Build Memories
“I wish somebody would have told me babe, that someday these will be the good old days”– Macklemore Hello From JapanAs I mentioned before, I’m in the process of making some great memories. All my kids are in the Japanese Immersion Program in Anchorage, Alaska. My twin boys have just graduated from high school after […]
Narrative Therapy
As a disclaimer: Writing is a hobby for me and narrative therapy is a a personal interest, but I’m not formally trained. Your mental health is important. If you think you have a mental illness, treat it as you would a physical ailment and talk to a professional. If you like the ideas you read […]
Beyond Micro-Blogging
Today is Mother’s Day! If you’re a mom, thank you! Thank you for holding the special title and role of nurturing, loving, pushing, and prodding us kids when we need it, no matter how old we are! The emotional roller coaster that is high school graduation continues for us and our kids this week. There […]
Documenting Life
“I use the Pensieve. One simply siphons the excess thoughts from one’s mind, pours them into the basin, and examines them at one’s leisure. It becomes easier to spot patterns and links, you understand, when they are in this form.”– Albus Dumbledore A Good Day On Friday I had one of the best days I’ve […]
Too Busy for Relationships?
As I have journeyed to understand mid-life transition, I found a lack of relationships to be a recurring theme for mid-lifers. People had spent time immersed in careers, kids, and other important things, but had neglected their relationships… and they were paying the price as they aged. Regardless of where you’re at in life, you probably know […]
Get a Mentor. Be a Mentor. Or Don’t.
I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don’t always agree with them. ~ George H. W. Bush Strong Opinions Weakly Held Early in my wine enthusiast journey I wrote a post sharing my views on Pinot Noir, which were naive and inexperienced (http://shiftfocus.net/pinot-noir/). Not only did a few of my readers doubt my ability […]
Strong Opinions Weakly Held
Free Pass #1 I know this month is about relationships. But, I am with my daughters and wife on a trip for a gymnastics meet and limited on time, so I’m going to have to take a pass on a full email. I know you all understand. Extending myself a free pass is probably more […]
Understanding Our Relationships
My “integrated life” philosophy came into being as we raised our kids. We were busy and strapped for time, but we still wanted to do more. We always asked ourselves how we could integrate different circles of our lives together. It led to simple things like including more friends in our hiking activities, working while […]
The Start of Project Thinking
The theme for March was using iterative approaches in life, and we’ve talked about a lot. We’ve covered taking things to the extreme, favoring planning over plans, getting started with a minimum viable you, and overcoming existing baggage to do something better. I want to give you a quick way to think about things you […]
Get an Agile Life
There are times when you feel like the system is working against you. You try and move forward, but you’re weighed down with established ways of doing things. You’re ready to run, but you feel like you can barely move. It’s like you’re walking through freshly poured concrete and every step forward takes huge amounts […]