Time in the car has a way of connecting us back to our grief. While traveling in Wisconsin recently, I was reminded that I really miss my dog. By this trip, it had been about nine weeks since he died. Quill, a fear-aggressive German Shorthaired Pointer, spent close to nine years hopping in and out […]
Articles
Rolling Into Summer Retreat
This very moment is everything I noticed yesterday that I had “Rolling Into Summer?” (with a question mark at the end) on my calendar for June 1-2. That’s because when I first penciled it in, I wasn’t sure that I would go on to host my first overnight nature retreat. Truth be told, I didn’t […]
Cycling Through the Seasons
From maple festivals and everything pumpkin spice to Solstice celebrations and Seasonal Affective Disorder, our lives are very much influenced by the four seasons. Our moods can be impacted by shorter days or, say, by the rainiest year on record (hello, Pittsburgh in 2018). We feel free of winter’s clutches the first spring day we […]
Why we don’t have to be good
New Year’s reflections on gentleness and resolutions It’s 3 p.m. on New Year’s Day and I’m seated at my desk to repeat my semi-annual ritual of taking stock. Resolutions get a bad rap and I get why. I heard yesterday that just 4 in 10 people manage to keep theirs, and there have been many […]
10 Months Living in Pittsburgh’s South Side
Ten months ago, three days before Christmas, my wife and I moved into our new (old) home in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood. Throughout our first year here, I’ve often thought about writing about our experience as new residents. Honestly, though, I haven’t known what I want to say. My history with the neighborhood goes back […]
In Gratitude of Investment
A friend invested in me in a big way last week. Pam purchased five tickets to the Gremlins in the Woods* workshop that I’m hosting next month. Not only did she invest in herself in registering, but she also invested in her friends…and in me. Pam believes in the value that I provide as a […]
Feeling Alone, then Connected
How the David Bowie Is Exhibit Took Me by Surprise My wife and I visited the Brooklyn Museum for the David Bowie Is exhibition earlier this month. Upon entry to the exhibit, visitors were handed a set of cushy headphones. I slipped mine on and suddenly was immersed in a visual and auditory experience complete […]
Five Years in Business!
Five Projects of Which I’m Proud and Where I’m Headed Next Today, I’m celebrating five years in business. It’s been half a decade of hustling to make it work, of traveling around the U.S. and Canada learning from every last community I visit, and of pinching myself that this is the work that I […]
My Two Days on the GAP
I’m a casual cyclist with little interest in bike touring. And yet, over the last year or so, I’ve felt the urge to do a solo trip on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP). I don’t know for sure what need I’ve been looking to meet with a solo ride. Maybe it’s the need for adventure […]
Faith, Hospitality, and Stewardship
“I was raised Catholic.” It’s a four-word story that’s surely been uttered by millions of people. I’ve found myself speaking these words, which really says little of how I currently explore and express my spirituality. Nor does it convey the respect that I hold for so many who continue to practice their faith within the […]
