & Beans look yum, yum, yum. Ok, let’s revisit beef burgers - but make it CHEESEBURGER SOUP instead.
Sunday Music
If you love Bruce Hornsby, you’ll love this interview. Don’t let their name distract you from wonderful art - here’s Mannequin Pussy at the NPR Tiny Desk. How about Salin, live KEXP? Let’s head to Argentina and listen to this beautiful duet between Mel Muñiz and Juan Pablo de Mendonça. Lastly, let Reggie Watts blow your mind with this set for The Lot Radio. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
Spring Regroup
Life’s been moving fast. Here are a mix of notes, updates and ideas.
A full calendar has had me hopping. I have a lot to do. The week ahead thankfully has some buffer time in which to catch up on things. This weekend is about re-setting myself. Today, I offer you a mix of items.
The first is a suggestion: Check out to this conversation between Sam Harris & Tristan Harris (same last name, but no relation) about the arms-race dynamics driving the competition between different Artificial Intelligence labs. We live in increasingly strange times. This conversation highlights this without conceding that the future of humanity has to be dystopian.
Speaking of artificial intelligence, I’m just starting to dip my toes into a project with Claude that will hopefully help Lori and me think through different ideas we have about home renovation in a more holistic way. Step one is to measure the basic floor plan of each level of the house, which takes time. If this experiment yields anything interesting, I’ll be sharing it in this space.
Our gas range’s computer finally crapped out on us, matching the state of its door (which won’t fully shut), and the electric ignition of the stovetop burners (only one burner actually lights this way). We’ve had Mr. Bee’s out previously for these various issues. The range will no longer be receiving life-saving care by appliance technicians. I was hoping to hold out to select a new range as part of a more holistic kitchen renovation, but oh, well. The gradual decline of the appliance leaves me somehow surprised at what I’ve been willing to abide. Like the proverbial frog slowly boiled in water, this thing is an embarrassment. The new unit will feel refreshing, I’m sure.
Lauren Culley, co-founder of Fox In The Snow cafe, has resumed making YouTube videos sharing how to make some of their menu items, and we are all the better for it. I will be trying out their Coffee Cake and Banana Bread recipes soon after the new range arrives.
With that Spring cold well and truly behind me, visits to the gym have picked up in the past two weeks. The quality of my sleep is noticeably improved by this.
I spent extra energy to get ahead of my various chores on Saturday, so that I can make it to the golf course for my first round of the year. Of course I need to do it early enough to return home in time to see the last hour or two of The Masters. Golf season is in full swing.
Sunday Supper
These Crunchy Queso Wraps look fun and satisfying. This Doner Kebab recipe has been picking up steam in social media lately, and looks great. I love Tuna Casserole every now and again. One Pan Ranch Cheddar Chicken & Rice.
Sunday Music
Thom Yorke, live at the Sydney Opera House. Mumford & Sons visited the NPR Tiny Desk. Eydìs Evensen performing live for KEXP. The Boss, performing Purple Rain in Minneapolis. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
The New New Year
The annual shift from Winter to Spring jolts us out of hibernation.
Happy Easter Sunday to you, and Passover too. Everyone is celebrating in their own way as the Earth wakes up from it’s Winter slumber. It will soon be time to mow the grass, and play some golf. The trees are dropping their seeds, so gutter cleaning has commenced. The hostas are popping out of the ground; their leaves will soon shade much of the beds, giving weeds little chance to thrive. We put away the winter coats this weekend.
I often think of Wendell Berry in the Spring, who once wrote:
At start of spring I open a trench
In the ground. I put into it
The winter’s accumulation of paper,
Pages I do not want to read
Again, useless words, fragments,
errors. And I put into it
the contents of the outhouse:
light of the suns, growth of the ground,
Finished with one of their journeys.
To the sky, to the wind, then,
and to the faithful trees, I confess
my sins: that I have not been happy
enough, considering my good luck;
have listened to too much noise,
have been inattentive to wonders,
have lusted after praise.
And then upon the gathered refuse,
of mind and body, I close the trench
folding shut again the dark,
the deathless earth. Beneath that seal
the old escapes into the new.
Sometimes I miss our home in Marengo. 15 acres, a big chicken coop, a big garden. I remember all of the hard work, too. But Spring makes the old place seem a bit more romantic. This time of year I always feel the absence of mom. Since she passed, the seed catalogs have dwindled. Those catalogs would always spark the imagination for what could be possible in the garden this year. The Farmer’s Market will provide the bounty instead.
