Quit Your Day Job and Live Out Your Dreams…

Posted on by December 10, 2019

I’m not sure why…but…”leaving” and “living out my dreams” sounds kind of appealing.

What a weirdo I am to have thoughts like that.

Of course, there’s a lot of that kind of thinking going around.

I got a letter from a good friend today and he expressed that kind of thought.

He’s ready to make the jump to retirement or a different career.

I can relate.

What are we all looking for?

Or…are we just aware of the time getting short to do the things we dreamed about doing when we were young?

This is a good talk from Dr. Ken Atchity.

He talks about taking chances.

Why not take a chance every once in a while?

Hmmmmm.

The Spring…the Charity:Water Story

Posted on by December 8, 2019

Damascus Road…the Razors Edge….

Man..I love a story about a change of heart…a story about the moment when a life turns from hedonistic self-direction to a life of service.

Now….I’m selfish.

I live for my family.

But…how energizing would it be to find the path that serves the world?

This guy, Scott Harrison, and the organization he founded, Charity:water,  is doing what he can to bring fresh drinking water to areas of the world that need it most.

That’s really inspiring.

He is working to make a positive change in the world.

How cool is that?

Check out more about this effort at charitywater.org .

 

HomeMade …Episode 4…Modern Homesteading

Posted on by December 7, 2019

You need time to do something like this.

I’m realizing that as I go to work early and get home late.

You need time.

And…you need energy.

I realize that…as I go to bed late and get up early…always tired…always looking for more time and needing more energy.

But…energy isn’t dependent on always having a bunch of free time.

You have to stay active and work…to have energy.

That’s a “no-brainer”.

Maybe I’m just imagining how energizing it would be to work at something that felt a little more self-directed than working at the Post Office.

Awwwwww…..what am I? Some sort of slave? Or….just a “responsible” adult?

I’m going to take care of my family…but maybe something like this would be better for all of us?

Who knows?

I’m too afraid to find out.

What a whiner.

A Day in the Life…

Posted on by December 6, 2019

Awwwwwww.

Man.

Light the stove, cook something good….go for a hike…cook something good…go to bed.

This life looks good.

And…it’s typical.

My typical day looks different than this.

Usually, I: Wake up too early….drink too much coffee…go to work….work at the PO for 10 or so hours….come home…eat….fall asleep on the couch…wake up…put one of the little guys to bed…wake up too late…go to bed…and…(in the morning)wake up too early …and….repeat.

This life looks like it’s paced a little nicer than mine.

But…what does it say about coveting something that’s a neighbor’s?

You shouldn’t even covet his ass.

That’s not a joke.

My life is good.

I sure would like to cook something nice and then go for a hike sometime, though.

Maybe…even sit in a sauna.

Even sit in a sauna.

I covet that.

Sue me.

Thanks JB Outdoors for checking out this video. I love this place, this cabin is located on my friend’s ranch and I had the good fortune of being the caretaker during the winter of 2017, 2018. I’m currently camping in the snow near Strawberry, AZ. Love it down here, this place is great. Have a great evening! ~ Brian)
I need to make a video of my vacation….and then remember that it’s a typical day of my life.
Or….make my life like a vacation somehow.
Maybe that’s the secret?

Working from Spirit….Playing for Change…”Higher Ground”

Posted on by December 2, 2019

I love these Playing for Change videos.

I think that if you’re doing music “right”, then you’re playing from a place different than just your head.

Musicians can make a connection because they play from their spirit.

That’s beautiful.

Here’s a bunch of folks from all over the world playing one of my favorite Stevie Wonder songs.

Good….Good….GOOD (!!) STUFF!!

Love is More Thicker Than Forget

Posted on by December 1, 2019

love is more thicker than forget
more thinner than recall
more seldom than a wave is wet
more frequent than to fail
it is most mad and moonly
and less it shall unbe
than all the sea which only
is deeper than the sea
love is less always than to win
less never than alive
less bigger than the least begin
less littler than forgive
it is most sane and sunly
and more it cannot die
than all the sky which only
is higher than the sky
          e. e. cummings

Abandoned Japanese Farmhouse Tour….

Posted on by November 27, 2019

In our country, the house would be trashed…vandalized…torn up just because it could be…torn up.

Cool place…big job.

Bringing a place back is exciting.

We have a place that needs to be “brought back”….that I’ve “sat on” for 5 years.

So….when I rave about how rewarding and exciting it is to revive an old place, I really don’t know what I’m talking about.

It’s easy to talk.

What do the call that? “All hat”?

The house we live in was this kind of project, though.

Brought back from dereliction.

It looks cooler to bring back the Japanese house.

The Work-Around…Build the New Around the Old…

Posted on by November 27, 2019

Hah!

This is pretty ingenious….build the new around the old when told that you couldn’t build on the property unless you preserved the 300 year old cabin that was already on the property.

Rules are funny, though.

How much would it have been to revive the old structure?

It was pretty far gone.

History is a fluid thing…new replaces old all the time.

I guess that this accomplishes what they needed to do…in an unexpected way.

Another great Kirsten Dirksen video.

(When I watch this video, I’m reminded of what I find when I repair things in our old house. The only difference is that we covered up a lot of the old stuff when we fixed our place up. Maybe we should have just left it all exposed and built a new shell around the whole thing?)