I have a lot of thoughts (and questions) around how trail communities – how any community – will recover from the pandemic. But in this moment, I simply want to acknowledge what a difficult time this has been for people.
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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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Rebel Rebel Float Trip
Whiskey, kayaking, and the music of David Bowie are all things that I enjoy. But it would be fair to say that I’m not an aficionado when it comes to any of them. I add mixers to the whiskey, don’t even own a Bowie album, and kayak just once or twice a year. So how does […]
Fireflies add Magic to the Allegheny National Forest
Last weekend, I sat in the Allegheny National Forest in a spot so dark that I couldn’t see my own hand. My birthday is coming up, and this was an early present. Of course, you’re wondering, “You call that a gift?” But, yes, really. It was one of the best gifts. We were there to […]
Days like this
I’m going to share something with you. I cried about money today. I’m not a frequent all-out crier, although I do get teary-eyed from time to time. But this was a full-fledged cry of frustration and embarrassment. It brought to mind a similar incident last year at a Phoenix International ticket counter. I had missed […]
Business Lessons from My Brother
One of the last conversations I had with my brother, Jim, before he died was one about our respective businesses. I had ideas on how he could professionalize his construction business of 10 years – things like a website and Facebook page. Sadly, we never got around to these things, not that I’m convinced […]
Are Communities Performing the Grand Seduction?
I watched the movie The Grand Seduction recently and have been thinking about it in the context of community ever since. Somehow this little indie movie about a Newfoundland village that tries to lure a doctor to plant roots has permeated my thinking in consulting projects. The premise of the movie is that the village […]
A Letter to Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Anne Morrow Lindbergh, three times now I’ve turned to you and the reflections you penned in Gift from the Sea. I started out this summer keen on sharing your ideas around simplicity. You wrote that the demands of daily life run counter to living the creative and contemplative lives. In your words, “The bearing, […]