I love how in January we declare a “New Year,” and then a few months later Mother Nature shows us what renewal is all about.
Sunday Supper
I get romantic about deviled eggs this time of year, dazzled by their potential, and forgetful of how much work they are. So I’ll do this Broken Egg Salad instead. We picked up some lamb shoulder roast at Block & Cleaver this weekend. I think we’ll make this Lamb Shawarma with it. This recipe for Quiche Lorraine w/ Tater Tot Crust is too interesting to pass up. If you didn’t overdo it on the Easter candy, this Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake would make for a nice treat.
Sunday Music
Julian Lage, live in Los Angeles. Chloé Antoniotti, for ARTE Concert’s Piano Day. Emile & The Education, live at Safe Space Sounds. Big Thief on World Cafe. The John Scofield Trio from last Fall’s DC Jazzfest. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
Childlike, Not Childish
Retaining (or returning to) the curiosity, openness, and positivity that we had as children.
Our younger son pulled out of the driveway on Friday, moving to another city to start his career. His original plan was to leave Thursday, but a poor night of sleep gave Lori and I a bonus day with the lad.
Happy and sad feelings swirled together in the oddest emotional Blizzard™. The celebration of this new chapter unfolding for him, combined with the knowledge that this is likely the last extended period of time we will share together makes for a wild combination.
He’s so ready. He is such a smart, capable, caring person. Yes, Lori and I helped promote his development - but at least half of the job was just staying out of the way and letting it happen.
I worked hard to not be a blubbering parent. It would be selfish to make the moment about what I was feeling. Instead, I framed it in my mind as a celebration of all he had accomplished, and the good things that await him in Wisconsin.
I also hit the kitchen, intent on producing some of his favorite foods - Mexican Egg Rolls Thursday night, and something we call “Tortilla Egg” for breakfast on Friday prior to him hitting the road. A corn tortilla, browned on both sides in a pan with a small dab of butter, topped with a single egg, beaten and cooked flat, folded, then topped with cheddar cheese and a little salsa. Toasty, corny, buttery with plenty of flavor. A perfect little eggy taco. This was a breakfast staple during the grade school years in our house.
I hope that both of our sons are able to retain the mental suppleness of youth: curiosity, wonder and openness. Looking back, I definitely hit a point where my perspective became less flexible in early adulthood. I wouldn’t say that I felt like I had it all figured out, but I eventually found myself re-cultivating this suppleness once I realized it had started to fade.
Listening to a podcast this past week, I heard the phrase “Childlike, not childish,” which sums it up perfectly. The wide eyes and open mind of youth is something to hang on to. As we age, our mental maps for how things work grow in complexity and get more rigid. But the world has proved to be ever-changing, and I think it will only change faster in the future. I suppose there is a balance to be struck between childlike wonder, and naivety. Here are some ways to cultivate childlike strengths throughout life:
Stay genuinely curious, even as you become more informed.
Embrace beginner’s mind as a starting point for learning something new. Presume nothing.
Separate observation from interpretation. Often as adults we jump to interpretation. Experience something fully, then reflect on it.
Seek out people with different worldviews. When we are children, everything is new. We have to go out of way to find novelty as we age.
Play without a goal. Play for play’s sake. Protect some space for exploration without outcomes.
Welcome being wrong. When you’re wrong about something, welcome it. Don’t defensively reject it. Learn.
Notice and revel in delight. We experience much more delight in our youth. Cultivate this as a skill, and celebrate delight when it arises.
Sunday Supper
This Red Curry Chicken & Rice is so easy and delicious. I prepped this Overnight Sausage & Mushroom Strata Saturday night, baking it this morning. I’ll be making these Korean BBQ-Style Meatballs tonight, along with some roasted broccoli. I’m a sucker for rice pudding, and this Salted Caramel version looks wonderful.
Sunday Music
Here’s RAYE performing Cry Me A River. Madison Cunningham on World Cafe. Glass Beams performs a trippy set on KEXP. Weather Report live at the Montreal Jazz Festival, 1976. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
The Work Never ends
In a world where the work never ends, we have to create our own breaks in order to perform at our best,
This week a friend recommended this podcast featuring Mike Rowe (of Dirty Jobs TV show fame) being interviewed by Ben Sasse and Chris Stirewalt, both Senior Fellows at the public policy think tank, the American Enterprise Institute. Sasse is a former Republican congressman from Nebraska who distinguished himself as one of seven Republicans who saw fit to convict Donald Trump of incitement of insurrection in his second impeachment trial. Late last year, Sasse announced that he has been diagnosed with terminal stage-four pancreatic cancer. He and Stirewalt host the podcast Not Dead Yet, which is Sasse’s defiant nod to his own mortality. In his own words, Sasse has said he needs to "laugh at death because death is terrible, but death doesn't get the final word.” He has also joked that his illness has made it harder for guests to decline invitations to appear on the podcast.
