The material material trappings of life – and I use the word trappings in the animal with it’s paw stuck in a steel trap that’s chained to a stake sense – have never much appealed to me. More…
Category: Thoughts
THE UPSIDE OF DISCOMFORT
FORTY FEET UP AND INTO THE OVERHANG. NEVER ONCE LOOKING DOWN.
The first world has things a little backwards right now… equating comfort and security with happiness. They think that the more comfort and security they can bring to their lives, the happier they’ll be. And now they’re so comfortable and secure they’re miserable. Because there’s no sense of adventure in their lives. No struggle. Computers and cars and climate controlled environments have made it all too easy.
What we’ve found in our adventures is that we’re most alive when we’re outside of our comfort zone. When there’s some insecurity and fear and discomfort. Because this is where the magic happens. It’s only in the struggle with our boundaries where growth is found. Important moments for Malia and I. Life changing lessons for Wyatt, Carson, and Kaila.
STORIES, STOUT, & FAMILY
Our lives are driven by narratives. The myths that tell us what we’re capable of. The stories that inform us, set our boundaries, and… hopefully, bind us together. They are the filters that we use to interpret our world. Some of the stories are… more…
A FOOLISH ENTERPRISE
Imagine… a friend asks you to invest in their business. So… you grab a cold beer, sit back to listen to their pitch… and, it’s nothing short of astounding. They ask you for… more
CH-CH-CH-CHANGES…
Thirty-five years ago Belize gained full independence. One of it’s first acts as a newly sovereign nation was to pack up all of the machinery that reduced the need for man power in the cane farming industry and send it all back to Britain… with a big “No Thank You” card attached. More…
IT’S MORE ABOUT MARKETING THAN FACTS
I’D LOVE TO STAY AND CHAT… BUT MY SHIP JUST CAME IN.
I’m sure you’ve dicovered by now that the absolute WORST way to change someones mind is to present them with the facts. If you’re a follower of the cognitive sciences you know why. Here’s are two articles (one – two) on alternative strategies for the ‘ol mind changing challenge that I found very interesting.
No Time Like the Present
VIEW FROM THE DARKEST SPOT IN AMERICA
Perhaps I should more accurately say… no time BUT the present. We live in eternity… the eternal present. We have never, nor will we ever experience anything other than the present. I’m pretty sure that we come equipped with that understanding. More…
Change
My Grandfather, whose been dead for nearly thirty years now, grew up before the automobile. Being a farmer and appreciating the benefit of the extra horsepower he eventually made peace with the internal combustion engine… but it was an uneasy alliance. He believed that the invention of the car made the destination more important than the journey. More…
The Luck of the… Lucky
We’re extremely lucky people…great kids, health, lots of adventure, and lately we’ve spent a lot of time around the fire at night talking about luck.
More…
Soon to be Glacier-less National Park
To be officially considered a glacier an ice field must meet three criteria. It must be deep enough to create glacial ice (roughly one hundred feet). It has to be at least twenty five acres in size. And it…read more