Tag: writing
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The Loneliness of the Unaligned
I lost a friend over a protest I did not attend. Not because I mocked the cause. Not because I stood on the other side of the street with a rival sign. I simply would not go. I will not outsource my conscience to a crowd, even a righteous-feeling one. The invitation was not really…
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Cultivating Connection: Building Spaces for the ‘Other’
There have been many times in my life when I felt off—like the “other” in the room. It showed up in social settings, and it showed up in family ones too. I was simply different, and of course the old fan favorite: weird. I never knew what to do with that growing up. Adulthood has…
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A Half-Hour Lesson in Flow: From Frustration to Connection on a Tech Support Call
Last week I found myself on a thirty-minute call with a tech support agent based in Egypt, trying to untangle a stubborn internet connection issue. I started the conversation irritated—wife upset, Wi-Fi dropping at the worst possible moment, and a persistent issue that randomly happened in the evenings. My tone was clipped, my patience thin.…
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Thanks, Pain, and the Slow Mountain
Thanksgiving is almost here, and my body is falling apart. Perfect timing. This year the arthritis in my neck wakes me at 3 a.m. like a landlord collecting late rent. The left knee clicks when I climb stairs. My lower back has filed an official grievance. I’m not old—not yet—but I’m definitely in the foothills…
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From Stage Fright to Sage Light: A Taoist Journey in Public Speaking and Business Continuity
Last month, I received an unexpected email: an invitation to guest-lecture on disaster recovery and business continuity planning at a local university. The audience? Nearly one hundred students, bright-eyed and notebook-ready. My first reaction wasn’t excitement. It was anxiety. I’ve faced ransomware, nation-state intrusions, and zero-days that kept me up for nights. But public speaking?…
The Half-assed Taoist 