When I was in elementary school, I earned the responsibility of serving as a crosswalk safety captain. I wore a white strap around my...

“I used to be the one who organized everything.  The group chats. The dinner parties. The person who remembered everyone’s birthdays and showed up with the right bottle of [wine] and stayed until the end.  I had so much energy for people.  And, then, gradually, I didn’t” (Vanessa Van Edwards, 3/26/26 subscriber newsletter, https://www.scienceofpeople.com/ ). Does this description resonate with you?  I thought I was the only one that observed this in myself.  But, according t

Thank you for stopping scrolling to read this parable.  I hope it brings a smile to your face and leaves you something to think about. Last year, my brother Alan turned 60; to commemorate this auspicious occasion, I wrote this story with illustrations done by his oldest son.  It was a fun collaboration.  The hardback book, Alan and the Brussels Sprout , is not available to the public; so, I’m sharing it here because it turned out to be a parable that highlights several unive

To everyone reading this post, I am asking are you will participate in an interview for the book I’m writing?  The book is for people who have deconstructed traditional religion or who are in the process of deconstructing and are asking themselves, “So, what’s next?” Not everyone who deconstructs their religion becomes an agnostic or an atheist; many people who  have deconstructed resonate with the phrase, ‘spiritual, not religious.’  The ‘what’s next’ may be redefining, reim

[This is an updated & revised post from 2024.] I’m a believer in what I choose to think guides my life.  If I choose to embrace anger and resentment, I’ll create the more anger and resentment.  If I choose peaceful thoughts, my life will be more peaceful. If I choose to see the right rather than the wrong, I’ll attract more of the right.  Geneen Roth, writer / teacher, muses in the 09/25/24 Super Soul  podcast, ”…people think all the time about what's going wrong. Let's look

On February 20, 2026, I celebrate my 70th birthday.  I guess I can’t claim to be ‘middle aged’ anymore because it’s unlikely I’ll live to be 140.  But, I only feel 70 in my left knee, right hip, and back.  So, what’s in between middle age and old age? Here’s how I look at it: the triple-archetype of a woman’s life is the know-nothing Maiden, next the Mother (and this doesn’t have to be a physical mother; it can be the fertile time of building identity/career and honing passio

“Who am I? That’s a million-dollar question.” – Avril Lavigne “I’m not broken, just bent.” – Johnny Cash " No me importa lo que digan, yo soy feliz así ." (I don't care what they say, I'm happy this way.) Bad Bunny “I used to think I needed someone else to complete me, now I know I complete me.” – Demi Lovato “This is me trying.” – Taylor Swift “I’m figuring out who I’m supposed to be.” – Olivia Rodrigo “I can let go now, I don’t need you anymore.” – Sia “I’m not holding on,

I’m not a fan of the slogan “Make America Great Again” for a myriad of reasons: America was never ‘great’ for everyone; the past is gone for a reason; resurrecting what had worked in former eras is like reanimating a corpse - it doesn’t come back like it had been or like you wish. The “good old days” may be better in your memories of them than they actually were; that’s nostalgia, but that wistful affection for by-gone days is just the spin you choose for the memories. What a

Be honest.  How many of you read the title of this essay/blog post and rolled your eyes?  I invite you to keep an open mind and continue reading. Joanna Woolfold shares in her book, The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need, “Astrology has been described as a stairway leading into your deeper self. It holds out the promise that you do not have to pass through life reacting blindly to experience, that you can, within limits, direct your own destiny and in the process reach a tr

We all know that civilizations rise and fall.  They follow similar patterns, a cycle that describes its predictable rise, peak, and fall, moving through stages like growth, expansion, stability, decline (complacency, corruption, apathy), crisis (infighting, instability, elite overproduction, warfare), and eventual collapse, then transformation into a new form. Think of the civilizations throughout history that have collapsed; here are a few: Maya, Indus Valley, Akkadian Empir