Mike Rowe has long celebrated working class Americans, and this is the core topic discussed in this podcast. One distinction that is discussed early in the conversation is the inherent natures of physical work versus thought work. If one is working on a construction site and it’s time for the work day to end, they put their tools away and go home, leaving a clear separation and opportunity for mental down-time. Whereas with thought work, the emails keep flowing, the laptop computer is always there and essentially, the opportunity and call to work is non-stop.
Of course it is neither healthy nor good to work all the time. And breaks are required to do our best thinking. When I’m not in an all-day EOS session, I often break up my day with mid-day exercise. Stepping away and stimulating my nervous system with physical activity is a great way to re-set and have a focused afternoon work session. One noticeable benefit from my work as an EOS Implementer - everyone in the session room turns off their phones, to minimize distraction and encourage presence. Without fail, these days have a special feel to them, and when I get to the end of a session day, I find that I really didn’t miss anything too terribly important.
So stepping away is possible. I used to listen to a lot more podcasts than I do today. Lately I prefer no audio inputs (music or podcast) when I walk Rosie. It’s good to let the mind wander, and keeps me more in-sync with the dog. Lots of things percolate out of my brain when I give it the chance to do it’s thing.
Done right, taking breaks is the opposite of laziness - they are the key to managing both the quantity and the quality of work for those of us who are not physically laboring for our income.
Sunday Supper
We enjoyed a double sheet pan dinner last night, made up of Tofu and Green Beans w/ Chile Crisp and Roasted Cabbage Wedges w/ Lemon Vinaigrette (both were excellent). These Vegan Tex Mex Egg Rolls look great (and meat-eaters can easily substitute some spiced taco meat into the mix). This Seafood Casserole looks interesting to me, too.
Sunday Music
The Oscar Peterson Quartet, featuring Joe Pass. This Blue Note Vinyl Jazz set is curated to support your Sunday morning cup of coffee. The Norms performing a set at Offbeat Roadhouse. Mandrake Handshake, live on KEXP. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
Return To Simple
Entropy is always creeping in, so we just always keep pruning.
The thousands of times I coughed this week shredded my throat, disrupted my sleep, and sapped my energy. This left me feeling behind on my work, with no chance for a super-heroic push to catch up on everything.
This cold is passing through me like a slow-moving weather pattern. It’s going to be cloudy for a while longer. I can control it no more than I could control the high winds that whipped through our community on Friday. Yet I am responsible for cleaning up the aftermath of both.
That’s how it works. We do our best, then the universe throws us random extra challenges and we handle them as best we can.
It forces us to drop the less essential things. This week I dropped the notion of having a full-blown essay. One less thing to worry about today. When I look at my list of responsibilities, it strikes me that in 100 years, no one will know or care whether I do any of these. Probably not a fair standard for stack-ranking one’s priorities, but it is sobering. And it highlights that everything will be just fine regardless of when I can get these things done.
I’m feeling better than I felt last week, but it will be many days before I feel like this illness has completely left my system. Like a bad roommate, I can’t wait for it to move out. It’s nice to hear the birds sing. Spring is here.
Sunday Supper
Sweet Lori cooked a lot of my get-well-soon meal ideas in last week’s post. It was all delicious, and as healing as I expected. My cold imposes a tax on her, too, in terms of having less help walking the dog, cooking our food and generally getting things done around here. I’m going to stick with simple and comforting recipes this week. Like this Paprika Chicken & Potatoes. Dill Pickle Salt & Vinegar Salad sounds bright and interesting. Roasted Sweet Potatoes Topped w/ Spiced Ground Beef & Pine Nuts. Sausage & Leek Casserole.
Sunday Music
I once fell asleep at an Alan Holdsworth concert. Sensory overload? Perhaps, but I was also tired…it was a weeknight show and I had a full day at the office. This uniquely talented British musician passed away nine years ago, but here is a set he delivered 20 years ago at Yoshi’s Jazz Club. Here Steve Earle performs a brief set at Lucinda’s in NYC. Madi Diaz recently appeared at the NPR Tiny Desk. Jennifer Hudson recently performed A Change Is Gonna Come at the celebration of life for the recently departed Reverend Jesse Jackson. Who can forget this truly amusing cameo of Reverend Jackson’s on Saturday Night Live so many years ago? Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
Spring Cold
I hate being under the weather, but it came at a pretty good time.
