No. 04 of the Fortnightly Dispatch has been “dispatched.” Highlights from this edition include video footage of a mesmerizing tadpole migration, a bit of prose from a French philosopher and journalist you may be familiar with, an inspiring 540-mile bike trek along the Colorado Trail, a compelling piece of writing about the history of sweatpants (yup, your read that correctly, sweatpants!)…and a few other bits of fodder.
I hope you consider subscribing and following along HERE.
This quote pulled me into the work of G.K. Chesterton. I’m now looking forward to diving deeper into the rabbit hole…and very likely adding to the growing pile of books on my nightstand:
“People are more themselves when joy is the fundamental thing in them, and grief the superficial. Melancholy should be an innocent interlude, a tender and figurative frame of mind; praise should be the permanent pulsation of the soul. Pessimism is at best an emotional half-holiday; joy is the uproarious labor by which all things live.”
You can check it out (HERE). And you can subscribe (HERE).
The “Fortnightly Dispatch” is where I share about what’s catching my attention and highlight a few personal notes and photos from the past two weeks. The newsletter is meant to replace social media (for me), as I wean off those channels and instead share with people in a more thoughtful way.
“Recent Thoughts” is one of my favorite posts that Rebecca Toh publishes on her blog. Her most recent includes a thought that really resonates with me.
Constraints create the conditions for freedom.
Rebecca’s blog is among a small, but growing, list of sites that I regularly read and recommend to others. You can find her full list of ten recent thoughts here.
I can confidently say that “Get Your Life Back” by John Eldredge was the most nourishing and impactful book I’ve read this year. There are far too many reasons to get into why…so I’ll let the sketchnotes that follow take care of that (with credit to our daughter Ella for her artistic prowess in creating these sketchnotes, pulling from the many highlights and notes I’ve marked in the book).
I discovered John Eldredge, and the wide range of his (and his team’s) work over at Wild at Heart, at a critical time when I needed it most. My soul was frayed around the edges, I was captive to the false self which was keeping me from the joy and freedom that God had always intended for me.
John’s “Pause” app, and the many podcasts and content on the Wild at Heart app, are now in heavy rotation as part of my daily soul awakening and restoration. I highly recommend “Get Your Life Back” — I know my copy will continue to be a constant companion, especially when I need a reminder of how to live freely and lightly.
Here are a few links to connect with John and his work:
About the Author: John Eldredge is a bestselling author, a counselor, and a teacher. He is also president of Wild at Heart, a ministry devoted to helping people discover the heart of God, recover their own hearts in God’s love, and learn to live in God’s kingdom. John and his wife, Stasi, live near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
I’ve been scouting these 3 palm trees for awhile now (which is always a great excuse to get to the beach with the family for an evening picnic). At times, there’s an interesting cloud formation as the backdrop, at others it’s clear skies. Sometimes the light is “almost” just right, others it’s off.
This is the latest photograph, taken with my iphone. Still considering various compositions, and whether to go color or black and white when I lock-down the final photo with the film camera. In the meantime…
Pulling from the Idyllwild archives today. With temps in the 90’s (Fahrenheit) around here these past few days, it’s nice to revisit some photographs from our trip to Idyllwild a while back…thinking about the crisp air, mountain views, small town vibe, and time with family. Plans will be made to make it back, hopefully sooner rather than later.
The “Quantified Self – Week of…” post is a data review of the previous week, highlighting a few key areas: Exercise / Sleep / Family / Reading / Leisure.
“What gets measured gets managed.”
EXERCISE
The exercise category took a nose dive this week — as did my head! Quite literally, as I went over the handle bars on my son’s scooter, and landed on my head. This resulted in a concussion and strict orders from the doctor to rest for a week. After 3 days of simply moving from the bed, to the couch, and back again…I added a few slow walks for the remaining 4 days of the week. Slow is the keyword here, and I’m grateful that Gia was willing to join me and go at a snail’s pace. That’s about it on the exercise front, and the total hours show for it.
TOTAL EXERCISE MINUTES: 224
SLEEP
The sleep data for the week is interesting, with consideration to the concussion and the impact it had (or didn’t have?). A decrease from the previous week in total number of hours slept, and slight dip in average percentage of Deep Sleep. Not sure what I expected. I guess I figured all the “bed rest” time ordered by the doctor might have increased number of hours asleep. But instead I simply was bored, and also had a hard time sleeping well.
Total Sleep Hours: 37.55
Average Sleep Hours Per Night: 5.3
Average % of Deep Sleep Per Night: 28%
FAMILY (aka: Connection time)
Highlights:
A highlight of the week was witnessing the kids jump into “emergency triage mode” when I pulled the dumb Dad move of hotdogging on the scooter (with my head meeting the pavement). It appears they actually do care about their old man.
Enjoyed some quality “bench-sitting” with Gia at the Lake. Helped break the monotony of laying around the house all week in darkened rooms.
Doug Fields gave an inspiring message at Mariners Irvine – As always, Doug never disappoints.
Ethan logged lots of driving practice time, and I enjoyed sneaking out of the house to join him on a few “rides.”
Special quality time with Ella, helping her pack for HSM camp. About 1/3 of her suitcase being MY clothes. I’m OK with this, for many reasons (which words really can’t do justice here).
