Eric's Thoughts

We're having our first warm nights of the year in Ohio, and a deep breath of evening air is all it takes to transport me back to summer camp. What a wonderful, melancholy feeling after so many years.

There is joy in simple pleasures that can go with you anywhere: walking, tea, prayer.

It's been a bit of a rough season lately. But my window is open this morning and I can hear the birds on an unusually warm day. I have good tea in my cup and good music while I work. And I feel truly blessed.

Friendly reminder that April 1 is a good day to just stay off the internet.

For the record, I'd recommend crossing "shot of epinephrine to counteract your allergy shots" off the bucket list. Sheesh.

Here's the wonderful thing about prayer: you can always do it. In a house beset by illness (as ours has been this week), a busy waiting room, a corner office - it doesn't matter. Just quiet yourself as best you can and take a deep breath. Beautiful.

My brother recommended the game "A Short Hike" and it has been a delightful experience during the holiday break. Slow and peaceful - just what I needed this week. And beautiful music.

I'm not a New Year's Resolution person, but I've been thinking a lot lately about my creative input/output for 2023. I'm aiming to reduce the quantity and improve the quality of my consumption. At the same time, I want to create more and release more of that output into the world. So here's a tiny bit of accountability, just for me.

In praise of a simple, effective web tool: text-compare.com. I use this multiple times a week and it is always a huge timesaver.

Figured that if I had to be at the dentist for a 7 am filling, I might as well make the most of it. I got to the gas station, post office, dry cleaners, and bought a Christmas gift, all before my normal start time at work. It makes me wish I was more of an early riser in normal life, but that is just not something I've been able to train into myself thus far.

Well, my 36-year streak of no cavities has come to an end. It's a little thing, but it was fun to hold that "perfect" record for so long.

Our society rewards the fastest, the loudest, and the most forceful. Thinking a lot these days about what it looks like to move through life more slowly, quietly, and gently. Deliberate and intentional.

Well, we are back home (11 days sooner than planned). A year ago yesterday, my wife was in the ER in Florida with a foodborne illness. This year, we had to totally restructure our trip because of hurricane impact and then cut it short and come home because I got sick. Maybe we just aren't supposed to travel? I don't know, but it sure is disappointing.

Hitting the road for two weeks today. Planning to stay off Facebook and Twitter, and use my "down time" to read, write, and engage creativity instead of scrolling feeds. Will report back!

If you want an RSS feed for your thoughts page, politepol.com does a good job of this!

Continuing to think about this idea and I really like it. A place to put short ideas without the burdens of social media. Fasting from Facebook and Twitter today to consider well.

Thinking about a Thoughts page as a social media alternative. Just trying it out.