The natural world is waking up after the cold winter. Lots of birds were singing this week when I took Rosie for her morning walk. The hawk shrieks often from its perch high up in a nearby sycamore tree. I heard the first spring peepers of the year as I pulled out of Ray Ray’s Friday night.
Having run a winter gauntlet that included lots of time in airports and on airplanes, it was impossible to not notice the fact that I had not yet caught a cold this winter season. So when I started to feel that tickle in my throat Thursday evening, I said to myself “OK, I guess that I’m due for this.”
It really couldn’t have been timed any better. My Friday calendar was light. Lori and Frederick were away, laying the groundwork for his relocation to a new town. So, I counted my good fortune to have a cold hit me when it was relatively easy to slow down, and let my body’s immune system do what it needed to do.
I rarely watch much television. But I was able to finish the second season of Andor (very good, a bit on-the-nose with current events), and catch some of the latest episodes of The Pitt. Chris Fleming’s first stand-up comedy special on HBO caught me completely off-guard, it had me howling with laughter.
I tried the Mississippi Pot Roast from Harvest Pizza Saturday night, and it delivered the exact type of comfort food culinary hug that that this under-the-weather boy needed. Never in a hundred years would I have expected to see this type of item on the menu of a pizza restaurant, yet there it is and it is delicious.
Sunday Supper
Consider this an aspirational list of get-well-soon recipes. I won’t be cooking this weekend, but this Ginger Chicken w/ Rice Soup looks delicious and healing. This Loaded Breakfast Casserole w/ Hash Brown Crust is hearty. Rigatoni w/ White Bolognese. These Reuben Pinwheels would be nice for St. Patty’s Day on the 17th.
Sunday Music
De La Soul has finally landed at the NPR Tiny Desk, and it is good. Hozier & Lake Street Dive performed “With A Little Help From My Friends” on The Late Show this past week. Sting recently performed a concert at the Rijksmueum in Amsterdam. And here is Sarah Vaughan performing in Copenhagen the year I was born. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
Hands, Head & Heart
Everyone can be an artist.
I came across this Instagram post this week, which says “This is my favorite quote from Marco Pierre White: A person who works with their hands is a laborer. A person that works with their hands and their brain is a craftsman. A person that works with their hands, their brain and their heart is an artist. Be an artist.”
Marco Pierre White is a British chef who has been dubbed both as “the first celebrity chef” and the enfant terrible of the British restaurant scene. White was the first British chef (and, at the age of 33, the youngest chef) to earn three Michelin stars. He maintained this standard for many years, but in 1999 chose to retire and return the Michelin stars.
At the time he said this: “I was being judged by people who had less knowledge than me, so what was it truly worth? I gave Michelin inspectors too much respect, and I belittled myself. I had three options: I could be a prisoner of my world and continue to work six days a week, I could live a lie and charge high prices and not be behind the stove or I could give my stars back, spend time with my children and re-invent myself.”
I celebrate White’s reinvention, and enjoy following him on Instagram. His views on cooking and life overlap with mine quite well.
America is back in the regime change business. (Or at least Donald Trump is, and we gave him control of the military.)
This past week the Department of War put Scouting America under the microscope. Rumor has it that they will soon be adding a Kegstand merit badge to appease Secretary Hegseth.
Sunday Supper
We enjoyed a Greek-themed meal with friends last night that included these Lamb Chops, this Greek Salad, and these Butterbeans. It was wonderful. In the week ahead, this Chicken & White Bean Stew offers a strong start, and this Roasted Cabbage Salad W/ Spicy Lime Dressing is intriguing.
Sunday Music
This set by Immanuel Wilkins at the NPR Tiny Desk is great. I had never seen this old clip of Miles Davis performing with Prince. Yebba joins Robert Glasper on Austin City Limits. The late, great Stevie Ray Vaughn performing Voodoo Child in 1985. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
Oh, Right
It finally occurred to me why I’ve been struggling to find essay topics.
Our younger son celebrated his 23rd birthday yesterday. What a treat to have him at home for it. In the next few weeks he will be relocating to another city to begin his career. A cozy night of watching Netflix and eating takeout from Peony Bistro with him was just perfect.
