Think Better. Learn Better. Live Now

How to Run a Marathon With no Training

“You have no idea what your body is capable of. You have no idea what your body is capable of.” It was lap 60 out of 105, and I’d already run twice as far as I ever had in my entire life. If I moved my legs in any direction other than forward, a pain shot through my hips down into my knee that felt like the tendon was cramping…

A Short Reflection on Two Months Living in a Car

I’ve spent the last two months living on a free campground in West Virginia’s Fayette and Nicholas counties. At the start of my journey I wrote about why I wanted to move into the woods: “to seek discomfort, reconnect with nature, eliminate distractions, reduce my dependence on modern comforts, face new challenges, meet new people, and live rent-free.” Some of that’s happened, some of it a little less so…

Dumplings in Chili Oil
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  • "'So why does our writing matter, again?’ they ask. Because of the spirit, I say. Because of the host. Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul."

    Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

  • “So this, I believe, is the central question upon which all creative living hinges: Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you?”

    Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

  • "The artless art is the art of the soul at peace, like moonlight mirrored in a deep lake. The ultimate aim of the artist is to use his daily activity to become a past master of life, and so lay hold of the art of living. Masters in all branches of art must first be masters of living, for the soul creates everything."

    Bruce Lee, The Tao of Jeet Kune Do

  • "The shudder of vulnerability that accompanies joy is an invitation to practice gratitude, to acknowledge how truly grateful we are for the person, the beauty, the connection, or simply the moment before us."

    Brené Brown, Daring Greatly

  • "I always remember the regent's axiom: a leader, he said, is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind."

    Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom