Category Archives: Home

About those yard signs

During my daily run through the rural community where I live, I’ve noticed a sudden influx of political yard signs, as well as flags bearing political campaign slogans, almost entirely of one political persuasion and in support of a single political candidate. In any given election year I am a proponent of political action and […]

Let go of shame

Three weeks into the Solitary Spring of 2020, after the unpredictable lows of social distancing and the unexpected exhaustion of distance learning have set in, some unsettling trends are taking hold. I can understand on some levels what is happening. Robert Sapolsky’s book about human behavior, Behave, describes what he calls an “Us vs. Them” […]

Easter is so not the most religious American holiday

Nothing portrays a culture’s religious traditions better than the people, places and things of that culture. This time of year we celebrate the once rebirth-themed religious holiday with pastel candy eggs, marshmallow birds and chocolate bunnies. Some say Easter is our culture’s most religious holiday, but I don’t think that is true. I once devoted […]

When one of us is wrong

I hate disagreeing with people, and I wish it didn’t have to be that way. Really, a disagreement ought to be kind of exciting, like a mystery. As in, we have two different perspectives here, let’s see if we can get to the bottom of this. Let’s more closely examine the evidence, or even search […]

Detritus on the playing field

Public education is in the news again. I teach in a public school. It has not been an easy run, but it is always an adventure. Teaching is complex, challenging, at times frustrating, at times tragic. There are great triumphs and there are dizzying setbacks. We feel good about what we do, but we’ve each […]

The case for going fast

“I tried that once,” some of my friends have said about cross-country skiing, my absolute favorite outdoor recreational activity beyond all others, “but I didn’t like it.” Sadly, this most misunderstood sport is often dismissed due to errant reasoning. “If I’m going to put on skis, I prefer to actually ski down hills,” or, “I […]

Best to avoid catastrophes

I recently watched a video online filmed from a car driving through one of the latest major wildfires in California. Maybe you saw it too. In the video, which is frightening and difficult to watch, you can hear someone in the car praying out loud for the ultimate safety of the passengers. Often the significance […]

This is going to be a long day

When I’m about to head out on a long morning run, it is daunting, even slightly intimidating. Running is hard. I do not love it. If I’ve been sleeping, my forty-six year old body is stiff from hours of being horizontal and motionless, and at that hour, the thought of exercise just makes me want […]

In the absence of evidence, seek evidence

During times when information is constantly called into question, deemed fake, deemed unreliable, not believed, debunked and discredited, the importance of seeking credible evidence to support our conclusions has never been more explicit. Often, we look to support a position with evidence, yet we find none. Keep searching; whether the evidence you seek supports your […]

You must be absolutely out of your mind

This afternoon I listened to a debate broadcast on CBC between a meat farmer and a vegan advocate. It’s a topic that has long intrigued me, humans who choose to eat meat and those who do not, and it was indeed fun to listen to. Both participants had a lot to say and presented their […]