Usually around Thursday of each week, I begin combing my brain for potential essay topics. As I have mentioned previously, landing on a good topic has increasingly become more difficult. Initially I wrote this off to the polarizing times we live in, and my general reluctance to wade into territory that might be viewed as politically partisan.
This week I finally realized the root cause of the issue: I simply have been making less time for personal reflection and cultural exploration.
In terms of reflection, the time I spend walking the dog and the time I spend cooking have both significantly reduced over the past two years - and all sorts of thoughts and ideas typically bubble up when engaged in these activities.
It is a relief to finally figure this out. I thought I had run out of things to say, but it turns out I simply haven’t been filling the mental “cup” that I draw from when it is time to write. As my EOS practice has grown, I have had to share more and more of the dog walking and cooking duties with Lori. I’m simply away from home more often - and spending less time alone with my thoughts.
On the cultural side, I’m consuming far less news. Striking the balance between being an informed citizen and being a news junkie has never been more challenging (for me, at least). Much of the news simply makes me feel bad, so I avoid it. We no longer have cable television (or its Google TV counterpart) - so a big chunk of American culture is no longer a frame of reference for me. Despite there being more and more “content” produced in the world, I find less and less of it compelling. So I read books - cultural stories enter my mind at a lower download speed than they used to.
Less inputs (time, reflection, cultural immersion) make it harder to create output in essay form. So, for now at least, I consider myself to be “off the hook” - not obligated to write things that meet my past standard. My life has changed, so my essays will need to change as well. This doesn’t mean that I won’t sometimes “go deep” when I bump into inspiration. But I’ve been bumping into it less often, and this is likely to continue for a while.
I’m more than happy to remain “on the hook,” and will continue to publish a weekly post - if only to share recipes and music selections. But I’m not going to force the essay. As has often been said around the dinner table growing up, “You’ll get what you get and you won’t throw a fit.”
Sunday Supper
This Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin w/ Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli is going to be on of the dishes I prepare today for the week ahead. A good old Cobb Salad never hurt anyone. How about some Salmon Lettuce Wraps?
Sunday Music
Ms. Jill Scott made to the NPR Tiny Desk last week. Here St.Paul & The Broken Bones performs Sushi and Coca Cola. Sip some coffee this Sunday morning and soak up this Jazz Vinyl Set. Here is a full live concert featuring Oscar Peterson & Ben Webster. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
AI Keeps Coming
A recent essay by an industry insider suggests we are on the cusp of major disruption.
A New York City-based entrepreneur and technologist named Matt Shumer posted this essay to x.com (formerly Twitter) this week, and it has caused quite a stir.
He starts by reminding the reader of how things felt a few weeks before the COVID shutdown. How some of us started to hear whispers of things that were easy to discount, but ultimately proved to be significant. He feels that we are in a similar moment today - only instead of a viral disease ramping up, it is artificial intelligence.
In Shumer’s mind, this is not “an ‘eventually we should talk about this’ moment” - it’s a “this is happening right now and I need you to understand it” moment.
So what does Shumer think we need to understand?
First, is that AI has rendered much of his work as a technician obsolete. Instead of writing code (Shumer has deep programming experience), he is now just a conductor of AI that writes the code. This has multiplied the quantity of his coding output by orders of magnitude - while maintaining higher quality. You may be thinking “I’m not a computer programmer, so what does this have to do with me?” Shumer’s essay lays it out: “Making AI great at coding was the strategy that unlocks everything else. That's why they did it first. My job started changing before yours not because they were targeting software engineers... it was just a side effect of where they chose to aim first.”
Second, for those who have only dabbled with AI tools and are thinking “I tried it and it wasn’t that good” Shumer points out that most people are playing around with much older versions of AI (typically the no-cost versions) - and these are not reflective of AI’s current capabilities.
He also points out that by focusing AI on refining itself, the pace of improvement is going parabolic. Whatever experiences you have had with AI, they probably do not represent current reality - and AI’s capabilities are advancing much more rapidly than we are used to seeing happen. Consider this progression: “In 2022, AI couldn’t do basic arithmetic. By 2023, it could pass the bar exam. By 2024, it could write working software and explain graduate-level science. By late 2025, some of the best engineers in the world said they had handed over most of their coding to AI. On February 5th, 2026, new models arrived that made everything before them feel like a different era.”
So now that AI developers have turned AI into this recursively improving tool and essentially eliminated their own jobs as computer programmers, what segment of the workforce might be displaced next? Shumer sees the following knowledge work being capably handled by AI, at scale and very soon: Legal work, Financial analysis, Writing, Medical analysis, and Customer Service. He points out “If your job isn't mentioned here, that does not mean it's safe. Almost all knowledge work is being affected.”
