Some trails are beautiful. Others are brutal. This one? It’s both. Self-reflection is like scrambling up a steep, exposed ridgeline with no trail markers, no handrails, just loose rock and the echo of your own breathing. It demands something rare: […]
Life moves fast. The trail gets steep. The weather shifts. Fatigue sets in. And if I don’t pause to take stock, I get dangerously close to losing my footing. That’s where journaling comes in. It helps me slow down. It’s […]
Anchor Points and Empty Prayers Rock climbing is my favorite solo sport. In climbing, anchors aren’t just a piece of gear, it’s what keeps me from falling when everything else gives way. It’s what I trust when my strength runs […]
We All Need Guides Not heroes. Not saviors. But guides. People who’ve walked the road before us and can help us find our footing when the trail disappears. Life throws rugged terrain at all of us: loss, heartbreak, self-doubt, change. […]
Mentorship, Prayer, Journaling, and Self-Reflection: Tools for Humble Growth There’s a version of strength that doesn’t shout. It doesn’t need to prove anything. It’s quiet, grounded, and aware of its own imperfections. That kind of strength is what I’m chasing—and […]
Curiosity is a beautiful thing — but it doesn’t live alone. It cooperates with something just as essential: courage.I’ve seen how often curiosity quietly waits in the background until courage steps forward first. It takes courage to ask the question(s) we’re afraid might change everything. It takes courage to admit we don’t know. It takes even more courage to enter into a situation we don’t fully understand. Not to control it, but to grow from it.
Recently, my therapist asked to name a few of my strengths. After thinking for a moment, one word rose to the surface invoking her excitement : curiosity. I’ve always had a deep desire to understand — to look beyond what’s […]
My daughter was painting in the living room the other night. Acrylics on canvas—we do a lot of that around here. She had this picture in her mind, something bright and bold, and halfway through, she messed up. A misplaced […]
The Paradox of Intimacy Intimacy is a strange thing. It asks us to be both strong and exposed. Real and meaningful connection doesn’t come from pretending we’ve got it all together — it’s about letting someone see the parts of […]
I recently read an interview with Jack Johnson, the heavyweight boxing champion of the world from 1908-1915. In discussing how the sport has changed, he said something simple and profound. Some of the greatest fighters of all time didn’t last because they could punch the hardest; but because they knew how to take a punch.
It’s all about the stance Johnson said, the positioning of your feet: “Front foot pointed forward, rear foot pointed out at an angle.” This stance gave fighters perfect balance, and control. The fighters who could take a hit, and still stand, would prevail; because once you are thrown off balance, your opponent gains the upper hand.
