On a recent afternoon, my son sent me a text message that read simply, “how do I get ready for college”. He’s 18 and starts his first semester in a couple weeks. Like most people, the only thing high school really challenged was his patience. He’s smart and he tends to overthink things. This results in more stress than necessary. He also seems to enjoy asking profound life advice by way of text message. Read more...

In July of 2018 my son and I hiked the John Muir Trail. This was my second time and his first. The trail covers 211 miles from Yosemite National Park to the summit of Mount Whitney. It includes over 84,000 feet of elevation change and some of the most stunning scenery in the Sierras. We hiked it in 17 days. What follows is a collection of thoughts and observations. In one sense they are simple and obvious. Read more...

Some days are better than others. I’m not sure if this is a function of energy, intention, luck or some combination of these and other factors. Days in the mountains are good days. So are days spent learning, reading and relaxing. Productive days where I crush that task list, execute on projects and accomplish all my dailies are often good days; in retrospect if not during. Then there are the not so good days. Read more...

Modern life is full of miracles. Problems that bedeviled humanity for 5000 generations have solutions so commonplace that we have forgotten what true struggle looks like. The last two centuries have seen a boom in human progress and flourishing. Even with two world wars and the threat of nuclear annihilation marring our recent history, we have somehow managed to endure and improve the lives of billions. In less than a human lifetime more than half the world has been lifted out of extreme poverty. Read more...

Think small. You don’t often hear that advice. No, it’s all big dreams, follow your passion, five-year plans, moonshots and grand visions. There’s a place for those things. Maybe they are goals or directions, or simply a set of wishes. But without action they are only so much smoke and dust. For action, you need to think small. Decompose that expansive end-state down into smaller pieces until you can can connect it to your day-to-day. Read more...