We went to the beach today and it was very foggy and somewhat cold, not exactly T-shirt and shorts weather. When we left the beach and drove five minutes inland, it was clear and sunny. It’s amazing how little you have to move sometimes to experience dramatically different weather, different work environments, different air quality, or …
Monthly Archives: September 2020
You can’t learn while you’re leaning
We took my son outside today to bike around with his training wheels and I took them off for a little while and he practiced learning how to keep his own balance. I would wait until he seemed pretty centered and then let go of the seat. But there’s really no in between. You’re either …
Don’t be sweatshirtist
I forgot to bring a mask with me when I went grocery shopping today and so I fashioned a face covering out of my hooded sweatshirt. I zipped it up part way, and put it on backwards by sticking my head through the opening with the hood in front of my face instead of behind …
What can break?
I recently downloaded the mobile app to go with the air filter that I’ve had for 2 years and has worked perfectly fine. The app somehow broke the device and they’re sending me a replacement. It was surprising to me that a piece of software could break a piece of hardware, but that seems to …
Just because you can
I was really tired today from work and kids and kids but it’s one of the first days that the air has been good enough to go outside and go for a run. So I went for a run. Tired and all. Sometimes you just have to be grateful for the opportunity. And do it …
Freedom is inside
For the past several days I’ve been housebound because of the fires in California, wishing that I could be outside, and feeling a bit trapped. Until I thought about myself outside. If I were outside in that terrible air, then I would feel trapped and start looking for a refuge. When I found the structure …
“Run to your life!”
My 2-year-old often runs around the house saying, “Run for your life!” but the other day she said something different. She said, “Run to your life!” What great advice! If you’re in a bad situation—a bad job, a bad relationship, a bad community—get out of there! Run to your life! If you’re not happy where …
You’re going to fall
Today we took my 5-year-old boy out to try riding his bike without his training wheels for the first time and as I pushed him along and then let go of the bike, he of course didn’t go riding straight off into the sunset. He expects everything to go perfectly and gets loudly upset when …
Stay close to the source
I used to live in San Francisco by this taqueria that had one of the best salsas I’ve ever tasted. I would buy jars of it regularly and once I even thought about sending a refrigerated jar of it to a friend on the east coast, it was that good. When I moved out of …
The unknown enemy
Peregrine falcons are birds of prey but they are not without their predators. Golden eagles and great horned owls are larger and both will attack peregrine falcons when given the chance. In the 1960s and 1970s, peregrine falcons’ numbers were dwindling and at first, no one knew why. It wasn’t because of their predators, golden …