Category: Thoughts

America is an immigrant country.

We may try to ignore that fact, or dispute it.

But we only do so at our own detriment.

We interweave in a way that makes sense, and yet doesn’t. Every human interaction is a part of a larger ecosystem of connectivity.

We do not operate in a vacuum.

When acting, it should be the very least we can do to consider those who may be affected by those actions.

We live in a time where so much is dedicated to self-optimization.

On its surface, prioritizing our “best life” seems like it should be a benefit.

But what are the costs? Do we beat ourselves up over missing some arbitrary benchmark?

Focusing on relentlessly improving every aspect of life can lead to anxiety, burnout, and a feeling of never being enough. So that’s something to caution against, or least consider before embracing.

Most failures are thought of us negatives. But here, in the start of the year, it’s a reminder that beginning again is just as posisble on any day.

A failure is momentary, and the ability to begin again is possible every time.

Recent reflections have led me to wonder whether there is another way – something between believing what your told and ignoring it completely.

What happened to critical thought? Don’t we use it regularly? So why is it sometimes so difficult to exhibit?

What is the way to Taisan? Continue straight ahead.

My focus for the new year. From the Oxford Dictionary:

re·a·lign·ment

/ˌrēəˈlīnm(ə)nt/

noun

1. the action of changing or restoring something to a different or former position or state.

It sounds simple. Change or restore. An adjustment.

But the act of change, I think most would agree, can certainly be complicated.

And to maintain that for a year… well, that’s why most resolutions fail.

With new things happening so quickly last year, it was often like I was swimming upstream. I’ve moved, started new jobs, and tried to juggle a number of creative projects.

What I realized was that, for starters: There isn’t enough time. But, in an attempt to make it make sense, I looked for systems that could assist me in keeping on top of everything.

And this required building infrastructure.

As I go through this year, I’ll elaborate on them. Omit some, gather others. I need some time to reflect on each individually, and measure how they work for extended periods of time.

For most, 2025 was another in a line of several unusual years. It seems that since the pandemic, each year brings new challenges, new opportunities, and new …

As I work on my Year-In-Review, it occurs to me that I’ve allowed this blog to sit fallow, which I suppose was partly because I’d been looking for something to say.

How do we talk? What do we say? The climate is incendiary, and maybe we’re failing to rise to the occasion.

That is to say, none of us really know what we’re doing. And that’s my starting point.

Happy new year.

If everyone was efficient all the time, they would be nothing different about about anyone.

No diversity. No uniqueness. Just pure efficiency, over and over and over again.

And where’s the fun in that?

Reminded recently that work takes only as long as is needed to complete.

Sometimes we’ll drag it out, adding task after task.

In the end, though, how much of it is unnecessary?