Going Alone

I took our sick dog Ollie to the doggie E.R. yesterday. The visit was a costly, though worthwhile expense, for Ollie's sake, as well as...

I have such a small and precious set of values - objectives and principles to guide my life. So very few. Each one is precious to me, as...

I wonder how far down the tree of life consciousness goes? Like us, dogs are clearly aware of themselves relative to the world, and can...

How best might I prove myself wrong? I have this suspicion, not quite yet a belief perhaps, that free will is an illusion. How can I...

It is a difficult thing to wipe my glasses while doing nothing else. My mind, my deep and inner mind, knows how to do this chore without...

I swam yesterday in the sea. I swam possibly too far yesterday in the sea, as I am today quite worn and spent. I expect that this is a...

It is said that good actions are their own reward; bearing an immediate and lasting fruit of nearly tangible well-being unto at least the...

Emotions are a curious thing to ride upon. They jump and jostle and jolt and then rest, before picking up again and tossing all about. As...

Who knew becoming empty-nesters was so painful? Surely, neither Yumiko or I did. And who knew how fast the sense of absence and loss...

July 11th, 2020 was the last day our daughter lived at home with Yumiko and me. Emily has been with us a long time, since November 25th,...

All memorable events, I should say, transpire in the morning time and in morning atmosphere. -Henry David Thoreau There is a season in...

I believe that Yumiko and I are as prepared for our new life together as we might hope to be. With our daughter leaving us this coming...

Yumiko and I watched a movie last night called Ad Aster, starring Brad Pitt and Tommy Lee Jones. We enjoyed the film, which is a science...

Next week, our daughter Emily will leave us. As a family, on Saturday, July 11th, we will spend a day moving her few things to an...

The arrival of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is an opportunity to exercise the Stoic virtue of Apathy in the face of what we cannot easily...

November 4, 2019 Dear Eric, I have noticed a new trend in my thinking and writing... I've been coming upon the theme of fire often. Not...

October 30, 2019 Dear Eric, Both joy and suffering can yield the same sweet harvest if we know how to winnow the chaff from the grain....

October 29, 2019 Dear Eric, I'd like to tell you the tale of my falling, and my recovery. It's a good tale. And most of us have such a...

October 28, 2019 Dear Eric, When we are young there are many who hear; though as we age there seem fewer to listen. There is something...

How much distance do we travel when we stand still? How far and fast do we go while asleep in our beds? And how hasty our journey even...