Live compassionately, live creatively, and you’ll be the sort of person the world really needs right now.
Every time I see somebody who defies living by “the template” in order to make compassion a priority, I’m reminded of how much an impact that sort of person usually has without even realizing it. It makes me want to do everything in my ability to encourage everyone to develop these two traits in whatever way that looks like in their life. It really would change the world for the better.
At the talking-race-symposium my church held over the weekend, the facilitator explained that no matter how individualistic our culture gets, we can’t break the connection that we have to other humans. “When I walk in a room, the drums of a continent beat alongside me, slave ships sail beside me, the gold tipped pyramids rise above,” our facilitator explained.
In pretty much every Christian tradition, there’s an understanding of sin as a part of human nature. People are culpable as individuals, but they are born into a broken world where sin has already severed the way things should be– perfect relationships between and among Creator and creation. This sets up the need for redemption to be experienced both as an individual, and then as a collective.
Racism is sin, and it fits that framework to a tee. It’s frustrating then, that a lot of Christians -and others- don’t confront racism with self-examination and repentance, but with defensiveness or turning-the-other-way. What’s with the defensiveness? Perhaps it’s out of fear of upsetting folks or even losing congregants or one’s standing with a church like Robert E. Lee’s great-grandson did, but you can’t expect to be part of a following that restores the world if you can’t take the discomfort. Love crosses lines.
To me, “I’m not a racist” sounds like someone saying “I’m not a sinner.” So you haven’t murdered or scammed anyone. Great. But you were still born into a world where our nature is to put ourselves before others. So you’re not in the Klan. Great. But you were still born into a system birthed out of the idea that darker skinned people are only 3/5ths human.
Even if you haven’t committed any horrific acts, you’re still born into a broken system that takes root within you, unless you practice repentance. People are people, and it’s what we’re in need of.
You want to show the world what love looks like. You believe in loving thy neighbor, heck, you even believe in loving your enemy. You want love to be the beginning, the end, and everything in life. That is incredible. Please don’t stop.
Also remember- that starts with those closest to you. Your partner. Your family. You will never get a better chance to love your neighbor than the one you share a world with.
I recently had a moment where I started to feel a gap in between what I had and what I wanted. I wanted to get creative and make something with a bigger impact. I wanted to be more of a connector between people. I wanted to do well at work and see a movement grow. I wanted to do well at home and catalyze a happy family.
I said a prayer that seemed to make sense. “Whatever you’ve given me, I will grow.”
What I heard back was something more along the lines of– hold up, reverse that.
I had the right idea, but the wrong roles in mind. Remembering whose hands are more capable, more in control, was a rush of freedom. “What you give to me, I will grow,” God reminded me, removed all the burdens of effort and returned all the joy of doing.
This is from an art installation called “A Religious Experience” and I couldn’t think of a better name. To get this view exactly, I had to lie on the floor in the middle of a totally blacked out room, trace the stray beams of light to its source, flooding in from the world beyond the exhibit, in spite of its overwhelming darkness.
There’s a thin line separating the meanings of hope and faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hope seems to fluctuate, at least at a cultural, social level. Ten years ago, all kinds of organizations were opening with ‘Hope' somewhere in their names. A presidential campaign was built on hope. Smartphones, hybrids, and social media started taking off, inspiring even more hope.
Fast forward to now and optimism is a lot harder to find. New buzzwords include phrases like “what happened?” But if faith gets to work when evidence of good is unseen, these are exactly the sorts of times when its wheels are in motion.
Beyond the darkness is light that will flood through even the smallest puncture in its skin. It’s a sacred experience, and it’s one that unites hope and faith in all those who believe.
Who gets the experience? Those on the ground. Those who will stand with the most vulnerable, even while nations turn their backs and close their gates. Those who continue to give generously to the most marginalized, while we show no signs of reducing our environmental damage that affects them the most. Those who believe that all this is worthwhile, even if it doesn’t always feel like a winning battle.
They’ll see a lot of darkness, but they’ll also be the only ones to see the light that pierces through.
01 September 2017 // Minneapolis, Minnesota
Made it to Minneapolis with a good appetite and great company. Awesome catch up with Nick and Susie
Also, Surly Brewing is great and is definitely a different name than Sultry Brewing. Thanks for the recommendation, Dave!
02 September 2017 // Fargo, North Dakota
46 of 50:
🔘 North Dakota
⚪️ South Dakota
⚪️ West Virginia
⚪️ Wyoming
⚪️ Alaska
The road to 50 states continues. Thankfully it includes a stop in Downtown Fargo during NDSU's first game of the season.
03 September 2017 // Garretson, South Dakota
I’m still totally wowed by this place. After driving through hours of cornfields, you wouldn’t think you could suddenly turn a corner and be greeted by dazzling bedrocks and shining blue waters, but hey, that’s what we got.
We got out of the car, wandered down a little trail, and started following some boulders to see where they would lead. It was just warm enough to make getting in the water perfectly refreshing.
Having this tucked away in one of the country’s least visited spots makes it feel all the more like a treat. I’m glad we came.
04 September 2017 // Brandon, South Dakota
“This doesn’t mean we must ignore the duties of the world forever; that would be impossible. Let prudence be our guide. However, I do believe that it is a common mistake of Spirit-filled people not to leave the cares of the world periodically to praise God in their spirits and to rest in the peace of His divine presence for a few moments.”
–Brother Lawrence
05 September 2017 // San Diego, California
Want life to be more fun? Work with what’s in front of you.
I’m always in need of reminders to do this. It can be so easy to focus on what -isn’t- there. Often, I feel like I could be making the creative stuff I was meant to if I only had the right collaborators around. Like I could be helping more people if only I had more time on my hands. Like I could be loving life a whole lot more with a few different circumstances.
The thing about the most creative, caring, and joyful people is that they work with what they have. The filmmaker who decides that cardboard can be just as good as any prop. The friend who lives a busy life but always stops to take a sincere interest anyways. The person who refuses to let a day go by without seeing the beauty in it.
Living this way takes practice, but it’s a whole lot better than waiting around helplessly. It’s more fun.
06 September 2017 // San Diego, California
Some people react more to aesthetics than others, and I think I’m one of those people. I take to a clean space like a plant to sunlight.
Aesthetics are more about the way something looks. They may start there, but they quickly turn into the way those visuals make you feel, the moments they take you back to, the dreams they take you closer to. It’s why even though I’ve never been a graphic designer, visual artist, or professional photographer, the role of visuals have always surfaced in what I do.
07 September 2017 // San Diego, California
“The weight of what has been lost is always heavier than what remains.”
–Britt Bennett
Book No. 36 of 2017
Truth be told, I wanted to like this book a lot more than I actually did.
It was a well-written book, I can say that with honesty. The writing style was clear but creative and characters were well fleshed out. I loved the scenes revolving around a family church in Oceanside, a pretty familiar setting.
Unfortunately, there were many points where I just found it hard to relate to the characters. Some of the choices that they made were a little bit hard for me to empathize with.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
08 September 2017 // San Diego, California
Hitting the pause button this weekend so hard.
But I do have a fun new toy to play with– #superfish by @moment
Considering how big of a role photography plays in my life, I spend relatively little on camera equipment. I haven’t bought an actual new camera since 2011, and I think I’ve gotten maybe one or two lenses since.
Every time I’ve gotten something new to play with, though, it’s really opened up a whole new level of fun to the way I document life, and I notice even more good.
I guess here’s one area where I’ve been doing the buy less, buy better thing before I really thought about applying it to more realms in life. All the more reasons why I should, though.
09 September 2017 // San Diego, California
Had a blast over the weekend at the Liberty in North Korea Gala and getting to see some fun people again. Plus, the Beverly Hills Hotel is like, decadent, yo.
Still super proud to be a part of the LiNK family for over five years now, which in LiNK alumni terms makes me one of the old guys. This team has done so much to help North Koreans who face the most difficult odds.
10 September 2017 // La Jolla, California
So far this week: nobody I know is going in for surgery, no new hurricanes have formed, no earthquakes have struck, I haven’t woken up mysteriously looking like I took a punch in my sleep, and things are looking a lot more calm.
I have a pretty high tolerance for crazy, but man, that was starting to get out of hand. Sundays are usually the best reset button.
I’m looking forward to a quiet week, more quality time, and a little more creative dreaming.
11 September 2017 // San Diego, California
I recently had a moment where I started to feel a gap in between what I had and what I wanted. I wanted to get creative and make something with a bigger impact. I wanted to be more of a connector between people. I wanted to do well at work and see a movement grow. I wanted to do well at home and catalyze a happy family.
I said a prayer that seemed to make sense. “Whatever you’ve given me, I will grow.”
What I heard back was something more along the lines of– hold up, reverse that.
I had the right idea, but the wrong roles in mind. Remembering whose hands are more capable, more in control, was a rush of freedom. “What you give to me, I will grow,” God reminded me, removed all the burdens of effort and returned all the joy of doing.
12 September 2017 // San Diego, California
Our director from the Dominican Republic, Durbel, is in town for a month to study English. He's our second international director I've been able to meet, and he's so much fun. Energy!
We took him out for tacos and chocolate tasting and I covered up the labels of the different samples to see if he could find the Dominican batch. Without even tasting, he picks it out right away. The darkest one, which bias aside, also happened to be the best.
13 September 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission No. 38: I went to a networking event a couple months ago. It wasn’t the most successful event in terms of meeting people, but it was worth my time because they had the most amazing sliders I’ve had to date. Simple, too! Just some buttery Hawaiian rolls, seared down burger patties, a generous block of cheese, caramelized onions and a pickle. Of course my simple mission would be to try and recreate the magic.
Results: Yes! Of course, with a food item that simple, it wasn’t the most difficult to try and reverse engineer what made it so good. Simple doesn’t always mean easy, though, and in this case, every item needed to have been made just right for this thing to be as good as its inspiration. I think I was at least close.
14 September 2017 // San Diego, California
“American faith in the early part of the twenty-first century didn't emerge at all. By the conclusion of the new century's first score of years, only those who have a stake in an American idea defined by wealth and power can still speak of that idea so shamelessly, since wealth and power is the only American idea left.”
–Steve Erickson
Book No. 37 of 2017
This book was weird!
The Twin Towers suddenly reappear in the Badlands of South Dakota. Music starts playing, but only to some people. Something about Elvis’ brother, and a pair of siblings driving across the country from L.A. - on top of that, the book resembles a book of poetry the way the chapters are written out, even though it does deliver some narrative.
I loved the creativity, but the story and its meaning were so murky that it would’ve benefitted so much from more clarity.
⭐️⭐️
15 September 2017 // San Diego, California
Some people need to work in a quiet space, a library, or some sort of at-home sanctuary. I’m the total opposite.
Back in college, I could never do the library thing. I would take my laptop to the plaza in the middle of campus, or the student center and sit right in front of the door. Now, I’m all about coffee shops and basically the most public places I can find.
I welcome the distractions that come, the people I run into by chance, and the small conversations that I let interrupt work. I often get inspired by something totally unexpected and get better work done anyways.
Every encounter is an opportunity to serve, and an opportunity to be inspired.
16 September 2017 // San Diego, California
This weekend, we got to celebrate Ivy and JB’s upcoming wedding with a shower that was to-scale with a lot of full-on weddings I’ve been to. Plus we had lots of family in town and my dance-floor itch was scratched.
I remember meeting JB back in 2013, and it’s been a blast seeing these two from the start continue to grow as a couple and learn from each other. Marriage is gonna have some really good things in store for them.
Weekends like this one are a good reminder why moving back to California was a right choice on so many levels. We get to be here to share moments like these.
17 September 2017 // San Diego, California
Some people say it doesn't matter what you believe, but I disagree. Beliefs make you. You can be open-minded to all kinds of ideas, but you should also know what you believe in.
