Recovery. Sobriety. Living Wise.
This week’s post was inspired by a conversation with Tucker McHugh, a high school classmate who I have known for over 50 years. It was originally posted in December of 2017. I was raised on Wheaties, “The Breakfast of Champions.” Winning defined the purpose of my every endeavor: winning at school, winning at sports, winning with friends. Winning was symbolized by blue ribbons, gold stars, and A-pluses. … Continue reading Failure is a Gift
NOTE: I recently wrote a post inspired by The Lord of the Rings. Since it was published I’ve had a number of additional thoughts about this literary masterpiece, which I share with you now. ~ Pat Storytellers are gatekeepers to our conscious selves — where we learn everyone’s story is our story. Thank you to: Homer, for The Iliad and The Odyssey; Dante, for The … Continue reading Some Battles Are With Us Always
“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” ~ Carl Jung For the past two months I’ve been battling kidney stones. Ugh. It has felt very much like living in the presence of constant shadow. There’s been no time in the past 50 years when I’ve been so sedentary. I’ve had nothing to distract me and have … Continue reading My Inscrutable Shadow
As I watched the January 6 hearings and thought about the upcoming midterm elections this observation from George Washington chillingly came to mind. “Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” His thought on power didn’t come out of nowhere; rather, it described how he experienced the interplay of politics and … Continue reading The Power in Walking Away
I recently visited my friend Joe Thomas in Mobile, Alabama. It was my first trip away from the Northwest in three years and I was really looking forward to it. Joe and I go back more than fifty years and when we do get together we unabashedly indulge our Three Great Pleasures: Food Football Fellowship Now with each passing year I’m ever more grateful to … Continue reading A Master Class In Living In The Moment