Installing that clothesline atop our deck, after arguing over options for 18 months, feels amazing. Our entire household economy depends upon learning to use this space we’re stewarding, a 113-year-old home set upon a 50 X 140-foot lot, most effectively. All our income is generated from a three-legged stool—farm, art, writing—in this place of surprisingly … More Eccentricities Open a Portal
Harvest day was too damp and cold for Shawna to pack adjacent to the walk-in cooler, forcing me to make a hundred+ back and forth trips. On each journey, hauling cut microgreens in large totes (back-and-forth three times for every stem), I paused to appreciate the tulips. Both coming and going. Before this, I hadn’t … More Simple Beauty Carries You
Behind the strip club, U-Haul and Budweiser trucks came together in a pincer formation. Relishing the challenge, our little red car slid through the gap with millimeters to spare. Making the parking lot, a semi had jackknifed itself into the loading dock. Deliveries to Canal Park are an adventure! Around every turn I had the … More Thank ya, big fellas!
Rather uncharacteristically, I worked 100+ hours over the past 10 days without a break while painting a beautiful house and rushing to get it done before a lovely young family returned home. It seems fitting to post the conclusion to this list, begun last month (you can peruse the living intentionally category if you like), … More Practical Ways to Cultivate Awareness and Gratitude in Daily Life, Part 3
Our motley crew of baby chickens and ducks spent the day outside in the chicken tractor while enjoying their first 80-degree day. Fresh air does them good. The sensation of grass and dirt between their toes, spindly chicken legs, and mud-flap-like duck feet/paddles, provides a thrill. A quick breeze ruffles brand new feathers, briefly exposing … More Chickens and Clotheslines for Connectivity With the Natural World
Cultivating awareness can be taken as an activity pursued in solitude for no greater purpose than that of enriching ourselves, as a kind of ego-centric navel-gazing activity. However, this is certainly not the goal. As we become more “aware” and exude gratitude for a multitude of blessings that have been showered upon us, we can … More Practical Ways to Cultivate Awareness and Gratitude in Daily Life, Part 2
I’ve stopped buying my mom things. With a house already filled with stuff, she really doesn’t need anything. I also live 400 miles away from her. For years Mother’s Day brought guilt and anxiety. What does it look like today? I’d say this is a time of transition. The writing of my book and the … More Mother’s Day in the midst of a healing relationship
Awareness and gratitude are a chicken and egg situation. Which comes first? Are they one and the same? Being fully aware of the world around you, having knowledge of it, and experiencing it in all it’s subtle shades and endless variety is something that comes gradually as our perception becomes more and more capable of … More Practical Ways to Cultivate Awareness and Gratitude in Daily Life, Part 1
Every single trip spent delivering books by bike is meaningful. Powerful even. Well, in this case I was delivering a thank you note to the Mayor’s office. He purchased my book and carved out 15 minutes of his day to visit with me recently. The hourlong round-trip required to personally deliver a handwritten note to … More Tales From the Pedaling Book Peddler, Part 3 – Unearthing Gold of Immeasurable Value
I felt like Napoleon, who after escaping from his first exile on the tiny island of Elba in the Mediterranean, briefly regained power as Emperor of France for 100 days. The regiment of troops that had been sent to intercept him merely shouted, “Vive L’Empereur!” and marched with him to Paris. This was my first … More My Napoleonic Return to the Economy
Ed's Big Adventure 