The Space There is a space in our lives that haunts every single one of us. It seems wider than the Grand Canyon. It feels deeper than the ocean’s greatest abyss. It contains obstacles more daunting than the climb up Mt Everest. It is the most important space in our lives. And cross it we […]
The Artist In his book, Journal of a Novel, John Steinbeck describes the daily process of writing his novel, East of Eden. If you want to understand more of the struggles and difficulties of an accomplished writer hard at work in his craft, the journal is a great resource. The ideas do not just apply […]
The car had just come in and wasn’t ready to show yet. The manager told me his price, saying that he didn’t feel like he could come down much more. I would come back in a few days and we could settle on a final number then.When I came by, the manager was out, so […]
When they brought the man in he was already unconscious. One man had him by the shoulders and the other by the legs. They could barely hold him up. He offered no help, his body slack from the poison that coursed through his veins. The two men carrying him placed him on the one empty […]
This is Not Safe Imagine that you had the guts to go bungee jumping. You strap on a long elastic cord to your ankles. You go up to a height of 100 feet or more. You walk to the edge of a bridge and look over. You make a decision to trust the cord. You […]
Acting without Thinking This past week I joined the Coalition for the Homeless of Louisville on a night of counting homeless people. It sounds insensitive, but this is an important work. The goal is to understand who is homeless, how many there are, and where they are. I learned about the effort from some friends. […]
Just before starting medical school, my wife and I found out that we were pregnant. It’s probably obvious, but this was not our plan. We envisioned her working while I studied my way through school. We would consider having kids later, when we felt more stable. Better prepared. Financially sound. I remember telling one of my […]
My favorite coffee mug helps me to believe. It often does more to get me going in the morning than the coffee I drink out of it. Written on the mug is a quote from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. “There is no use trying,” said Alice; “one can’t believe impossible things.” I dare say […]
The Word of the Day Last week I was reading a blog discussing the habit of reading. The writer asserted that the most common excuse for not reading more is time. “I would love to read more, I just don’t know how to fit it in.” “I just don’t have enough time in my day.” […]
The Unlived Life You let go of your dreams, not because you are afraid of the dream. The dream itself is beautiful. Instead, you settle for less because of the work needed to attain it. Dreams are not handed to you in a gift wrapped box, at least not ones that are worth pursuing. You […]