What we’ll ultimately be remembered for will be what we’ve given our time and energy to, the way we’ve responded to life’s challenges, and the small but meaningful changes we’ve made to the world. All those things stem from what we believe in most.
If you’ve never taken a fair amount of time to think about what you believe makes the world better, what the story of everything looks like, it’s so worth it. Is power and greatness what’s important? Giving hope? Helping others?
Down that rabbit hole, I’ve play a lot of connect-the-dots, trying to make sure the my decisions make sense based on those beliefs. Beliefs shape priorities, which shape habits, and before you know it, you’ve got a legacy in the making.
These thoughts brought to you by the juice of a fresh young coconut.
18 September 2017 // San Diego, California
My church has sponsored a village in the Dominican Republic for several years, during which it’s seen its ecosystems restored, its people living easier lives, and spiritual renewal. The village is just about ready to graduate and enter a new phase of self-reliance.
.With Country Director Durbel in town, I got to help facilitate a dinner with him and the church’s Mission Beyond group to give an update on the process. This was such a fun night getting to connect my church and work worlds over grilled chicken while playing translator.
19 September 2017 // San Diego, California
Deanna warned me that if I went to work with this shirt and my camera strapped to my bag I would have crossed into unbearably-hipster territory.
I doubled down and brought this kerosene lantern off the shelf to light the way.
20 September 2017 // San Diego, California
“Public opinion matters; if it is pointed, focused, and intense, it can turn things around. In this global age individuals are sometimes tempted to believe they have no power, not even collectively. This is not true. The public can make a difference if it is willing to take a position and stand up for a cause in which it believes.”
–Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Book No. 38 of 2017
And in the year 2017, the very first political memoir was this one– by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the president of Liberia and Africa’s first female head of state.
I learned a lot about Liberia, it’s history, it’s one-of-a-kind relationship with the United States, the cultural clashes with the descendants of repatriated American slaves, and the dictatorial regime of Charles Taylor– the latter I was only passively familiar with through travelogues set in West Africa.
Sirleaf is a more skilled leader than a writer, the storytelling style often comes across as flat and overly rigid, her life has been more than interesting enough to have this book still be a fascinating one.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
21 September 2017 // La Jolla, California
I followed a burst of spontaneity on Chris Guillebeau’s book signing in La Jolla the other day, and it led to a great night.
I hadn’t been thinking of one of my upcoming projects as much of a “side hustle” until that evening, but it totally fits the bill. And I found myself gaining so much excitement for it that I feel like the night paid off in the form of all the momentum I got from meeting fun people.
Looking forward to getting to this book. Chris’ stuff in the past has always been super practical, and that seems to be especially true for his latest.
22 September 2017 // San Diego, California
They often say: keep on dating you spouse, it keeps your marriage sharp.
They don’t often enough say that some of the best dates are in Costco’s Food Court, going on a sample run, and then going head-to-head on their display of an at-home arcade-style basketball hoop game.
23 September 2017 // Carlsbad, California
I got through my first cycle of Gala season and it was fun getting to see so much of the Plant with Purpose family gathered in one place. After all the numbers have been added up, it’s clear that this year’s gala was the best one yet!
I’m incredibly proud of the team I get to work with, and especially of Kirstie and Melissa for putting together such an outstanding event. Getting to go to work everyday hasn’t lost any shimmer, months after the fact.
24 September 2017 // San Diego, California
Record shopping is a shopping I like, and I don’t say that about a lot of shopping.
Also, Birdtalker and the latest from The Lone Bellow have been some of my most recent obsessions. So many good albums this year, I don’t think I’ve been able to give some of my future favorites enough attention yet.
25 September 2017 // San Diego, California
It’s been hard to keep up with so many of my favorite artists releasing new albums this year- some after a decent hiatus. I definitely made an effort to give some intentional listening sessions the the new National album. There are few artists who’ve been such a consistent favorite of mine.
I’m sad I’ll be missing their San Diego show in a couple weeks, but this will be in heavy rotation this fall.
26 September 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission 39: Let me start this one with a story.
Seven years ago, I got myself lost on purpose in the middle of Siena, Italy. I walked around the old city center alone, mesmerized by everything ancient. It felt small and grand at the same time. I needed the bite and wanted the cheapest thing possible. I walked into a pizzeria on the edge of town with simple signage offering two euro slices.
27 September 2017 // San Diego, California
I’m excited to note where I’ll be spending a good chunk of my November– back in Southeast Asia. I’ll be visiting Plant With Purpose’s Thailand program, celebrating Ivy & JB’s wedding, tending to some geographically-challenged friendships, and doing the digital nomad thing for just a little bit.
• Seoul
• Chiang Rai(ish)
• Kuala Lumpur
• Phuket
If anyone has any recommendations, I’ll take ‘em. And if you know anyone based out of these areas doing creative, compassionate work that I need to meet, I’d love to get put in touch!
28 September 2017 // San Diego, California
Having a great weeknight starter kit:
29 September 2017 // San Diego, California
“People are hard to hate close up. Move in.”
–Brene Brown
30 September 2017 // San Diego, California
Had a fun time meeting and going on a little photowalk with Oliver. The lighting at OB Pier wasn’t messing around.
Find me anyone wanting to live remarkably in a world full of templates and conventional living and we’ll have plenty to bond over.
Don’t miss a chance to let people know how thrilled you are they exist.
Months after the fact, and years down the line, that’ll be one of the big things I’ll have remembered from Tanzania. Every single village we drove into greeted us with cheers and shouts, songs in Swahili, waving palms, signs, and homemade noisemakers. I’d never been welcomed, accepted, celebrated like that before. It was like a party around every corner.
They call it Karibu and while that word means welcome, it’s also a word I think of when I think of the type of person I’d like to be. An enthusiastic welcomer.
There are a lot of people in the world who feel unseen. Invisible. Unimportant. What difference would it make if we suddenly pulled out all the stops to make them feel like the bee-eff-dee that they really are? I’m betting it’s a big one, and we can probably have a whole lot of fun doing it.
When you open yourself up for adventure, good stories usually follow.
I'm finding out that having a life full of good stories and adventures isn't just a matter of luck or being in the right place when opportunities come up, it's more about being willing to embrace little surprises with curiosity, openness, and creativity.
Do this and the smallest everyday activities will turn into some pretty wild times. Do this often enough, and you'll start to find yourself in the path of even bigger adventures that take you to far away places and bucket list quests.
Then when you've done that often enough you'll find that those were great, but the biggest adventures were the ones you've found in relationships built along the way, or in the ones you've had all along, or in the beauty of ordinary things in a God-given life.
Some people say it doesn't matter what you believe, but I disagree. Beliefs make you. You can be open-minded to all kinds of ideas, but you should also know what you believe in.
What we’ll ultimately be remembered for will be what we’ve given our time and energy to, the way we’ve responded to life’s challenges, and the small but meaningful changes we’ve made to the world. All those things stem from what we believe in most.
If you’ve never taken a fair amount of time to think about what you believe makes the world better, what the story of everything looks like, it’s so worth it. Is power and greatness what’s important? Giving hope? Helping others?
Down that rabbit hole, I’ve play a lot of connect-the-dots, trying to make sure the my decisions make sense based on those beliefs. Beliefs shape priorities, which shape habits, and before you know it, you’ve got a legacy in the making.
These thoughts brought to you by the juice of a fresh young coconut.
So how do you do it? How do you look at pictures from Charlottesville, the ones that remind you of the black and white ones from a textbook’s chapter on the Jim Crow South knowing that they’re actually from yesterday, shot on iPhone and uploaded to Twitter?
.
It’s a reminder of all the darkness that exists in the world. The hatred we thought we graduated from, only to learn that it just lurked in the shadows. Some of us weren’t even lucky enough to have that illusion. Poverty makes people vulnerable to spiritual despair. Fear takes over people, seemingly more than ever. Racism never went away.
.
I’ve never really been good at being a spectator to this kind of thing. I’m one of those types who wants to find or build a solution. Fast. Sometimes that’s a good thing, other times it’s not. It’s important to be humble enough to know you can’t do it all, but hopeful enough to know you’ve got to do your part.
.
There are ways to stand against fear, hate, and poverty that don’t look like bold heroic actions, but small contributions to a better world. Going to work and giving each task my best is my part to play in fighting poverty. Cooking meals that remind me of past trips and dreaming up future ones is my way to show people the beauty of diversity and cultures. And in my house, sweet date nights and healthy conflicts disprove the myth of racism.
.
These are small things for sure. But the most lasting changes are the ones built by many people doing small things.
01 August 2017 // San Diego, California
This is Doug. He’s a great co-worker who lets me take some time out of his work day to let me film a video that makes him look like a total coffee addict. Thanks, Doug!
02 August 2017 // San Diego, California
“Married couples joined by love speak well of each other; they try to show their spouse's good side, not their weakness and faults. In any event, they keep silent rather than speak ill of them. This is not merely a way of acting in front of others; it springs from an interior attitude. Far from ingenuously claiming not to see the problems and weaknesses of others, it sees those weaknesses and faults in a wider context. It recognizes that these failings are part of a bigger picture. We have to realize that all of us are a complex mixture of light and shadows. The other person is much more than the sum of the little things that annoy me. Love does not have to be perfect for us to value it. The other person loves me as best they can, with all their limits, but the fact that love is imperfect does not mean that it is untrue or unreal. It is real, albeit limited and earthly. If I expect too much, the other person will let me know, for he or she can neither play God nor serve all my needs. Love coexists with imperfection. It "bears all things" and can hold its peace before the limitations of the loved one.”
–Pope Francis
Book No. 29 of 2017
Legitimately, this has been one of the best and most helpful marriage books I’ve read.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
03 August 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission No. 29: Make at least two types of empanadas that take me right back to Buenos Aires.
The Results: I decided to be bold and attempt fried empanadas… campo style. These are way better in texture (flaky, man!) but can easily become a mess. Thankfully the risk was rewarded and they held together alright.
I stuffed one with the classic- ground beef, olive, and egg. That turned out to be decent, although I could’ve probably seasoned the beef a bit better to get a stronger flavor out of it. The other style, mozzarella, spinach, and mushroom turned out to be even tastier, mostly thanks to that mozzarella.
04 August 2017 // Isla Vista, California
I spent a night in Isla Vista. I’m now undeniably an old guy around these parts, but it’s a place where I can always and never return.
I can never return, because it’s a place that has seen a few generations of students come and go, emptying itself of most of my friends in the process. (Thank God for the ones who’ve hung on.) Half the businesses have closed. It’s no longer a place where I’d skip whole nights of sleep to talk to a crush, where I’d go moon-bathing by the ocean in the dark, where I can spend months rent-free because of all the couches I could surf.
But in other ways I always come back. Every time I say a prayer that doesn’t fit into words, I know I learned that waves can crash the way prayer beads click. Every time I feel like I’m surrounded by people with whom I definitely belong, I know I first felt that while inhaling bonfire fumes in backyards. Every time I feel like life can start fresh, I remember that this is where it did over eight years ago.
05 August 2017 // Santa Barbara, California
I love this place so much.
It’s been five years since I lived in Santa Barbara. The majority of my friends have managed to move out over that span of time, too. I’m thankful I still have enough people here to pay visits to.
We’re back for the first time since our wedding day (not counting the 15 hours I spent here once a year ago for a job interview). In some ways it’s strange getting to physically feel how far removed we are from those chapters in our story. The ever-expanding circles of friends. The student slums. The self-discovery amidst Spanish architecture.
In other ways, coming back will always feel like a homecoming. Suddenly it’s 2009 and we're following the tacky font on brown street signs back to my car and I’m just waking up to my own life.
06 August 2017 // Ventura, California
A little self-awareness goes a really long way.
