Recovery. Sobriety. Living Wise.
Try reading Finding Contentment from our home page: www.justathoughtbypat.com When Marsha and I arrived back in Seattle last fall I felt a little like Rip Van Winkle waking up to a hometown I no longer recognized. When I first left back in 1971 times were tough. This billboard said it all: As most people know, the town has been booming, fueled by new technology that … Continue reading Finding Contentment
Please check out this second installment in the Search for Inspiration series on our homepage: www.justathoughtbypat.com. In a world so obsessed with success how is it possible to embrace defeat? The book Embracing Defeat, by John W. Dower, describes how Japan did exactly that after World War II, and in so doing, accomplished the greatest turnaround of all time. For those of us who have found embracing … Continue reading Embracing Defeat
This quote from Joseph Campbell is heartening when I am in a place of deep struggle. But doesn’t the “dark night of the soul” sometimes seem unfathomably long? When my dark nights descend upon me negativity feeds on me like a hungry mushroom, my world morphs into a small, dreary place, the sun never shines, and it’s perpetually 10 minutes before midnight. These are … Continue reading The Passing of a Dark Night
Like many of you, I’ve become traumatized by the plight of the growing refugee population. By some accounts, they number over 65 million, 48 million of whom are children. The global response to this crisis has been appalling. Tens of millions have been left stranded in makeshift way stations, refugee camps or drifting at sea. Refugees are being treated as the enemy, and since most … Continue reading In Search of Inspiration
I have noticed recently that I often feel trapped in a sordid and negative news loop that drags even the heartiest of souls into the gutter. When this happens It is all to easy to lapse into cynicism and despair. I find it helpful to turn to stories and illustrations that remind me that humans can have another path. Here is one such story of … Continue reading Devotion