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Category: Archives

The full collection of explorations.

The Slightly Longer Route

Published on May 4, 2026

It’s easier than ever to eat food the instant you’re hungry. With drive-thrus, microwaves, and processing—taking short cuts to calories has become the modern day norm. But, this only leads to problems later on (typically) because much of the above is crap. And when you eat crap that has little to no nutritional value, you’ll end up paying in health what you tried to save in dollars and minutes. And the cost of health is worth far more than whatever you think you saved in dollars and minutes.

But, you probably already knew this.

…As did I.

And yet, I still took short cuts for years without any immediate remorse. I would eat microwaved food daily. Default almost immediately to highly processed pretzels and dips whenever hungry. And stock up on frozen meals for my “heartier” options. And it was all just crap, crap, crap.

…Eventually, I started feeling bad enough to actually do something about it.

And so I started cutting things like donuts, pop/soda, and dairy. I started intermittent fasting. I started making fruit and protein packed smoothies…

The part I’m focused on now is cutting the microwave meals. Because even though I buy stuff that’s got vegetables and good protein counts in it, it’s still mostly crap. So I joined a food delivery service that gives me 10ish-minute meal recipes and all the fresh ingredients needed. All ready to go.

My point is this: short-cuts are the modern day norm; but not all short-cuts are created equal.

The ROI of the slightly longer routes can yield a disproportionately large return.

…If you’re not ready to take the long route… At least take the slightly longer one.

Balanced + Mindful > Hard + Miserable and/or Easy + Distracted

Published on May 3, 2026

During a martial arts class I took this morning, the master teaching commented on how important it is to do the hard things in training.

He said, firstly, it keeps you humble. People who skip the hard parts and build skills via short cuts or lazy tactics become arrogant. Their technique never fully tested and not completely earned… leaving them prone to thinking things (I.e. real life application of techniques) are easier than they actually are; than they’ve ever experienced them to be.

And secondly, he said easy doesn’t train the person in full… it maybe only hits one aspect of the mind, body, spirit connection. The example he gave was running on a treadmill while watching TV… it works the body but completely disengages the development of the mind… and the spirit can only be developed when both the mind and body are being challenged together.

The goal, however, isn’t to make exercise and/or training as difficult as possible. This wouldn’t be a good strategy either. It’s simply a reminder to find the medium between these two extremes. Don’t opt for easy+distracted and don’t push to the other extreme of hard+miserable… aim for balanced+mindful.

Focus on the strategy of fully utilizing your mind… to activate your body in an appropriately challenged way… so that the two of them ignite with energy and vibrate the spirit to life and development as well.

The “Fruits” Of Life

Published on May 2, 2026

This weekend I’m participating in a 15+ hour martial arts training camp honoring the legacy of the late, great Professor Remy Amador Presas.

And in the martial arts world, this is how you honor another martial artist’s legacy: by training… by resurfacing their teachings… by sharing the art they helped create with the next generations…

…By actively bringing back to life the “fruits” of their life’s work.

And for those of you out there who have lost someone… maybe use this as a means of mediation: what was the “fruit” of that person’s life? And how can you actively care for those fruits so as to keep them alive? Who might you share these fruits with?

What Happens To Joy And Sorrow Shared…

Published on April 30, 2026

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but take a few minutes to let this Swedish proverb sink into your soul: “Joy shared is doubled, sorrow shared is halved.”

Could there be a more clear reason to invest in community? To initiate conversation and hangouts with family, friends, and acquaintances? To take a chance on strangers in the name of connection?

I believe firmly in estimates of this proverb.

But only if the joy and sorrow shared is with somebody who is aligned with your energy and is willing to “take” and “hold” your joy and sorrow in all of its rawness.

…And in a world where most of what’s shared is virtual and with people who are doom scrolling and too distracted to care one way or another… the in-real-life efforts are more important—and worth more—than ever before.

Look Good, Feel Good?

Published on April 30, 2026

I’ll never forget when somebody criticized a high school friend of mine on her desire to “look good” before playing in soccer games. The criticism being around the idea that she’s going to play a sport and get dirty and sweaty and messy anyway… so why do all of that extra “look good” work before the practices and games?

She replied simply, “When I look good, I feel good. And when I feel good, I play better.”

And it really does play out like that.

When we’re feeling our outfit… we’re also feeling more confident… and our actions reflect that versus what we might’ve done if we were feeling self-conscious and awkward. And better actions, of course, lead to better results and outcomes.

I recognize a similar correlation when it comes to martial arts. The students who take the time to get their uniform right and look sharp also tend to be the students with the sharper technique. And the ones who arrive disheveled, tend to have sloppier technique.

The reminder today is simple: invest a little more time, energy, and/or effort into feeling good. Whether that’s in your appearance, your fit, your workspace, your room, your wellness routine… it’s all correlated. And by investing into the one… you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised to find some positive returns in the other aspects of your life as well.

Trauma-Dumping vs Grief-Sharing

Published on April 28, 2026

An excerpt from Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín: “She thought that he was going to cry; she felt almost guilty that she had handed some of her grief to him, and then she felt close to him for his willingness to take it and hold it, in all its rawness, all its dark confusion.”

It can feel this way. Like guilt when you hand some of your grief to others. Like you burdened them or made them uncomfortable or brought a heaviness to their otherwise bright and cheerful day.

But when you hand some of your grief to those who are willing to take it and help you hold it—in all of its rawness and dark confusion—you’re not burdening them… you’re actually giving them an opportunity. An opportunity to connect deeply with you in a way that would be a burden to try to figure out how to otherwise. Get it?

Because when we’re bright and cheerful, like the sun, we typically connect over what touches the surface: our likes and dislikes; our hobbies and activities; our background and accomplishments…

But when we’re grief-stricken, like the rain, we connect over what seeps below the surface: our emotions and feelings; our morals and values; our life-defining experiences and most significant pains…

Trauma-dumping is a term you might use when somebody pours unsolicited trauma experiences towards a person who is unwilling to take and hold it… who feels uncomfortable… who becomes burdened.

But grief-sharing is not that.

It, in fact, can be one of the most significant relationship deepening experiences that two people ever share.

You Different [Poem]

Published on April 27, 2026

Why can’t I picture your face?
After I just pictured
A life with you

You had exquisite style
Everything intentional
And not one uninteresting thing about you

You were rockin’ this messy, put-together look
Half part class, and a wild second half
Which, woven together, made you different

It’s all still so clear
And the impression you made
Is still pressed upon the pillow of my mind

But your face…
Gone so completely
Like some kind of payback

For walking away too quickly
For not looking more carefully
At every crevice and feature

For not looking more intentionally
Through your windows
Into the home

…I only got to imagine us warming.

P.s. You can read my other poems here.