Category: Essay

  • Rote & Ritual

    Rote & Ritual

    Personal introspection and new music to get through the day from my friend at The Day on Fire. Rote & Ritual

  • Stepping Into New Light

    Stepping Into New Light

    Three-months have passed since I stepped into a new day, awash in Minnesota morning light. This would be the first day free of layered obligations and responsibilities. Stepping into that light, I became acutely aware that the road ahead was not straight and well-lit; was no longer paved, marked with signage, and known so well…

  • Imagine What is Lost

    Imagine What is Lost

    We know there is no land within what we can see with the naked eye or binoculars, and the maps we poured over in the outdoor gear store confirm this when looking due east. However, in the very early morning as the sun reaches over the top and the sky lights up exposing low hanging…

  • Tree on Cliff

    Tree on Cliff

    We have been visiting this location on Lake Superior for 10-years. Through every season and every weather pattern. Regardless of what is happening and going on around me, I always come back to that tree. On the cliff above the turbulent waters, standing tall against the wind, drenched in summer rain, or encased in ice.…

  • Essay – Rebirth in Alaska

    Essay – Rebirth in Alaska

    Introduction The experiences and premise of this essay are from a 2007 expedition to Alaska through the guiding company Exposure Alaska. “We speak of nature, of the natural world, as if that were something distinct from ourselves and the social world we appear to have made, seldom noticing that we are in nature and never…

  • Autumn Thoughts

    Autumn Thoughts

    Speeding through November with December around the corner, a pause is warranted in the daily flow to reflect, to think, to breath. The sun settles into the horizon earlier as darkness consumes more time and the cold encourages us to seek more warmth within ourselves. The day emerges slowly with orange and purple streaks as…

  • Good morning from Leroy and Vinny

    Good morning from Leroy and Vinny

    Looking at the calendar, over a month has passed since my last post here. Where does the time go? I would like to say that I was in the midst of some grand adventure, but that would not be true! Life. Just life happening, and dealing with the daily grind, the obligations, and the 9-to-5.…

  • Essay – In That Moment

    Imagine what life would be from this moment forward if we moved away from the chatter and negativity our mind is swimming within and realize we are born from the stars, that all life on this planet is born from the same material and roots, and that we each have a purpose. Imagine what tomorrow…

  • Poem – Transitions

    Through our normal daily lives, time consistently pushes us forward toward goals and moments we may or may not be aware of. We are on this train, sometimes without a conductor, but most times with no way to pause or exit that train. While in some regards, the choosing of what defines our view of…

  • Returning from Alaska

    Returning from an Alaskan retreat, I am different. Nothing earth shattering and most likely not noticeable to most people I come into contact with. Back home, the sky has not changed, the trees stand tall against the summer blue, and the grass is coarse from overdue rain. Obligations, bills, demands, job – waited at the…