I've been thinking about the people I talk to, and how often, and about what. And the people I don't talk to, and why, and whether that's OK ( Read more... )

Tension is inherent. What we long for is what we dread. Who hasn't wished for time to race ahead: I can't wait for the weekend, I can't wait for spring, I can't wait to see my love again. And who hasn't pleaded for time to slow down: Just a little more time before I have to go back to work, before my lover leaves, before I grow old and die ...

Age and change are inevitable, so vanity is a losing bet, every time.

Most of the time, I'm happy with how I look and who I am, but I'm not immune to doubt and insecurity. Sometimes I look around this college town and see the twig-thin legs and long glossy locks and the figures unencumbered by bulky layers since attractive co-eds are apparently kept warm by the blazing heat of their own sex appeal ... I see all this ( Read more... )

I didn't get into graduate school ( Read more... )

I feel a little awkward about taking advice from someone/thing called "Urban Monk," but that's just knee-jerk cynicism and skepticism ("Never go with a hippie to a second location!"). I think this article on projection is interesting ...

If you find yourself afraid of doing something because you worry that others will react negatively to it, ask ( Read more... )

Disappointment. The gap between what you want -- wish for, hope for, expect -- and what you get ( Read more... )

I'm thinking a lot about reactions. When you react to someone's words or actions with, just for example, anger / frustration / impatience / annoyance is that reaction inevitable, or chosen? Is there a way to move yourself down a different path ( Read more... )

There will always be someone prettier, sexier, smarter, funnier, younger; more exotic, erotic, and exciting; more accessible and available. There will always be a winner who can make you a loser.

The only way to stay sane is to ignore the future. The present is always all you have.

I wonder what people thought I would be (and be like) when I grew up. What did my parents want me to do and to be? Where did my teachers think I'd end up? It's unlikely that I've fulfilled their expectations, unless my assumptions about their assumptions are wildly inaccurate (and in that case I'm unlikely to ever learn the truth, because I'm ( Read more... )