It’s totally different than self-absorption. I remember times where I directed way too much energy towards trying to craft some sort of image, to come across as a certain way, or to impress the right groups of people. It’s amazing how much time you can spend thinking about yourself without self-awareness.
Self-awareness takes honesty. Knowing your natural strengths, weaknesses, motivations, and tendencies can be such a difference-maker. The more I’ve understood these things about myself, the more I’ve understood the best ways for me to help people, things I should commit to that challenge me, and why the same event might trigger different reactions from me than other people I’m close to.
I’ve learned to embrace my adventurous side, while realizing that the things that grow me more are long term, patience-testing commitments. I’ve learned to appreciate the fact that I’m an inevitable optimist without expecting the same amount of belief from other people.
Everyone has their own path to growth, but it’s so much easier to commit to growth when you know your starting points.
07 August 2017 // San Diego, California
“I was getting along with the damn loneliness well enough. I expected to continue with it the rest of my life. Then I saw you that morning. I saw your face.”
–Marilynne Robinson
Book No. 32 of 2017
This book follows the character of Lila, who in Gilead and Home seemed to have way more depth to her character than those books had the space to delve into. Indeed she did, coming from a rough and brutal background and finding a new undeserved life in the town of Gilead. This book toggles between her rocky background, and reconciling the lovable, unsaved people from her past wth her new, unlikely marriage. Her relationship with John seemed awkward at times, but also really sweet.
And now, I’ve completed the Gilead trilogy. The order in which I liked the three books couldn’t be more clear. I liked this installment a lot better than Home, but it doesn’t enthrall me the way Gilead did. It did help me understand a good bit of why I liked the first book so much better than the second: John Ames.
The gentle preacher has a way of taking on big questions with such humility and insight that you feel like you’re reading an encouraging essay alongside a novel. The moments where his responses to Lila’s questions were among my favorite.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
08 August 2017 // San Diego, California
This class of interns ran into their last week way too fast. Great having them for the summer.
09 August 2017 // San Diego, California
Confessing and Repenting:
“Everyone loves the idea of reconciliation– until it involves… confessing, repenting.” (– Eugene Cho)
Everything that happened in Charlottesville happened in response to a moment. A political moment. A social moment. A cultural moment.
That’s a difficult reality. I’ve always been a super big idealist. I recognize the good in people who have different views than me, and I want to encourage that. In a more perfect world, I’d say that political differences are no big deal, and our moral choices are what mattered.
In the world we get, those things are a lot more tangled.
The most important thing isn’t to find your opposing side that’s doing everything wrong and to heap on more shame and guilt. This only creates an unhelpful back-and-forth where defensiveness and anger drives people to extremes.
Instead, it’s more important (and really, just more practical) to look at your own realm, your own beliefs, your own communities to see what needs to be changed.
Politically: What do you tolerate just because somebody is wearing your “team colors?” How will you recognize when you’ve accepted sins like racism when they’re attached to your usual tastes?
Relationally: Do you always back down from the hard conversations? When is it worth it to challenge an idea?
Spiritually: What are you called to do now?.
Tough questions are called tough for a reason, but we only suffer when we avoid them.
10 August 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission 28: Make a BBQ Chicken Pop Tart. Actually, the goal of doing any sort of savory pop tart style item’s been on the radar for a little while.
The Results: I was so pleased with how this came out. The casing was a simple pie crust, but the fillings were what completed the dish. Some juicy marinated chicken, green chives, mushrooms, tangy bbq sauce, and most exciting- a few of our homegrown cherry tomatoes that have started to come through.
I’d do this again, and I’d also be curious to see what other savory tastes lend themselves well to a pop tart format. I’m thinking chicken curry.
11 August 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission 32: Appertivo night done right. After falling in love with the Italian habit of aperitif hours thanks to a @splendidtableepisode, I had to give it a shot.
The Results: Let's do this again soon, please! I was really happy with the charcuterie I built around the cocktails. I even managed to figure out where to buy morcilla! And the cocktail I improvised came out just right:
🍸 Crater Lake Vodka + Dry Vermouth + Lavender Syrup + Orange Bitters
(👆🏼That sucker still needs a name... open to suggestions!)
I'd love to start experimenting with more open aperitif nights- invite friends and have everybody bring just one fancy thing.
12 August 2017 // San Diego, California
Forgiving and Peacemaking:
“Everyone loves the idea of reconciliation– until it involves… forgiving and peacemaking.” (– Eugene Cho)
Peacemaking is so important; unfortunately, peacemaking is also a really misunderstood word. I’ve been reading Break Open The Sky, where Stephen Bauman explains it really well:
“[It] means reconciler, one who having received the peace of God in her own heart, brings peace to others, and someone who is concerned with bringing a cessation of hostilities. Peacemaking is by no means passive. It involves taking risk. Peacemakers are not afraid to enter the fray in order to establish peace.”
I can really relate to the desire to not speak on hot button issues. It’s easy to think that by staying silent, you’ll at least stay “above the fray” and “avoid the pushback.” There is nothing holy about being silent while others are oppressed.
It can also seem really politically correct to respond to events by saying “I see all sides.” In most cases, it’s good to be able to understand a diversity of viewpoints. But when it comes to something like racism, this mentality is dangerous. If your response to a Nazi rally is “all sides need to get along,” then you’ve done a few things”
It allows the oppression to continue. It dismisses the pain of the victim and allows the oppressor to feel justified.
Here’s a challenge to those of us who like to avoid confrontation. The affinity for peace that we have is a good thing, but if we aren’t aware and careful to avoid passivity and permissiveness, it can quickly allow more harm to people than anything else.
13 August 2017 // San Diego, California
Truth-telling and Dismantling:
I went downtown for a Sunday night vigil for Charlottesville. I’m so thankful to have been a part of it. I’m thankful for the many spiritual leaders and organizations I’ve followed and served under who have spoken up. I’m a little disappointed by the ones who haven’t, but hey.
In the words of Eugene Cho, “Everyone loves the idea of reconciliation… until it involves truth-telling, confessing, repenting, dismantling, forgiving, and peacemaking.” These aren’t easy things, but I’m going to give them my best shot this week.
There is a problem with racism in our country and world. A lot of us were shocked to see an unmasked KKK rally out in the open. But if you were surprised by that, then that likely means you aren’t among those who have to deal with it every day. Those in the margins are far less surprised.
It’s easy to recognize racism when it carries a torch. It’s harder to recognize it when it denies a home loan, or passes over a job application. It’s easy to recognize on a television screen. It’s harder to recognize at a dinner table conversation. It’s easy to recognize on angry mobs. Harder to see in ourselves.
We need to listen a whole lot more. I’ve been in several conversations about these things where people have a lecture or long-winded anecdote prepackaged and ready-to-go. Never assume you have all this stuff figured out. Do the stuff they teach in pre-marital counseling instead. Don’t negate the experiences of someone else with your own. Listen and repeat back what you just heard. It’ll at least be a start to some better conversations that need to be had.
14 August 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission 32: Recreate one of my summertime favorites- flank steak with julienned carrots and ginger over a bed of vermicelli noodles.
Results: This was the meal I hoped it would be. While fairly wide strips of ginger can be pretty strong, they also work really well in this meal when they’re well sautéed and paired with something milder like carrots. The pho-quality flank steak pieces were perfect to top things off with.
15 August 2017 // San Diego, California
Date night at the most intense sports rivalry there ever was: Phillies versus Padres.
Highlights: $2.50 fish tacos on Tuesdays, Jorge Alfaro's first career homer, Rhys Hoskins: #unleashtherhys, no line at Hodad's, 1:1 fan ratio between fans.
Lowlights: Mark Leiter Jr.
Man, I’m gonna have way more fun when the Phillies are finally decent again.
16 August 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission 34: Have a go at one of my Philly favorites- the cheesesteak spin-off, the pizza steak.
Results: This was actually a great meal to make in a short amount of time. I got to use up the remaining steak shavings from the ginger beef vermicelli and we were able to whip this up and eat it early enough for an evening beach trip. Not such a bad go-to meal for something quick but worthwhile.
17 August 2017 // San Diego, California
Know how I found out about Plant With Purpose before working there? Some friends of mine gave a presentation at my now-office, and took back one of their quarterly newsletters for me. I kept tabs on the organization and applied to work there four years later.
I wrote the cover story for our latest newsletter, featuring some stories from Tanzania. So things have pretty much gone full circle now.
18 August 2017 // San Diego, California
Sometimes a low-key date night will take you right into a café made for Instagram. Who knew sea salt cream cheese foam would taste so good on top of iced oolong?
19 August 2017 // San Diego, California
Yay for Ivy’s birthday! This evening was a super fun food tasting and wine pairing night, with a chaser of board games. Such a great idea.
20 August 2017 // San Diego, California
Coffee shop table: Claimed.
Laptop: Flipped open.
Current Book: On table.
Currently Listening: Everyone else’s conversations with Lone Bellow in the back.
In the Mug: Usually just a black coffee. Flat white, maybe.
Make it as cliché as it gets, this will still always be the setting that gets my creative juices running, and my favorite work environment.
21 August 2017 // San Diego, California
Beauty will save the world.
I wrote a bit about that quote a couple weeks ago on the Plant With Purpose account- It’s from Dostoyevsky’s novel, The Idiot, which offers a very complex perspective about how beauty and suffering can co-exist. It offers beauty as a path to truth and faith in spite of a modern world trapped in darkness.
I posted that up last week, but it's not like there would've been some sort of really timely event that I should've waited for or anything.
22 August 2017 // San Diego, California
“The assumption that what currently exists must necessarily exist is the acid that corrodes all visionary thinking.”
–Murray Boochkin
23 August 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission 34: Nashville Hot Chicken has over time become more and more of a favorite- heat turnt up, super crisp skin . Problem is, it's really hard to find outside of Nashville. Basilisk in Portland did a pretty good job, but I don't live in Oregon anymore. Guess I gotta try making my own. (Or go to Nashville, but my poultry budget doesn't currently allow it.)
The Results: I was so happy with the nice coat I put on the chicken, probably the best I've made. I also liked the flavor of the spice rub. I could've turned the heat up even more, but now I have a baseline to go off of.
24 August 2017 // San Diego, California
When Beignet finds her mural on the side of the Carson Animal Shelter.
25 August 2017 // San Diego, California
“Converting our fears into faith is the business of God. But he’s not interested in a gnostic faith, a faith disembodied from the earthiness of day-to-day living. Instead, God desires a faith that engages our emotions and volition as much as our intellect, a faith that shocks those around us because our words or actions, although occurring in the natural world, have their origin in the divine.”
–Stephen Bauman
Book No. 33 of 2017
This book really needed to be written, and Stephen Bauman was just the right person for the task.
Faith can’t just be a theory. It’s not something to make us feel smart about ourselves while the rest of the world feels despair. Actually doing something takes a whole lot of risk, but it’s the risk we were actually made for. We’ll be unsatisfied until we take it.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
26 August 2017 // San Diego, California
We picked a pretty hot day to take on this hike. I have to remind myself that the best time of the year for hiking and camping down here is the total opposite of what we had going on in Oregon.
In what dream life can I live my Augusts & Septembers back in Oregon, my Junes & Julys in Southern Europe, my January in Patagonia, and everything else over here?
27 August 2017 // San Diego, California
“Leaving your country is like dying, and when you come back you are like a ghost returning to earth, roaming around with missing gaze in your eyes”
–NoViolet Bulawayo
Book No. 34 of 2017
So I liked Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche’s Americnah quite a bit. This book tackled similar themes through a different character’s journey, and to be honest I think I like this book just a bit more. The story is told through a younger perspective, less filtered and more wide-eyed towards immersion in a different world.
I also found it interesting, probably intentional, how the entire time, you’re given a sense of Darling’s increasing disorientation by what she sees in each place. It’s rare for this book to outright tell you where you are, instead it paints a picture. In fact, I don’t think it even mentions Zimbabwe by name.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
28 August 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission No. 37: A while ago, I was improvising with rigatoni noodles and curry powder and I really liked the results. I added some mushrooms and thought I needed to try something like that again, fully committing to adding the South Asian flavors and veggies onto a typically Italian dish.
The Results: It was even better while doing this on purpose! I went with eggplant, mushrooms, and green beans to be the main veggie items, and in a dream scenario I would’ve liked to add chunks of paneer cheese and maybe some fried potatoes. Unfortunately I didn’t have rigatoni noodles around this time, so I had to make the switch to penne. I prefer the al dente bite of rigatoni, but any noodle with a wide surface area that you can lightly sear goes well with this.
29 August 2017 // San Diego, California
“There is no group of Americans more pessimistic than working-class whites. Well over half of blacks, Latinos, and college-educated whites expect that their children will fare better economically than they have. Among working-class whites, only 44 percent share that expectation.”
“What separates the successful from the unsuccessful are the expectations that they had for their own lives. Yet the message of the right is increasingly: It’s not your fault that you’re a loser; it’s the government’s fault.”
“I don't know what the answer is, precisely, but I know it starts when we stop blaming Obama or Bush or faceless companies and ask ourselves what we can do to make things better.”
–J.D. Vance
Book No. 36 from 2017
This book was a learning tool, to better understand some of the populations that often seem to think on a different wavelength than I do. The rural-urban divide is quite real, and considering I work on rural poverty issues at a global level, I wanted to get a better understanding of its domestic manifestation.
J.D. Vance was a great storyteller. I was surprised by how much his book leaned towards memoir rather than social commentary- and really I think that was the best way for him to tell the story of his world. It’s one riddled with contradictions and sadness, but it did remind me of one thing: the growth we need the most isn’t an economic kind, but a spiritual one. And then there are all the understated links between them.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
30 August 2017 // San Diego, California
"These are not your kids. These are your students. Last year they were someone else's, next year they'll be gone. You can't be their mother. You certainly aren't their friend. You are the person who gives them grades. And if you go on caring for them in this way you won't survive.”
–Lindsey Lee Johnson
Book No. 35 of 2017
This was a debut novel, and one that I enjoyed more than I expected. It had the light-and-easy feeling of watching a rom-com from the early 2000’s, while actually carrying a lot of layers of depth.
The “Most Dangerous Place” is a Bay Area high school, full of wounded and insecure personalities that express themselves vibrantly in the group of teenage friends it follows. Throughout the book, we get to see each character open up more and the layers peel back.
It wasn’t perfect- (heads up, typng n txtspk doesn't mk u a teen especially in the era of autocorrect) but it was so fast-paced and compelling that I blazed through these pages pretty fast.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
31 August 2017 // San Diego, California
Doesn’t it often feel like it’s an age where nothing is really safe to say? Taking almost any sort of stand is met with criticism, accusations of being too-liberal, too-conservative, too-biased, too-partisan, too-much.
I’ve seen a lot of institutions, leaders, and brands try to do a couple things:
So what to do?
Know what you stand for. What your deepest beliefs and convictions are. Know what message you want your life to send and how it’s helping the world. Take the time to wrestle with the contradictions, doubts, and ambiguities. Always leave room to grow, but know your true north.
Then, when debates, controversies, or new issues arise, you can always hold it against your compass: In light of what I believe to be true about treating other people… in light of my convictions about what’s fair… in light of what I think is deeply true about people…
What if our idea of a wealthy person wasn't somebody who had a lot of value, but instead was somebody who gave a lot away?
What if we didn't dream of properties or holdings but instead, causes we could champion, or dreams we could make happen? What if our idea of philanthropy wasn't accumulating riches and giving away leftovers but giving no matter what and seeing all growth as more opportunity to give?
This is a romantic's idea, no doubt, but it's also not out of reach. Meet an OFW from any country sending 70% of his or her income to sick family members and you'll see. Meet the dentist I learned this idea from- he grew up on a Klamath Reservation where he was immersed in this value.
There's already a bunch of people living this way who impact a bunch of lives. And I think that sounds like the cooler goal.
Do you often feel like life moves too fast? That's me too, most of the time. Lately, I've been getting a lot out of the idea of having a beginner's mind.
Paul Coutinho sums it up pretty well. "It means doing things as if you were doing them for the first time. So when you eat, eat as if you were eating for the first time. When you pray, pray as if you were praying for the first time."
Turning this into habit is the hard part. But I can imagine the dilated sense of wonder you gain when you develop this approach. Everything is mind blowing, humbling, time-stopping.
I went downtown for a Sunday night vigil for Charlottesville. I’m so thankful to have been a part of it. I’m thankful for the many spiritual leaders and organizations I’ve followed and served under who have spoken up. I’m a little disappointed by the ones who haven’t.
In the words of Eugene Cho, "Everyone loves the idea of reconciliation… until it involves truth-telling, confessing, repenting, dismantling, forgiving, and peacemaking.” These aren’t easy things, but I’m going to give them my best shot this week.
There is a problem with racism in our country and world. A lot of us were shocked to see an unmasked KKK rally out in the open. But if you were surprised by that, then that likely means you aren’t among those who have to deal with it every day. Many minorities are far less surprised.
It’s easy to recognize racism when it carries a torch. It’s harder to recognize it when it denies a home loan, or passes over a job application. It’s easy to recognize on a television screen. It’s harder to recognize at a dinner table conversation. It’s easy to recognize on angry mobs. Harder to see in ourselves.
We need to listen a whole lot more. I’ve been in several conversations about these things where people have a lecture or long-winded anecdote prepackaged and ready-to-go. Never assume you have all this stuff figured out. Do the stuff they teach in pre-marital counseling instead. Don’t negate the experiences of someone else with your own. Listen and repeat back what you just heard. It’ll at least be a start to some better conversations that need to be had.
Peacemaking is so important; unfortunately, peacemaking is also a really misunderstood word. I’ve been reading Break Open The Sky, where Steven Bauman explains it really well:
“[It] means reconciler, one who having received the peace of God in her own heart, brings peace to others, and someone who is concerned with bringing a cessation of hostilities. Peacemaking is by no means passive. It involves taking risk. Peacemakers are not afraid to enter the fray in order to establish peace.”
I can really relate to the desire to not speak on hot button issues. It’s easy to think that by staying silent, you’ll at least stay “above the fray” and “avoid the pushback.” But there is nothing holy about being silent while others are oppressed.
It can also seem really politically correct to respond to events by saying “I see all sides.” In most cases, it’s good to be able to understand a diversity of viewpoints. But when it comes to something like racism, this mentality is dangerous.
It allows the oppression to continue. It dismisses the pain of the victim and allows the oppressor to feel justified.
Here’s a challenge to those of us who like to avoid confrontation. The affinity for peace that we have is a good thing, but if we aren’t aware and careful to avoid passivity and permissiveness, it can quickly allow more harm to people than anything else.
After the Charlottesville incidents, I was pleased to see many of the spiritual leaders whom I’ve gotten to serve under speak up and condemn white supremacy. I was glad to see social media platforms and Sunday Morning sermons pay attention, and I was also disappointed by the silence of others. It’s easy to be less interested in being a part of God’s vision for transforming the world, and more interested in making people feel good about themselves.
Martin Luther King once said that in the end, “we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
The belief that skin color makes some lives matter less than others goes beyond politics– it's simply sin. It's one of the oldest sins, one that remains persistently in the spotlight today, and one every spiritual leader must talk about.
Why? Because people aren’t just talking about it. They’re forming their thoughts about God, humans, and the world based on what is being seen. Conversations will happen with or without the Church, but when spiritual leaders stay silent, it sends the message that they have nothing to say about fundamental questions of how people should treat one another.
01 July 2017 // Del Mar, California
I went to the Del Mar Fair for the first time in a decade… this thing has not changed one bit.
Plant With Purpose got a spot at the Whole Life Festival, a celebration of botany and sustainable agriculture with organizations and thought leaders helping to spread awareness and ideas about holistic environmental health.
Of course, all this was a little bit hard to find behind the rows and rows of trucks selling deep fried pizza, mega turkey legs, and vats of oil.
02 July 2017 // San Diego, California
I went to college in a beach city, party town, student slum kind-of-world.
I’m realizing that right now, I pretty much live in a grown up version of Isla Vista. But hey, that’s where so many of my happiest memories came from, so no complaints from me.
03 July 2017 // San Diego, California
I’ve lost count of trips into the ocean this week.
I’m pretty sure we’re turning into beach bums. And I’m kinda okay with it.
04 July 2017 // San Diego, California
The Fourth of July means unfinished business- The Fourth of July for Americans is less a time of looking back than a time of looking forward, less a time for congratulating ourselves on the exceptionalism of the United States, much more a time for challenging ourselves on the state of the American proposition. (Words from America Mag)
My Fourth this year was a winner. Got to set up the grill for the first time to have family over and the results were great. And living right across from SeaWorld has some perks. I get one of the best firework shows in town without having to even leave the house.
05 July 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission 27: Prosciutte e Melone Doughnuts. It’s a pretty farfetched concept, but hear me out.
Have you ever known a weird couple that seems to make no sense on paper, but once you see them vibe together it just works? It doesn’t happen often, but it happens. In the food world, this is prosciutto and melon.
Who would think that the salty, fatty slices of cured pork would mesh so well when wrapped around chilled, juicy cantaloupe pieces? Well, the Italians did, because they tried it out to a good deal of success.
I love sweet and salty combos, and the bacon maple doughnut has been well-established as a good one. I wondered if there might be potential for this odd couple to play well on top of some fried dough as well.
The results: Yes!
I spent a while juicing a cantaloupe to make some melon flavored glaze… that came out even better than I expected. I used my old beignet recipe to make the doughnuts, and while it was hard to work with the shape of doughnut bars, they still came out alright. Maybe not the most visually appeasing recipe, but also, one I was still pretty proud of at the end of the day.
06 July 2017 // San Diego, California
I’ve been able to work under so many different leaders over the years… at work, in churches, in academia. I’ve come across so many different styles and personalities.
There are so many different ways to be a great leader. That said, there’s one thing shared by all the people I looked up to the most while working or serving under them.
Humility.
Every leader that I’ve looked up to has had humility as one of their core traits. Not an auxiliary trait. Like- it would be impossible to describe them without noting how they were constantly deflecting or sharing praise, showing restraint around the limelight, or completely disinterested in showing off.
Humility unfailingly leaves a bigger impression on me than skill or accomplishments. Two of the best pastors I’ve ever known left a lasting, positive impression on me by apologizing for things misspoken. I remember those moments better than any sermon, and they did a better job than any sermon of making me want to be humble and own my errors.
I know I want to be like that. At the very least, I’m already a very big fan of humble.
07 July 2017 // San Diego, California
“Because it’s true: more than the highlights, the bright events, it was in the small and the daily where she’d found life.”
–Lauren Groff
Book No. 25 of 2017
Here’s one that sat on my reading list for a long time because of all the praise I heard about it. I finally got around to picking it up at Powell’s once I found a really good price on a copy in like-new shape. I brought it with me on a long plane ride and I’m so glad I did.
Groff’s story explores the ins and outs of a marriage that spans decades. It takes a simple story and peels away its layers, little by little, leading you to discover more and more hidden stories behind each character along the way. Her writing shows so much restraint and caution in crafting a clean but striking narrative.
She writes with such sharpness, painting scenes that are both rich and delicate at the same time. I haven’t come across too many authors who have this type of command over words and emotion.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
08 July 2017 // San Diego, California
If you know my dog, you’ll totally why I’ve been a skeptic of letting her off leash at Dog Beach. She has so much wanderlust, I wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle herself.
We only live a few minutes away from Dog Beach, though, which is such a delightful place. I tried taking her there on leash, but seeing her wanting to run free was a bit painful.
Cue the Rocky-style training montage– we’ve been working on a little off-leash training for the past few months.
Then, Saturday became such a proud moment for puppy parents. We cheated a little bit, by letting her let some of her energy out at the dog park, then we took her into the ocean. And she did so good! She tagged along with us the whole time, going after the ball and coming back despite the potential distractions of hundreds of other dogs.
You go, Beignet baby.
09 July 2017 // San Diego, California
How I Spent My Pretty Rad Sunday Night:
Met new friends, took in some coffee, ended up on a photo walk around OB. Brought the dog and she turned into the evening's muse.
10 July 2017 // San Diego, California
“Reconciliation is about how to relate even after forgiveness andjustice have occurred. It’s about how to delve even deeper into re-lationship with one another. An absence of hostility is possible without a spiritual dimension, but reconciliation is not. Reconcili-ation is possible only if we approach it primarily as a spiritual process that requires a posture of hope in the reconciling work of Christ and a commitment from the church to both be and proclaim this type of reconciled community.”
–Brenda Salter McNeil
Book No. 26 of 2017
Of all the books this year, this one may have been the one with some of the most practical use. McNeil offers a good overview of what reconciliation is and breaks down the process into stages: realization of a new reality, identification with the “other,” preparation for lasting change, and activation of change.
This book was also the shortest book I’ve read this year, but if there’s such a thing as a value-to-page ratio, then this was also perhaps the richest. It’s a book that I think would be worth reading in a group setting, especially among a group with a diverse set of viewpoints and experiences.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
11 July 2017 // San Diego, California
I was talking to a couple of friends recently, telling them about our Beignet adoption experience.
At the shelter, she flashed us a pair of puppy eyes and offered a couple of gentle licks. Compared to the other yappers in the kennel, she seemed to be the only one with the temperament we were looking for. Plus she responded to a couple basic commands, which was pretty promising.
When we first brought her home, she was a total wild child… and stayed that way for the next several months. Puppy energy for days on end. What a trickster.
A year and a half and one big move later, though, and she’s so much more like the dog she made us think she was when we took her home. She hasn’t had an accident in almost forever. She’s never been aggressive, just assertively playful. She eats trash every now and then, but she can also handle the ocean like a champ.
We’ve spent a year and a half living the #lifeofabeignet and I think we got a good one.
12 July 2017 // Encinitas, California
Soil is fascinating. Soil is a natural antidepressant. The microbes found in soil have been found to have similar effects on a brain as chemical antidepressants.
Long story short, I love volunteer days spent at Coastal Roots Farm with our Plant With Purpose staff.
13 July 2017 // San Diego, California
“I’d always tried to show respect for other people’s religious beliefs because I would never say that I know the one answer, and for a moment that day I shared a belief in a higher force. It made sense. All the parts of the world suddenly fit together as a whole. It’s what I felt the first time I ate truffles at Arcodoro and what I felt the first time I met Jane. Those were moments that came out of the blue.”
–Ian Purkayastha
Book No. 27 of 2017
This is the first book I’ve read this year by an author younger than me, but it was written with a lot more expertise and experience than a lot of older authors bring.
I discovered Ian when I heard an interview with him on The Sporkful. (At least, I’m pretty sure it was the Sporkful.) He told stories of how he hustled it as a truffle dealer, trying to peddle his gourmet goods in the back kitchens of some of New York’s most reputable restaurants. It reminded me a lot of how Jay-Z often talks about his hustlin’ days, just swapping out the banned substances with truffles. There’s still a lot of shady, cartel-driven business in the gourmet food world. That I learned.
I also learned a lot about why truffles are so valuable and how difficult they are to harvest. And of all the European politics that go into branding a product like a foraged truffle. Another book this one reminded me of was Phil Knight’s Shoe Dog. It was a look into the hard work that it takes to make a big idea succeed.
Ultimately, though, I was won over by Ian’s simple passion for his product and how transcendent the whole foraging and distributing experience was for him. He’s got some good stories to tell.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
14 July 2017 // San Diego, California
A place with lots of good food where you can run into some great people is my kind of place. If some of that good food happens to include lobster rolls, even better.
It’s been a good past week on a couple of fronts– lots of time spent at the Liberty Public Market, going on some long awaited double dates, squeezing in good conversations in between overhead airplane noises, and loving the coast.
15 July 2017 // San Diego, California
Today a year ago, my grandma spent her last day on earth after 98 full, abundant years. She would've turned 99 last Monday.
She was the only grandparent of mine who lived long enough for me to get to know. And even if it was only enough overlap for me to have caught her later years, they were enough to let me know I had a family history of hospitality and widespread loving to live up to.
I miss her, but I'm also thankful she lived so long and fully that I got to experience her care and love. She left so much of it to linger, it almost feels like she's still around in the Philippines, waiting for our next visit.
16 July 2017 // San Diego, California
My in-laws are in town... just about all of them! On their first full day, Simon taught me how to play Magic the Gathering, we went to church, Beignet went into the ocean, and I finally got to try the steak tartare benedict and guava melon mimosa at Breakfast Republic.
And the fun weekend is turning into a pretty fun week.
17 July 2017 // San Diego, California
Growing up, I was always happiest when my house was fullest. There was a strong correlation between when things were tough and when the house was empty.
I still love a full, packed house, friends or family everywhere, and food. Probably even more so.
When we left Oregon for California, we knew we would have to downsize, and we definitely did. We literally have half the space we used to. But we probably get even more use out of it by not letting that stop us from hosting as many people as we can. This week we had both families over. We had to ask them to bring beach chairs so we’d have enough seats, but it worked.
Get rid of things to make room for people.
In my dream world, my house is a coffee shop in the morning, an Irish pub in the evening, and a hostel overnight.
18 July 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission No. 26: I’ve had the longest lasting fixation on lavender lemonade. Somehow those two flavors go together really well, despite lemons being bold and aggressive and lavender being a more delicate taste. It’s like a couple of complementary personalities that just meshes the right way.
The Results: The hardest part of this concoction was trying several different spots to try and buy lavender before giving in and ordering some online. But the results were great. I cooked them into a lavender syrup that steeped with the fresh squeezed lemon juice so much better.
19 July 2017 // San Diego, California
When the concept of your board game is “make trains really long and connect different places,” of course my nephew Luke is gonna want to play.
Little did he realize he signed up for a game that would take us deep into the night.
20 July 2017 // San Diego, California
Going as far back as college, one of my favorite spiritual practices were all those silent prayers of watching one wave crash after the other, vastness and consistency, separation and global connection. Just staring for a few seconds felt like a fistful of Our Fathers.
For the past few years, I’ve found myself living in landlocked places, forced to leave behind this practice. That’s not such a bad thing- having to leave your spiritual comfort zone reminds you that the meaning matters more than the method. But man, I missed it.
Yesterday, I started to wonder if that might’ve been at least a part of the reason I’ve been called back to a coastline. I spent the sunset with a book and a Beignet, watching waves crash. They hadn’t missed a beat.
21 July 2017 // San Diego, California
My nephs are in town and everything is great.
Also, I recommend pretty much everything I’ve been reading the past couple weeks: Fates and Furies, Amoris Laetitia, and Romans.
22 July 2017 // San Diego, California
Sadly, it looks like I didn’t win the raffle for free coffee for a month/year. But the raffle tickets came in the form of matcha lattes so it’s all good.
Any of my econ-versed friends want to gve me a good Game Theory explanation for the raffle jars?
23 July 2017 // San Diego, California
Thanks, ComicCon and Puesto , for giving us a chance to get back together and catch up with Marly and JP. It had been a minute!
And it was great getting to finally meet ya, JP. Come back to SD soon.
24 July 2017 // San Diego, California
“It amazed Izzy the way the children rushed through so many complicated emotions without space between each one. Everything rose so quickly to the surface and then subsided, like firecrackers, and what had originally been so jarring to her, their unguarded emotion, now filled her with great comfort, that anything, no matter what it was, would eventually give way to something else.”
–Kevin Wilson
Book No. 28 of 2017
At first, the premise of this book sounded really interesting to me. I was ready to read about a (probably dystopian) world where instead of parent-child bonds, all children are raised in bulk, with general society serving a collective parental role.
This book was written to be pretty fast paced, and its world is rich and lively. But the concept is kind of underwhelming. It turns out that the collective approach to raising parents is simply a psychological experiment underwritten by the owners of a Mega-Corporation. And what results isn’t too different from the collectivist style of parenting in many non-Western cultures, combined with the publicity and drama of reality TV.
⭐️⭐️
25 July 2017 // San Diego, California
The last time I saw David, our wives weren’t even in the picture. It’s been almost ten years.
We teamed up to take on some BBQ ribs and had several years to get caught up on. It was a blast and it was great meeting Dayna. We gotta hang out again– more than once a decade.
26 July 2017 // San Diego, California
I came back from Bocce ball to find my whole office intensely focused on the sand. At first I figured we were making a really intense sand castle. After all, we have a lot of technical people. Maybe we just wanted a lot of structural integrity.
I asked what was up and no one replied. They were so into it. I also thought it might’ve been some zen garden project, and everyone was really focused.
Turns out, everyone was looking for a set of wedding rings that had gotten lost. About an hour later: success. One was found, the other was in the car the whole time. Congrats to Ellen and Matt, and thanks for the team bonding!
27 July 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission No. 27: Make a dish that perfectly highlights scallops as the star. Scallops are amazing, after all.
The Results: This was a pretty easy dish to make, since I was so comfortable with all the ingredients that went in. Udon noodles were my base, and I made a pretty good sauce from soy and garlic. The stars of the show, the scallops, were complemented by bits of bacon oil and brown butter, with a bit of mushroom.
28 July 2017 // San Diego, California
I don't like goodbyes. I like karaoke much better. If I have to say goodbye, I'll make sure that's balanced out with a good dose of karaoke.
F'real though, Kenzie, we just started being co-workers! I love my job and so much of that is because of the team I get to work with. Most of that team and culture was recruited and developed by such an HR powerhouse.
Good luck to Team Leas. The Bay won't know what hit it. Thanks for bringing me on board in time for a few great months of working together.
29 July 2017 // San Diego, California
This weekend, I met and had spontaneous conversations with: a couple managing a crazy long distance relationship (she’s recently widowed and lives in Mexico while he travels 300 days a year for work), a woman in her 80’s who plays basketball at the gym every week and goes to Alabama for tournaments, her genuinely joyful friend who survived a terrible tragedy you’d never expect, an Iraqi refugee who is working hard to help other recent arrivals with their transition, and another Iraqi who was working for the UN at the time the compound was bombed in 2003.
And I took a nice walk in the park with my family.
30 July 2017 // San Diego, California
You know how I like, have absolutely no hobbies or interests at all and need a new one? And how I need something new to spend money on because I have way too much cash all the time?
To help myself with that situation, I bought a surfboard. It’s taken me long enough, with how much time I’ve spent living in surfer paradises.
31 July 2017 // San Diego, California
Beignet still hasn’t figured out how to start a little side hustle to pay her share of the rent. We’re hoping she can go viral and change that soon with royalty payments. Until that happens, though, we’ve figured out how to get her to save us $1 on pints. Thanks, Culture!
01 June 2017 // San Diego, California
I love how you never quite know where you’re going to find yourself at any given day. I was at work in the afternoon, when I discovered that I’d be going to a business networking event. I would be going because a chain of five other colleagues couldn’t make it, but I thought, what the heck, I’ll go.
I was a total fish out of water. Most of the people there were from a big money business world, and my first clue should’ve been the fact that the event rented out the Museum of Man and had free cocktails and hoer d’ouerves– shoutout to myself for actually doing more than just standing at the charcuterie board and eating all night long. I could’ve so easily done that.
Instead I got to meet a bunch of people from totally different walks of life, and I had a whole lot of fun doing so. Here are my three big tips for these sorts of networking events.
02 June 2017 // San Diego, California
My 9-to-5 job is to literally tell stories that show people how a better world is possible. That we get to build up our common home. To be honest, it often feels like there’s a pretty big gap in between the world we live in and the one I want.
This week was especially bad in that regard.
You probably heard about the terrorist attack in Portland last week. An angry man was threatening two Muslim teenage girls on the train. When a group of men intervened, he killed two of them and badly injured the third. That makes me angry on a number of levels. The Portland MAX consistently brought me joy, and it’s strange to think of something so awful happening on board. Even worse is that I’d like to be the type of person who stands up for others, and it’s terrible knowing this is sometimes the result.
In the Philippines last night, a gunman shot and killed at least 36 people in a Manila Casino. That’s another incident that hits pretty close to home.
There were also recent attacks in Manchester, Baghdad, and Kabul– places a little less close to me, but incidents that were just as tragic.
The last words of one of the Portland victims were “tell everyone on this train I love them.” In a moment so full of hate, ugliness, tragedy, and death, came a string of words so beautiful that we all need to hear. Aren’t we all just passengers towards our own mortality needing a reminder that we are loved?
03 June 2017 // Carlsbad, California
Enjoying just a little bit of calm before the storm of travel that takes over the rest of this month.
One of my favorite cities in the country (Chicago) and somewhere I’ve never been before (Tanzania)– what a great combo. I’m thankful that my life right now gives me both a home base and a good amount of opportunities to travel. I’m my best self when I get home and away in the right balance.
Lately I’ve been doing so much flashing back to some of the first international trips I took. I can just as strongly remember how fresh and new places like Australia or Turkey felt to me. It wasn’t just the place, but also that constant process of discovery and strong feeling of independence that made those trips so full of life.
You can’t quite recreate that magic, and you can never really take the same trip twice. That said, I’m feeling nice and ready to see somewhere new for the first time and to once again lose myself while exploring. That exhilaration never gets old.
04 June 2017 // San Diego, California
Defying tradition sort of comes natural to me. I’ve always been drawn to the unconventional. I’m not offended by fusion food. I like music that doesn’t have a genre. I am much more interested about hearing how somebody has created their own career path doing something way out there than someone who excelled and accumulated wealth the tried and true way.
It’s kind of funny that when it comes to my faith, I go in the opposite direction. Maybe it’s cause growth often looks like going against your natural urges.
When it comes to worship, I’ve come to appreciate church calendars, common prayers, and liturgies that go much further back than I do. It’s the awareness I often need that this whole thing is not about me. That’s not to say that one style of practice is better than another, but this is where my growth has been for the past five or so years.
Sure, there’s a level of taking personal ownership and application of your faith, but I also really need the reminder that God’s narrative doesn’t have me at the center of it. I have a little bit of time left on earth, during which, I need to be a good steward of his story and word for those who come after me.
05 June 2017 // San Diego, California
Proud of Deanna, happy for Deanna. Today she started her new job with the Community Research Foundation in San Diego, doing pretty similar work to what she did in Eugene, only now with transition age youth.
You don’t need to know Deanna as well as I do to know that she’s gonna totally rock this new job. And by rock it, I mean she’ll be changing and probably even saving more lives than anyone will realize, because that’s what she does.
06 June 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission 22: Keep it simple, but make a really good sandwich.
The Results: Start with ciabatta bread- and it doesn’t take much to take it off from there. A bit of japanese mayo and pesto, some lettuce, sliced turkey breast, tomato and muenster. It took only a quick couple minutes to put together and it totally satisfied.
07 June 2017 // San Diego, California
“Not everybody wants to get out and see the world. Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes you just want to figure out how to fit yourself into the world you already know.”
–John Darnielle
Book No. 20 of 2017
It shouldn’t be the biggest surprise but John Darnielle’s novel actually has a lot of the same vibe as a Mountain Goats song. I do think he is one of the most crafty songwriters, and so when his novels started getting heavy acclaim, I decided I needed to pick up one of them.
Overall, I liked it. This book had a really fascinating premise of VHS Tapes accidentally being partially written over with cryptic and creepy pieces of footage. This random mystery works its way into the lives of the video store employees and other related characters who are all missing something in their life.
As bold as that premise is, this is also a really subtle book, and it gives you a pretty long leash to make inferences about the direction the story takes. I’m glad I read it.
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
08 June 2017 // San Diego, California
Well— today took me pretty much everywhere, from the office to an amazing dinner at Bo + Beaux to a serene gondola ride in East Asia via virtual reality to where I am now, which is on board my flight to Chicago.
As exciting as all that is, it's all overshadowed by a certain milestone: Deanna and I have been dating for five years.
Of course we've since upgraded our status to married, but I never want to stop celebrating this anniversary as well. It profoundly made my life better and it's been growing me and inspiring me ever since.
Happy five years, hun. Thanks for filling them up with so many happy thoughts and moments.
09 June 2017 // South Barrington, Illinois
Day One of the Justice Conference in the books.
I've mostly been posted up at the Plant With Purpose table, saying hi to people, and only got the chance to see bits and pieces of the speakers, and this.
Mariela Shaker is a fantastic violinist from Aleppo, who has survived unthinkable things. Knowing that added more music to the music, and her song was what resonated most in a room full of words. Hearing her play was incredible.
10 June 2017 // South Barrington, Illinois
“When we seek to love our neighbors, we cannot separate it from the systems in which they reside.”
“Our idolization of comfort and security will stop us from entering into other communities unlike our own.”
–Jenny Yang
The second day of the Justice Conference totally rocked. There were a lot of people who were only able to make one day of the conference, and we got to see a lot of new faces at the Plant With Purpose table and start some great conversations about environmental justice.
I also had a chance to run in to hear some speakers for a bit, and I think I did so at just the right time.
I caught the trifecta of Jeremy Courtney, Sandra Van Opstal, and Jenny Yang. Each of them had such compelling, challenging talks, and powerful reminders about standing alongside the marginalized.
Interestingly, in a conference of speakers two of the most powerful moments of the conference happened without many words. There was Mariela Shaker’s moving violin performance the previous day. Then there was Ann Voskamp literally giving up her seat at a panel citing "too much talking from people of privilege."
11 June 2017 // Chicago, Illinois
Yeahhh- I’m not really one for these really hot days. My last day in Chicago kind of disagreed. I had to cope by trying to spend the night one foot away from a fan and by chasing down an order of Italian beef. The latter didn’t do much to help with the heat, but I love these sandwiches.
Despite being temperature challenged, I’m loving the summertime overall. My bigger travels have already happened, I think, but late nights with sours, taking advantage of the ocean next door, cookout recipes, road trip playlists, weekend camping trips, and early evening hangouts are still on deck. I’m loving this.
12 June 2017 // Phoenix, Arizona
Another day, another layover. And apparently I’m crossing paths with John McCain at the Phoenix airport too. Ha.
It’s no secret I love to travel. And no matter how physically tiring a trip might be, I usually come back emotionally recharged and happy to take on my ordinary life again all the more thankful for it.
I’m thankful that I get to have a life where home-and-away can be in pretty good balance. I get to go to some interesting places and meet incredible people, to collect stories I’ll tell for forever, and to scratch the itch for adventure. Then I get to come back home to a life I love surrounded by people I’m thankful I always get to return to. I used to wonder if I’d ever hit a point where I’d have to compromise my need for a home base or my need for a long leash. I don’t take it for granted that not everybody has that, and I’m so grateful that I do.
13 June 2017 // San Diego, California
Pretty much halfway through the year.
At the beginning of 2017, it was pretty tough to set goals or make plans. I was a free agent- looking for work and expecting to move cities, except I didn’t even know what city to really anticipate planning my life around.
I basically started with one goal– find a job. I wasn’t even necessarily thinking along the lines of a dream job- just something to help pay the bills, that could hold things together while I started to work on chasing a dream.
That goal was accomplished, and then some. Months later, I’d be standing on Mt. Kilimanjaro at a job that could not be a better fit for my skills, my interests, and what I want to do long term. I also wound up in San Diego, which has been a good fit as a new-but-old home.
I’m thankful- and we’ve still got half a year left- and as my goal for the remainder of the year, I’m ready to push even harder into making this place home. It’s been a long time since I’ve lived in a place without also knowing the day I’d move out, and I’m ready to make this place more of a home than I’ve ever had.
14 June 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission 24: Bicol Express is a coconut pork dish from the region of Bicol, and it’s got one of my favorite names for a Filipino dish–probably because it sounds more like a hipster café that serves the dish than the food itself. Yasmin Newman had a pretty simple looking recipe for it, so I decided to give it a shot.
The Results: I like what came out- I had to be really careful with these chili peppers since they were strong, but I like the way they went with the pork and the coconut. I’ll likely give this another shot in the near future- using pork shoulder rather than pork belly to cut out some of the fat.
15 June 2017 // San Diego, California
“Most of us wouldn’t ordinarily think of going to work every day as a spiritual exercise, yet our patters are constantly triggered by the job and the people around us. Once you know your type, you may become increasingly aware of times when your habit engages.”
–Helen Palmer
Book No. 21 of 2017
I greet most personality tests and profiles with a fair amount of skepticism, and the same was initially true with the enneagram, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it’s been one of the most helpful tools for allowing me to better understand my strengths and weaknesses and all that.
I’m pretty much the epitome of a type seven, and one thing stood out in this book that I hadn’t really heard from other enneagram resources before– to me, things change very quickly. You blink and suddenly everything’s different. Perceiving everything as fleeting guides me to make most decisions from a 30,000 foot view, wanting to squeeze in as much significant experiences as possible, wanting to have everything in order so I can take a deeper breath and take in a moment slower.
Thanks for the self-discovery, Helen Palmer.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
16 June 2017 // Washington, District of Columbia
I was pretty thrilled to see that my D.C. layover was a full 15 hours- 8pm until 11am the next day.
That's not a sleep-in-the-airport kinda layover. It's the get-out, take-a-shower, sleep-properly, get-stuff-at-Target-you-forgot kind.
Huge thanks to Evan and Jesse for letting me crash a night. Deanna and I will have to visit you two soon and stay longer than a handful of hours.
14 June 2017 // Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Made it to some African soil. Yes! Fourth trip to Africa over the past five years, and I'm pretty happy with that rate.
Flying into the Addis Ababa airport made me pretty interested in going to see Ethiopia someday. The surprisingly familiar looking cityscape, the dusty haze over the city, the really good coffee. But that's another adventure for some other time- not this one.
Instead, it was a good chance to people-watch all the teams of volunteers and missionaries on their layovers in all their matching shirts- "Love Alive Malawi" or "Tanzania 2017." Between that and long, multi-part customs lines, African airports and Disneyland have way more in common than you'd expect.
15 June 2017 // Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
After I landed at the Kilimanjaro Intl Airport, I hopped in the van waiting for me and set out for the hour and a half drive to our lodge.
I wish I could say I was amazed by the sights along the way. The scenes. The nature. The people. I wasn't. I mean, I'm sure they were lovely, but I knocked out within minutes of hopping in the van.
By the time I got to the lodge, I was pretty out of it, but the staff immediately greeted me with a hot towel and cherry juice.
For some reason I'd been telling myself that my arrival time was in the evening, like 7. I actually was way off and got in around noon. That left more time in the day to slog through before sleep, but I got to spend it hanging out with Corbyn and Katrina before the rest of the team got here.
16 June 2017 // Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
One big bucket list item for me has been climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. I got to partially cross it off with a day hike.
The mountain was beautiful- for several parts of the hike, it reminded me of Oregon with its lush soil and rich greens. Then the landscape would change drastically. Yosemite-like meadows with tall grass and open patches. Then monkeys. Red dirt.
I’d love to come back someday and do the whole mountain. This and/or Fuji are climbs I’d love to have accomplished someday. But they’re super expensive and take a good amount of time, so I’m happy with a partially crossed off bucket list item for the time being.
17 June 2017 // Moshi-Marungi, Tanzania
We were driving from the Tanzania office to the Farmer Field School, where for the first time, I would get to meet and see our participants in the setting where they learn farming skills.
I was mid-conversation and just stopped. I literally said wow. On both sides of the minibus were farmers, mostly women, in bright orange shirts waving leaf fronds in the air, shouting and yodeling and singing loudly.
We turned and drove up the road they were flanking, they followed behind and continued to serenade us loudly, returning our smiles and increasing in energy.
The bus stopped and dropped us off at the middle of a party. It wasn't long before we went from buckled up to holding hands with them in a dance circle and trying to pick up on the Swalhili tunes.
The warmth of the welcome only grew when I learned that they skipped a Market Day to be with us- that's where they sell their goods to bring in an income and a much harder sacrifice than just a little PTO. But I would never know if I wasn't told.
I don't think I've ever been welcomed anywhere this enthusiastically.
18 June 2017 // Rombo, Tanzania
A real big thank you to this family for hosting us for a night. Christina, Cornelius, Cornelius Jr, Eve, Precious, and Mary- this was a home stay I won't forget! You all have such generous hearts.
Also, thanks for letting us help with dinner. Definitely a new experience.
19 June 2017 // Siha, Tanzania
Andddd it happened again. We drove into the community of Rombo and were greeted with another wave of shouts and cheers and singing in one joyful, unified voice. I’d never experienced any greeting like it, except the day before.
There are no words, really, to describe what it feels like when you are welcomed and received and celebrated like this. At least not in English.
Karibu is one of the first words a visitor will learn, and it’s Swahili for welcome. But it means so much more than that. It’s reflected in the attitudes and warmth and hospitality of the locals towards a total newcomer. It means welcome, but it also says something more along the lines of– HEY! We are thrilled out of our minds that you’re here!
My new goal is to be a karibu sort of person to people I’m around. If I can make them feel half as happy as this village made me feel, then yeah, life would be amazing.
20 June 2017 // Ngorongoro, Tanzania
I feel like we beat the odds on this safari and scored some unusually up-close lion encounters. So very Planet Earth.
First, there was the one resting right by the side of the road after a kill. She decided to recoup right in the shade of our jeep, while we stared 100 meters away to see if she would notice the gazelle about to cross her path.
Then, there were the two lions we got to watch… mate. I don’t know what the likelihood was of us running into that when we entered the park, but I imagine it was pretty narrow.
21 June 2017 // Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Our whole trip we struggled to get a good view of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I mean, we spent a whole day on the mountain, but it was a total forest-for-the-trees situation. When we were far enough away to see it, it was usually obscured by thick clouds.
I wanted to get a proper shot before I left, so I had to make do with my limited resources– a Kilimanjaro Lager beer can.
Now I’m writing these words from the airplane (probably posting after I’ve already touched down).
So much happened this week in Tanzania. More photos and stories remain. It feels like I spent two months here. It feels like I spent two days here. It was that kind of trip. I am so thankful for my job and where I get to work and the people I get to work with. Here’s what has me inspired to go back.
Knowing that what I do at my day job has such a profound impact for so many people will give me even more motivation to show up to work excited.
Having seen my Tanzanian friends be so industrious and creative inspires me to try to make the most of what I have, and to work to be fruitful and to have more to give.
The warm welcome I’ve received inspires me to be the kind of person who always lets people know I’m happy they’re around.
25 June 2017 // Carson, California
One of the biggest motivating factors for moving back to SoCal was to be closer to my aunts again.
We finally got to pay them a visit right after I got back from Tanzania, and it was just like old times. AKA lots of good food.
26 June 2017 // Anaheim, California
As one part of our week of anniversary celebrating, we went to the Anaheim Packing District to find good things to eat. Sawleaf FTW.
Then, to celebrate Harry Potter’s 20th anniversary, we contemplated going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter but balked at the price. Instead, we found a Hogwarts themed escape room and killed it.
27 June 2017 // San Diego, California
I made it home in time to celebrate TWO YEARS of us being married!
Year two was a crazy one, but I'll be surprised if I'm not ultimately able to say that about all the years of our marriage. Finishing grad school, moving, both of us starting new jobs, it's been a lot of change. Mostly good changes but still big changes.
What doesn't change? We have so much fun together. And we eat good food.
Thank you for being the one who I get to live this life with, Deanna - we're still learning a lot too, but I'm glad we get to do that together.
28 June 2017 // San Diego, California
“You could hear your own heart beating if you listened. I loved it, or at least I thought I ought to love it - I've never been very clear on that distinction.”
–Ottessa Moshfegh
Book No. 22 of 2017
I don’t read a whole lot of short story collections, but I’d heard good things about Homesick for Another World, and from what I’ve heard about Moshfegh, she seemed like the sort of writer I might get into.
The way the stories were written were very good. Unfortunately, the stories themselves for the most part didn’t quite capture my interest. A few too many of them were extremely similar, and while disgust is meant to be a major emotional theme, there either wasn’t much beyond that or it was a bit too obscured.
⭐️⭐️
29 June 2017 // San Diego, California
“How much of ME is my own, and how much is stamped into my blood and bone, predestined? I used to imagine that history had infused my parents’ lives with the dust of a cataclysmic explosion. That it had seeped through their skin and become part of their blood. That being my father’s child, I, too, was a product of war… and being my mother’s child could never measure up to her. But maybe being their child simply means that I will always feel the weight of their past. Nothing that happened makes me special. But my life is a gift that is too great-a debt I can never repay.”
–Thi Bui
Book No. 23 of 2017
A reading goal of mine this year was to pick up more graphic novels. Thi Bui’s illustrated memoir helps show how wide-ranging that medium is.
Her story, really her family’s story of coming to the U.S. was both epic, but extremely relatable. Her immigrant upbringing was even set in San Diego, making it very easy to identify with. It wasn’t embellished, simply really well told, on the cusp of her own children being born.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
30 June 2017 // San Diego, California
“Worship should be expressive and formative. The aim of corporate worship is not individual expression but communal formation of faith. We should practice authenticity and desire transformative worship experiences. Worship should stretch us to rehearse truths while our feelings catch up with us.”
–Sandra Maria Van Opstal
Book No. 24 of 2017
I picked up this book at The Justice Conference after hearing Van Opstal speak- actually she was probably my favorite speaker. While this book primarily focuses on corporate musical worship, something that I don’t interact with a whole lot beyond as a participant, I still found this book to be extremely helpful.
Van Opstal really does a good job refuting ethnocentrism- no matter what your background or worship style, it’s an ethnic style. There is no “normal” and we need to always check our assumptions about how everyone is “different” in relation to us. PB&J is ethnic food, after all.
For anyone involved in church worship or leadership, I would heavily recommend this as a resource full of ideas on how to help a church grow in the area of diversity. It’s not just a good thing to have, it’s impossible to be a church that reflects a God of all cultures without it.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
01 May 2017 // Bakersfield, California
Just got back from a very quick trip to Bakersfield with my family-in-law.
Today we celebrated the life of Deanna's grandma. The last few years were pretty rough on her, physically. I got to meet her just before that started, to get to experience the way Deanna remembered her growing up- with lots of personality.
I remember that meal at IHOP fondly. She will be missed.
02 May 2017 // San Diego, California
“Being happy takes constant weeding, a tending of emotions and circumstances as they arise. There’s no happily ever after, or any one person or place that can bring happiness. It takes work to be calm in the midst of turmoil. But releasing the need to control it– well that’s a start.”
–Sasha Martin
Book No. 16 of 2017
This book was totally different than what I expected, but totally beautiful, honest, and adventurous.
I know Sasha Martin from her blog and the project it revolves around– cooking dishes from every single country in the world. I was a fan of both, and I figured this book would capture much of the same spirit of adventure and culinary insight… it was, but that definitely wasn’t the foot that the book led with.
Instead, I got a book that explored her rocky and ever-changing childhood and all the emotional baggage that it came with. It was honest and vulnerable writing that I loved. There was definitely food involved, especially in the latter chapters, but it was the soul-bearing that left a more lasting impression.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
03 May 2017 // San Diego, California
This is James. He’s about to represent Plant With Purpose as he spends his summer on a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. In addition to being an advocate for the people we work with and an adventurer, he’s also a talented musician.
I’m excited to launch the Plant With Purpose Ambassador Program to give artists and adventurers the chance to promote our work while doing the things they love. Let me know if you’re an adventurer or artist wanting to tie your passion to the service of others.
04 May 2017 // San Diego, California
My birthday week pretty much turned into my own personal San Diego restaurant week. Knowing myself, I shouldn’t be too surprised.
Here are a few of my early favorites in town:
The Crack Shack – Anyone who does fried chicken right has a fast pass to my favorites list. If only some Nashville Hot Chicken were also on the menu.
Farm & Fork – Not exactly in my neighborhood, being all the way out in La Mesa, but such a great spot for brunch.
Otono Sushi – I have many more sushi places to discover and explore, but for now, I’m glad I know I can count on this one.
05 May 2017 // San Diego, California
I looked in the mirror in this morning and what did I see? A few strands of white hairs mixed in amongst my sea of black. Wisdom. Experience. No wait... just Beignet's hair.
Thanks to everyone who made my day a fun one- everyone who greeted me here or texted me or bought me a pint or picnic'ed at the bay or got trapped in the Aztec temple with me. Thank you.
I'm happy about where I get to be in life right now. It's worth saying so many thank you's.
06 May 2017 // La Jolla, California
When I’m with you I have fun.
That’s been our bread and butter since day one.
07 May 2017 // San Diego, California
“For just one second, look at your life and see how perfect it is. Stop looking for the next secret door that is going to lead you to your real life. Stop waiting. This is it: there's nothing else. It's here, and you'd better decide to enjoy it or you're going to be miserable wherever you go, for the rest of your life, forever.”
–Lev Grossman
Book No. 17 of 2017
This book was pitched to me in a way that made it impossible to not be intrigued– Harry Potter for adults, plus a large amount of influences from Narnia. Of course I’d want to check that out.
That description was definitely accurate in a sense. The similarities to those classics were one-for-one enough so that it didn’t even seem “in the spirit of Harry Potter or Narnia,” it was intentional. A school for magicians otherwise invisible to muggles. A parallel land accessible through a grandfather clock… one that was visited by four siblings around wartime.
Unfortunately I didn’t find much more in the book beyond those curiosities. The characters weren’t likable… it was like Harry Potter but with Draco Malfoy as the protagonist. And the book blitzes through time. Midway through the first book, they’ve already made it through their academic career.
I’ll probably still try out the rest of this trilogy, under the rumors that it gets a little better, and because the ending seemed to be missing something.
⭐️⭐️
08 May 2017 // San Diego, California
Every now and then I’ll head over to the massive Asian mega-mart for my lunch break. It’s always a bit of a scramble to find the rare ingredients that are on my list in such a short time frame and it kind of feels like I’m on Guy’s Grocery Games.
Sometimes, though, I don’t need to hurry so much, and that gives me a chance to stop in for a snack at Paris Baguette and take a gander at some of their visual splendor.
09 May 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission 14: I’m about to confess something… Pillsbury makes these things that are basically savory breakfast versions of toaster strudels. Ever see them? They’re usually filled with bacon or sausage and can be found near all the microwavable Jimmy Dean stuff.
Okay, here’s the confession. I really like them. Like, guilty pleasure status. They’re a total atrocity to put into your body with all the saturated fats and sodium, but in the most artificial way, they’ve hit all the taste- and-texture notes I love. Flaky crust, tasty fillings, breakfast meats.
I wondered if I could make some that were homemade and less awful for you.
The results: I went with my go-to puff pastry recipe and filled it with goodies. Japanese style scrambled eggs. Shredded cheddar. Bacon. I froze the insides earlier so the consistency would stay right. And these things kept pretty well in the freezer.
Now I want to make these in bulk, so I can have them on hand with out the awfulness of having to go the factory-made route.
10 May 2017 // San Diego, California
Wednesday nights adventures at the Farmers Market lead to samples galore.
11 May 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission 15: A Korean inspired pizza, some form of kimchi being absolutely necessary.
The results: Somehow the spiky acidity of kimchi and the sour-umami of bulgolgi are perfect matches for the rest of the flavors in a typical pizza. Just to make sure, I reduced the tomato sauce with some sriracha and hoisin to tie it all together.
12 May 2017 // San Diego, California
Our fusion food- It's like a sushi roll, but instead of fillings, there's a whole other sushi roll inside of it.
It's been great being able to hang out and make so many meals with Chris and Katie since moving to San Diego.
A) We have so much in common. A heart to see people grow. Interests in a pretty wide variety of anything and everything. A goal to build life around what we value the most.
B) We have so much not in common. Spontaneity versus structure. Doing versus becoming. Yet we benefit from the way those differences gel.
C) We've been friends for nearly a decade. With the past few years of my life consisting of so much movement and changing adventures, it's a real treasure having friends you can be confident about staying close after another decade goes by.
13 May 2017 // Campo, California
We woke up at three so we could get to the U.S.-Mexico border by sunrise. We met James at the Southern Terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail, as he was on day one of his thru hike all the way to Canada.
James is an Adventure Ambassador for Plant With Purpose. His vision for his trek lines up so much with the things we value.
“It’s not about this rugged individualism,” he mentions. “It’s a pilgrimage. One that helps me realize my own dependence- on God, on other people, on nature.”
He nailed it. The best adventures are quests of humility.
14 May 2017 // San Diego, California
Compassion fatigue is real.
Lately, there’s been a rise of “positive news” sites. On the whole, I love them. They’re an important counterbalance to traditional journalism which is biased towards negativity, and there are many ways in which our world continues to get better. On the other hand, I’m not entirely comfortable with the escapism that this sort of curation suggests. I know I have the tendency to over-focus on the good, which can be a weakness if not managed.
Last week I heard an interview with the New York Times’ Tina Rosenberg. She writes the “Fixes” column which began when she tried to write about how big pharmaceutical companies and the Clinton Administration were fixing the prices of AIDS treatments and restricting generics, keeping medicine out of the hands of the sick.
She tried pitching that story. No takers. There’s that compassion fatigue in action. She then pitched a different story about how Brazil was working around these challenges to provide the treatment for free. That story had legs. It revealed the injustice alongside a sense of hope– and it challenged any major actors to question why they weren’t trying a similar approach.
The interview was a great reminder that positivity and spreading joy should never be an act of escapism. Good stories are reminders that a better world is possible, and a defiant challenge to injustice. Hope outlasts outrage.
15 May 2017 // San Diego, California
Happy Monday. Every new day, every new week, brings with it a new set of decisions– choices to make that will have subtle or drastic impacts on our lives.
Should Deanna go with Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel or Caramel with a Touch of Sea Salt?
16 May 2017 // San Diego, California
I’ve been having so much fun at work ever since my design software subscription started!
With so many shirts and poster boards and website drafts to design by the first week of June, this week has been crunch time in the world of Adobe Products.
It’ll be so fun to see the finished products this week leads to.
17 May 2017 // La Jolla, California
I told Deanna to come by the office for a little surprise when I got off of work.
The surprise was this– date night featuring Johnnyswim at the Birch Aquarium! We got engaged to their music so it wasn't exactly the first time I surprised her with their songs.
What a show. Gorgeous outdoor stage with paragliders overhead and the sun setting in the backdrop. Plus these two are pure chemistry, and I'm pretty sure I'll make a good effort to see them every time they come around.
18 May 2017 // San Diego, California
National Bike to Work Day, AKA, sorry for the sweat, co-workers!
It’s also a good day to discover all the points along your daily commute that would be so much more dangerous without a car.
19 May 2017 // San Diego, California
Starting a sunny weekday morning up atop Downtown SD. Urban. Idyllic. All at the same time.
Some notes taken from earlier at Creative Mornings inspired by Jeni Amaraneni’s talk.
+ Talent is evenly distributed throughout the world, but opportunity is not.
+ The solutions to a lot of the world’s problems already exists, and it’s often a matter of bringing them to the people who need them.
+ You get to be somebody else’s pleasant surprise today… how fun is that!?
20 May 2017 // San Diego, California
Got to participate this weekend in the opening festivities for the Out of Darkness #overnightwalksandiego to prevent suicide.
It stood out to me were how many lives are affected by suicide. Most walkers were walking in honor of somebody who they knew personally. I think at least half of the people gathered in Ruocco Park were there on behalf of parents, partners, children, friends.
This isn’t something I really think about too often. But my own blinders aside, it’s such a real pain that confronts people every day… way more people than we’d probably realize until it confronts us directly.
It also stood out to me was the instant connection between people who had gone through the same sort of profound loss. The presence of community was powerful. Struggles can bring people together in a way success can’t. I don’t think it can be said enough times– you are not alone.
21 May 2017 // La Jolla, California
Need a quick lesson in humility? Don’t we all? I highly recommend hopping into the ocean when the waves are in full effect and letting them thrash you around a little bit. It usually does the trick.
I really respect people who show restraint when it comes to taking on projects and ventures if they aren’t sure their motives are pure. That definitely doesn’t come natural to me. At the same time, there’s something to be said about jumping in and doing a cannonball into life. It’ll probably get messy, but life is a pretty good teacher if you take notes.
22 May 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission 16: Confession– Mac & cheese cheeseburgers have become such a trend lately, to which I raise an eyebrow. Macaroni noodles underneath a bun simply double up on the starchy-carny ingredients, and I’d rather have a gooey patty of cheese rather than the inconsistent texture of mac & cheese. That said- if we’re going to be putting noodles in burgers, I thought the one with the most potential was tteokbokki, the large, super-gooey Korean rice noodles with their own distinct taste.
Results: I remain skeptical of noodles in burgers, but I did like the taste of this. The tteokbokki sauce played nicely with the beef patty, and I was able to marinate shredded lettuce in leftover kimchi juice with a few more pieces of cabbage to complement the flavor. I like the way these turned out.
23 May 2017 // San Diego, California
“Our unit of analysis should also be the irreducible human being, her or his fears, desires and resentments. It is in the unstable relationship between the inner and public selves that one can start to take a more precise measure of today’s global civil war.”
–Pankaj Mishra
Book No. 18 of 2017
I think I totally had the wrong expectations for this book going into it. I was expecting a pretty thoughtful reflection on the current hostile social climate that seems to be a global phenomenon, and thoughts on facets like online discourse, outrage culture, and the false promise of overconfident authoritarians.
Instead, this book is simply a synthesis of different philosophical and political-scientific writings throughout history as modernism comes into being. I didn’t really catch on to any thoughtful insights or ideas that came as a result of different thoughts being connected. It was my only reading material on a flight to Portland, though, so I ended up finishing.
⭐️
24 May 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission 17: Essentially recreate a sandwich from Prodigal Son Brewing Co. in Pendelton- a fried green tomato BLT.
Results: An overpriced green heirloom tomato from the farmers market cut into steak like slices, breaded and fried were the centerpiece of this sandwich. Complementing it were crisp bacon, lettuce, pepper jack and pesto. I was pretty happy with my results here.
25 May 2017 // San Diego, California
It’s amazing how much a good physical space can do to get my creative juices flowing. A couple hours at Moniker before work means I’ve done some of my best writing in weeks before the clock turns nine.
I’m making it an active goal to try and do more of my creative work in spaces outside the home or office… also, it makes pleasant surprises a little more likely to happen.
26 May 2017 // San Diego, California
You may not know who half of the celebrities are when we play Heads Up, but that doesn't matter because you raised me to be kind and to always do my best at everything... including accents and impressions.
Happy birthday, mom! Here's to many, many more years of nobody believing you when they find out your age.
27 May 2017 // Pine Valley, California
This became a very familiar sight for miles and miles. I'm now back from the wilderness after a long weekend's backpacking trip with the bug bites, sore legs, and exhausted puppy to show for it.
Felt so good to get outside. Now if you'll excuse me, putting on a movie marathon and sitting very still sounds like it'll feel pretty good too.
28 May 2017 // Pine Valley, California
I lived in Italy for a summer, years ago. Adapting to my surroundings, I did everything really slow. I walked wherever I needed to go. I got my ingredients at the market every night, not weekly. I'd start conversations I wouldn't expect to end for hours.
Oddly, it felt like there was more time for everything. What a paradox. The slower you went, the more time also slowed to accommodate you. It started to make sense why Rome gets called the eternal city. There was no rush from one day to the next, but each one held so many flavors, so many new sights, so much life.
When you're in a familiar place, it takes more effort to slow things down and take it all in. That's exactly what I want to do right now, though. There are so many people to get to know, so many new things I can't wait to try. But I want to slow things down so I don't miss any of it.
29 May 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission 19: Make some shrimp and grits with a bit of an Asian twist. I’ve heard of people taking the ginger spin on grits before, and I figured I could add some miso as well and double down on the Southern/Asian fusion.
The Results: Hey- not so bad! The market didn’t have maize that I could use for grits, so instead I went with millet and that wasn’t a shabby replacement. I cooked trace amounts of shredded cheddar into the grits too so I could get it even creamier.
30 May 2017 // San Diego, California
“Two types of choices seem to me to have been crucial in tipping the outcomes [of the various societies' histories] towards success or failure: long-term planning and willingness to reconsider core values. On reflection we can also recognize the crucial role of these same two choices for the outcomes of our individual lives.”
– Jared Diamond
Book No. 19 of 2017
During my job interview, actually, I asked my now-boss if he had any book recommendations to help me fill my void in knowledge about environmental science. He recommended Collapse, and I immediately added it into my Amazon cart.
I had a few other books to get through, but I eventually took on the quest of reading this. It is a large, thick book that is pretty dense with information. It took me much longer to get through this book than any other this year, even when adjusted for pages.
Safe to say, this book was terrific. I learned a whole lot about what it’s looked like when different societies fell apart when resources were poorly managed, when cultural sins led people to destroy their environments, and when leadership put people into conflict with their places. That’s led to the fall of some really powerful civilizations. Much of it seemed ominous when put up next to today’s leaders and societies.
It’s not a doom and gloom book, though, as Diamond also gives plenty of examples of how people have done things right. He’s especially hailed certain big business efforts, and pointed out how economic interests and environmental interests were often linked. I got a lot out of this read.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
31 May 2017 // San Diego, California
Mission 21: Recreate the signature item of one of my favorite food trucks that I left behind in Eugene– a Thai peanut butter coated meatball wrapped in bacon and basil.
The Results: Hey, not too bad! The key was making meatballs that were good enough to stand on their own, and that wasn’t so hard when you have quality ground beef and bacon wrapped around them inside the oven. The basil and spicy peanut butter helped round out the flavor- I only wish I had better noodles to pair it with. Some flat pad thai noodles would’ve been perfect.