So, AI is here and its effects are both srengthening and spreading rapidly. How do we respond to this? Shumer suggests the following posture:
Get good at working with AI - not the free versions, but pay to start experiencing what the latest versions can do for you today. And don’t just ask it questions - find work for it to do for you. Become the conductor of AI work product.
Drop your ego. The paradigm is shifting, don’t sit in a state of denial that everyone’s worlds aren’t being turned upside down. Stay open and receptive to this rapidly evolving world.
Get your financial house in order. Real disruption to markets is possible. Build up some savings, think twice about taking on any new debt right now. Give yourself options if things progress faster than you expect.
Lean in to what is hardest to replace. Relationships will probably matter even more, roles with licensed accountability will have more stability, industries with heavy regulatory hurdles may offer a safe haven, for a while.
Think big. Disruption creates opportunity. Don’t just play defense, start to brainstorm ways that you can use AI to create something that was previously out of reach to you (due to lack of technical skill).
Build the habit of adapting. Adaptation is a meta-skill that is almost certainly essential in this ever more rapidly changing world. Embrace it.
Time will tell just how prescient Shumer’s essay is. It’s hard for me to think that he is not directionally correct, even if some details play out differently than he imagines.
Sunday Supper
This Pork Tenderloin w/ Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Oregano Vinaigrette looks sturdy and satisfying. So do these Marsala Chicken Meatballs. This Red Cabbage Glazed w/ Maple Syrup would go well with some nice sausage. The rich simplicity of Cacio e Pepe never disappoints.
Sunday Music
Sarah McLachlan visited the NPR Tiny Desk this week. Jill Scott recently performed at Noochie’s Front Porch. Yissy García & Bandancha contributed their talents to Black Room Sessions. And here the Iván "Melón" Lewis Piano Trio performs Cuban Classics from the 1950s. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
The Good Guys
Taking action beats ruminating.
This time last week I was pretty stuck - unable to get my mind off of the situation in Minneapolis, wondering how Central Ohio would respond should ICE bring such behavior here. I almost wrote a checklist for how we should be preparing for that possibility. But then I started wondering just how smart that would be - both in terms of strategic effectiveness and personal security.
Was it un-American to think and prepare for ICE’s arrival? Would I become a target for government harassment? Just how discrete must people be to prepare their support for vulnerable members of the community? I will admit that I lost some sleep pondering these things.
It eventually dawned on me that I couldn’t be the only person thinking along these lines, and I was able to make a few calls to some local leaders around Central Ohio, which confirmed my suspicion.
It felt good to learn that I was not alone in my thinking. It feels good to know that there are lots of people ready to take action to preserve the constitutional rights that ICE seems so willing to trample. I’ll leave it there - people in Columbus and elsewhere are watching and learning from Minneapolis, and are making plans for how to lawfully respond to similar circumstances should they arise in our part of the world.
As Mark Twain once wrote “I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.” I certainly hope that my latest batch of fears and concerns are never realized. But if they are, it is comforting to know that preparation is underway that is designed to mitigate the negative impact on our local communities.
The world is dynamic. No plan is perfect, and it would not be fun to host an ICE convention in Columbus. But I slept better last night knowing that we were unlikely to be caught flat-footed.
It was also easier to sleep knowing that I wouldn’t have to shovel snow these last few days - Lori and I snuck away to Phoenix, where the sun was bright, the enchiladas spicy, and the pizzas at Pizzeria Bianco were everything I expected when watching this restaurant featured in Netflix’s Chef’s Table series. It was the perfect way to recharge during this stout winter we’ve been having.
Oh, yeah - one more unique experience we had this week: we took a couple of rides in Waymo robo-taxis. Completely driverless, they felt entirely safe. The system did have a hiccup when dropping us off at a restaurant - it seemed confused by some pylons that directed traffic for “Valet Vehicles” and “Through Traffic.” But it learns from every single hiccup, and doesn’t make the same mistake twice. If only we could do that ourselves.
Sunday Supper
This Pineapple Chicken will warm you up. This Fish Chowder offers a nice warm hug on a cold winter’s night. These Buffalo Blue Cheese Deviled Eggs could be good football food for tonight’s game - or these Totchos.
Sunday Music
Check out this performance by Matteo Mancuso at the Montreal Jazz Festival last year. Here’s Dawes performing Crack The Case live at WFUV. Here is John P. See & New Life performing NPR’s Tiny Desk. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
Coming Up Short
None of my thinking and writing cleared “the bar” of shareability this week. But here are plenty of recipes and music recommendations.
