I am 60 years old. Well, maybe. I was born on March 9, 1962 sometime in the early morning hours, so I might still be 59. But it’s imminent. It’s 4:30am and I just got up to pee. That’s what we men of a certain age do between 2am and the time when you 50-something …
The German author, Eckhart Tolle, refers to a state he calls “the emotional pain body.” This is a highly dysregulated state when intense feeling overrides our ability to regulate our central nervous system and function properly. In this state, our frontal cortex shuts down, our amygdala starts flapping like mad and we feel stuck. When …
Today is our first full day in Weaverville, NC where we plan to spend a good portion of March. We are 15 minutes north of Asheville in a mountain lover’s paradise, 2500 ft above sea level. According to my friends who know the area, there are loads of “must-see” towns and hikes within an hour’s …
A few nights ago, I picked up my guitar for the first time in one month. Over the course of the trip, I have not felt like playing, singing or writing. That’s changing. In March, Beth and I are hosting 4 metta (Loving Kindness) evenings with meditation and songs of peace. Last Monday, we did …
Since the pandemic began and our children’s music career crashed, we have been reliant on a combination of Beth’s virtual yoga classes, some gigs, unemployment insurance, and SBA loans. Now that the safety net has rightly disappeared (for us) we’ve been almost exclusively depending on Beth, our family breadwinner. I am deeply grateful for her …
Pine Lake Campground Bishop, Georgia In my life, I’ve often heard or read about people falling in love with a place. “Oh, I just looooove Florence!” or “Our special place is Disneyworld!” I have to admit, I’ve always felt some envy of these folks. It reminds me of the people who collect stamps, civil war …
We just setup in the nicest campground I’ve ever seen in Bishop, GA. It’s called Pine Lake Campgrounds. We’ll definitely take some more photos to share with ya’ll. Yes, you cannot help but say “ya’ll” when south of Maryland. And as our daughter, Helen, says, “it’s really a perfect word and so much better than …
The capital of South Carolina, home to the University by the same name, is a pleasant city. It reminds us of White Plains, New York – but so do many of the mid-sized cities we’ve seen on this trip. A city of this size reminds me of Goldilocks’ perfect chow, chair or bed – neither …
We had a great time at the Bluffton, SC farmers’ market yesterday. Beautiful breads, produce, flowers, and more for sale as well as paella, ham and cheese croissants and roasted chicken as options for lunch. Plus, some of the best and richest homemade dessert we’ve had the whole trip. Best of all, a conversation Scott …
We have been surrounded by sweet gum trees and the prickly little balls they drop since we arrived here. They remind me of my childhood back yard where we had one of these trees for years. Wrote a piece about lessons learned from this tree while at a meditation and writing retreat with Dani Shapiro …