Being a lifelong learner gives us advantages. How do we move through life each day, each week, each month, even when chaos seems to envelop us and the world seems to crashing around us?   Three key aspects make the journey meaningful: learning new things, slowing down to make the most of each moment, and acknowledging appreciation for what we already have.  This week’s blog topic is about identifying what we want to learn this year; it is an updated version of a topic explor

Happy 2026 “It may occur that a [writer]has already printed something on the identical subject - great minds think alike, you know” (Carl Theodor von Unlanski from The Woeful History Of The Unfortunate Eudoxia , 1816). And, I’m reminded of this observation: “There is nothing new under the sun” (King Solomon, Ecclesiastes 1:9 of the Christian bible). When I wrote the working title for this essay, I didn’t know that the title was already published by Marvin Liao on SubStack e

[Since this is the perfect time to consider what to commit to in the coming year, I’m updating and republishing this post from its first publication in March 2022.] Why do short-term experiments work well when resolutions often fail to stick? A new year will soon be born this week, full of unexpected pleasures and challenges, full of potential, full of opportunities to live the life we want. How many of us make New Year’s resolutions? If you have ever made resolutions, how d

“Should you start bursting popular myths or should you let the people believe that which maybe they're just hearsay?” (Anonymous, https://quotelers.com/topics/48360-myth-busting ).  How many myths have we taken as truth because our parents, teachers, preachers, the culture have repeated them over the decades, centuries?   This week, we’ll explore bursting a few of these myths because being informed and honest about what is and isn’t truth makes us better thinking people. Here

"The words ‘question’ and ‘quest’ are cognates. Only through inquiry can we discover truth” (Sagan 365). In Part I of this series, Metaphysical Moments, I discussed the definition of ‘Metaphysics’, of what it is and of what it is not. In Part II, I continued highlighting Metaphysical aspects by examining Metaphysical Universal Principles. Part III looked at what ‘deconstruction’ is and lay the groundwork for how Metaphysical practices and principles can transmute traditional

“I used to have all the answers—chapter and verse. Now I’m happily uncertain and enjoying the wonder and mystery of life” (Harris n.p.). Joshua Harris was a popular young evangelical Christian pastor and author of the book that  allegedly damaged some people by pushing the religious ‘purity culture’: I Kissed Dating Goodbye, published in 1997.  By July 2019, Mr. Harris began to publicly deconstruct Christian religious dogma from his life and proclaimed he was no longer ident

“There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies.  My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness” (The Dalai Lama). During Part I of looking at Metaphysics, I shared the definition of ‘Metaphysics’, of what it is and of what it is not. This week’s post continues highlighting Metaphysical aspects by examining Metaphysical Universal Principles.  Some claim there are 7 Universal Laws; others claim there are 12 or 33.  I lean toward minimalis

For the next few weeks, my posts will discuss aspects of Metaphysics.  This week focuses on the basics of Metaphysics, its etymology, definition, what it is, and what it’s not. I recently earned my PhD in Metaphysical Sciences, so this is a topic I’m passionate about; I hope you are interested too or are curious to find out more. I began my study of Metaphysics when I deconstructed the religion I was indoctrinated into.  It took decades to pull apart, examine, and question e

[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAn-AWXtHv0 ] What if all millionaires and billionaires were philanthropists to make a difference in the lives of millions of people? What if everyone, every corporation, and every religious organization paid their fair share of taxes to benefit all of us? What if being thin, physically appealing, and not being seem as a “host body” weren't considered important for women to be valued? What if the patriarchy dissolved and society didn’t favor

(a longer than usual blog post because it's a critical issue) Do you take education for granted?  Do you value education?  Do you not see the merit in being educated? When people and countries don’t focus on education for everyone, the effects are longterm.  I’m not referring to just higher education, such as what universities provide, or to just trade schools where employable skills are learned. And, I’m not simply referring to going through compulsory 1-12 years of educa