Here it is, 8:25am - five minutes before my weekly essays normally post. And I’ve got nothing to share this week.
It’s not that I don’t have ideas. I honored my normal routine of reflection, research and writing this week. Not a ton of hours, but typically enough to crystallize something that I feel compelled to share. But not today. Nothing that I’ve been working on clears the bar of shareability. It won’t surprise regular readers to hear that I’m hung up on serious topics - topics that can’t be distilled into 500 - 800 words in any kind of useful or satisfying way. I don’t know if or when I will release a longer essay to accomodate what’s on my mind - or whether I will land on a more fun-sized idea to share.
To quote a friend who often said this, “It is what it is.” I really don’t like this quote…maybe I should write an essay exploring why I feel this way. Nevertheless, it applies here. No essay…but I can still share some recipe and music recommendations.
Sunday Supper
Lori and I have been researching Thai flavors, in preparation for hosting a group on Valentine’s Day for dinner. We intend to do an homage to Eem, one of the best restaurants we have experienced in the last few years - they fuse Thai curries with Texas BBQ in really interesting and impactful ways. So here are a number of recipes we’ve been testing to prepare for that meal: Charred Pineapple Zombie, Crispy Veggie Spring Rolls, Thai Fried Rice, Thai Green Curry, Thai Carrot Salad w/ Curried Cashews, Peach Cardamom Cobbler.
Sunday Music
Here’s Ollella at the NPR Tiny Desk. This Groovy Jazz Studio Session is fun. Here the Toy Factory Project delivers a great cover of the Marshal Tucker Band’s Can’t You See. And here is Lady Gaga covering a Fred Rogers classic. Lastly here is one hour of Persian-influenced Jazz. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
Pardon Power
Unlimited get-out-of-jail-free cards are bad for democracy.
Wednesday morning while walking the dog, Lori saw that a male deer had caught its antlers in the netting that hangs at the back of the driving range at the Denison Golf Club, and it was struggling mightily to free itself. I jogged across the street to see for myself, and realized that the animal was in serious jeopardy. So I went back to the house, grabbed the sharpest paring knife I could find, and jogged back through the parking lot of St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church, as it was the straightest path to the trapped beast. As I approached, its struggles increased, hindquarters swinging around quickly when it reached the end of the snarled netting’s length.
I did not see any way that seemed remotely safe to single-handedly free the buck. Then a man from the church came up, and soon thereafter a Hittle Electric truck pulled up and two more men climbed out (one carrying an electric Sawzall-type device. These three men were able to grab the netting and pull the buck toward them - while keeping one of the support poles between themselves and the deer as it drew closer. The man with the Sawzall was able to cut a fair amount of the netting away, but the noise of the device agitated the deer. With the animal almost free the man who had been primarily restraining the buck was running out of strength. As the deer started to get lively again, the man asked me to step in and try to cut the last of the netting before he had to give up his effort. Thankfully, I was able to cut the last few strands and free the deer. It was pretty exhausted, and may have been too stressed to survive in the days ahead. But at least we gave it a chance at life. If we hadn’t freed it, the Granville Police were preparing to put it out of its misery by dispatching it with a gun.
Being “on the hook” to write an essay each week means that sometimes I struggle to find an interesting topic or theme to explore. As often as not these days, my struggle is to resist the urge to comment on the news of the day. I’ve done a good job of curating the quality and limiting the quantity of news that I take in, but one would have to be living under a rock to be unaware of the multiple killings of Minneapolis residents in the past couple of weeks by ICE agents. These killings sicken me.
I believe that ICE agents are regularly breaking laws with their actions - not just in their use of lethal force, but in their invasion of homes, their damage of property, and their assault and detainment of U.S. citizens. And I would suggest that these ICE agents are acting with impunity for one simple reason - they believe that Donald Trump will pardon them if they are ever convicted of federal crimes. In short, their actions can’t be illegal if they are being taken in service to the President, right?
It’s possible they have received verbal assurances to this effect. Such assurances really aren’t necessary, though. Donald Trump has already issued blanket clemency to nearly 1,600 people convicted of crimes related to the January 6th, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol building. It wouldn’t surprise me if some of the ICE agents in Minneapolis are among those that were exonerated.
All of this is to say that we have given the office of the U.S. Presidency power that we never believed would be used in the way it is being used today. So I would like to see some limits placed on the Presidential pardon power.
The people in the sub-zero streets of Minneapolis exercising their 1st Amendment rights to free speech are like those three men and me on Wednesday. They’ve gone outside to see if they can help correct something that should absolutely not be happening. And some of them have paid with their lives.
It’s hard to hold a criminal accountable if you cannot identify them. ICE agents wear masks, and the Department of Justice is doing everything it can to protect the anonymity of the agents involved in killing those U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.
Masks + Dept. of Justice abetting the crime + a President willing to pardon anyone who does his bidding = a recipe for abuse of federal power. It is the biggest threat to democracy I have ever witnessed.
I have plenty more thoughts regarding the motives behind this ICE activity and the most likely chain reaction of more horrible events that may occur, but this is enough for today.
I believe that our democracy will hold, because most of us are inclined to stop what we are doing and work together to help a struggling deer.
Sunday Supper
This One-Pot Cabbage Roll Soup caught my eye this week. Slow Cooker Butter Chicken sounds nice. This Winter Salad looks sturdy, and satisfying. And if you can get out of your driveway to buy the ingredients, this Pistachio White Hot Chocolate would be nice to sip while you read a book this Sunday.
Sunday Music
Here’s Guitarricadelafuente at the NPR Tiny Desk. Chance The Rapper, at a recent appearance on The Late Show, with Stephen Colbert. Madison Cunningham, performing “Wake” live in Boise recently. We lost Bob Weir recently. Here is his performance at the NPR Tiny Desk about five years ago. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
Recipes & Dishes
Shortcuts are tempting, but focus on learning the foundational principles.
I have found a new podcast that I like, and am happy to share it with you now: Dialectic, which features long-form interviews led by Jackson Dahl with original people, across technology, media, business, and creativity. Earlier this week, in this conversation with philosopher C. Thi Nguyen, a metaphor arose that is my focus this essay. It is this: the distinction between Recipes and Dishes.
Food writer John Thorne is attributed with identifying this distinction. He says a recipe is a dead thing, a writing down of how something was made by someone once. And a dish is a live thing, an idea of balance in a creative cook’s head that gets remade anew each time. Creative cooks who are making dishes are typically better cooks.
It would be easy to interpret this observation as a judgment of recipes as being inferior. I do not embrace this interpretation, though I do agree with the distinction between recipes and dishes. I think that recipes play an important role in developing cooks. Countless are the times that I have sought out the perfect recipe, with the intention of creating the platonic ideal of a meal for friends and family. Cooking enough good recipes gives cooks the opportunity to learn the foundational principles underpinning them. It is the application of these principles that allows a cook to produce a Dish. Some of the best food I have ever made was done as improvisation, taking what was on hand and making it delicious by applying the principles I had gleaned from cooking good recipes over the years.
We often are eager to simply cut to the chase. Give me the outcome! Instead of reading the book, we choose to read the synopsis. Instead of building wealth by creating value for others, we play the lottery, or run a scam. Instead of using our immense power and influence to create lasting peace in the world, we accept someone else’s peace prize and hang it on our wall.
We lose sight of the value of the journey to the outcome. We must cook a lot of recipes before our dishes are consistently delicious. We must read a lot of books before we can write something compelling. We must serve others to build our net worth and our reputation.
The process of skill refinement, even if we never end up more than average, is valuable in and of itself. Pick a journey that looks interesting, and take the first step. Get in the weeds, dig into the nitty-gritty, and occasionally climb a tree to gain a higher-level perspective. Make sure the journey continues to be the right one for you. And just keep acquiring a deep understanding of foundational principles. It will serve you well.
Tangent: We were served extremely well by the staff at Agni Friday night. It was our first visit, to celebrate Frederick’s recent graduation from Case Western University. The tasting menu is pricey, but worth it. Consider it for your next milestone celebration. (Insider tip - if you can get a seat at the bar, the bar menu is fantastic and easier on your wallet.)
Sunday Supper
This Salmon w/ Braised Lentils will keep me on-track with my post-holiday dietary intentions. So too will these Chicken Pesto Meatballs. Teriyaki Tofu Bowls w/ Kimchi Mayo sound great. And these Breakfast Burritos look like a good way to start my day.
Sunday Music
Dolly Parton leads us forward with some of her friends in this rendition of Light Of A Clear Blue Morning. Here are the Jazzbois at the Village Underground London from this past November. Check out these kids who showed up at the NPR Tiny Desk. Lastly, here is Ana Vidovic performing classical guitar. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,