Traditions
The winding down of the holidays doesn’t involve the same excitement as the run up to them. The ornaments are packed away, the tree will soon be on the curb for the Boy Scouts to cart away. But it’s a great time…
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Saying No
When I pack for a backpacking trip, I’m pretty darned good at saying ‘No’. To head out with a sub-5 lb. base weight, a lot of ‘No’ is required. And the light weight gained by saying ‘No’ so many times means I…
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Pain and Growth
My habit in the mornings is to spend time reading my bible and some additional devotionals, meditating and praying. And usually practicing Italian and French, although I’m currently in a slacker season on that particular item. One of the additional texts I…
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Signs of the Times
I tried to get my buddy Brendan Leonard to write about this, but now that he’s being routinely quoted in the New York Times, he’s too busy. It’s not easy being an engineer (or being married to one, as Francie will attest). You…
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Leaving a Legacy
Four years ago next week, my mom Claire Louise Bateman passed away. At 86, she was reasonably heathy and active, always busy in her extensive gardens in the summer, shoveling her own snow in the winter. The sole complication in her life…
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The Person We See
Today is our anniversary… not our real anniversary, but our monthly observance that we call Anniversary Date Night, or ADN for short. I’ve written on various relationship hacks I’ve developed over the years, in Tips from an Old Married Guy, based on…
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‘Best by’ Date
We just returned from a meandering road trip in Wally, and I’m getting ready for a backpacking trip in Emigrant Wilderness, north of Yosemite. As part of that trip preparation, I was getting food together. I know from long experience that for me, 1.4…
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Am I the Only One Who Can Do This?
I spent the last two weeks in Iceland, walking and eating and talking with a diverse group of very successful people. The creator of the trip, and the common connection to all of us, was John Mackey. He loves to get his…
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A Life That Matters
I turned 66 this week. Birthdays don’t normally cause any particular reflection… I’ve had a lot of them at this point, and I’ve got reflection built into my life, so birthdays aren’t a trigger for that. But this year, there was…
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The Science of Uncertainty
My dad, though a man of few words, has given me some great advice over the years. One such pieces of advice was “You always end up getting paid what you’re worth. If you want to be paid more, figure out how…
