52 Things I Know At 52

  1. Your kid is probably a better photographer than you.
  2. Plan the work, then work the plan.
  3. Give a stranger a compliment and their smile will give you the world.
  4. Tell the world where you are but not when you will return.
  5. Most of my strengths are creatively embraced weaknesses.
  6. Example: How I build websites.
  7. If you approach everything with mindfulness, everything can be meditation.
  8. “Worry does not take away tomorrow’s troubles; it takes away today’s peace”.
  9. The wind is music.
  10. I choose my mentors.
  11. Life is not a straight line.
  12. Context can make all the difference.
  13. The world’s beauty is enough.
  14. If you find yourself stuck, try moving somewhere else. (Its how I’m getting this list done.)
  15. This is perhaps the most fulfilling purchase I’ve ever made.
  16. Journaling should happen in an an appropriately sized notebook.
  17. I still miss ambient intamacy.
  18. My writing process flies in the face of most writing advice I’ve read. But, it works for me and that’s all that matters.
  19. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
  20. Putting together puzzles with my family is group meditation.
  21. Even doing the dishes can be meditation.
  22. [The easiest way to increase battery life your iPhone is to use it less.
  23. Mindfulness is for mere mortals.
  24. “We don’t need more teachers, we need more practitioners…”
  25. The greatest lessons we learn are rarely the lessons we seek.
  26. Robin Sloan’s newsletter is still my favorite thing I read most weeks.
  27. I still don’t understand what the kids are listening to these days.
  28. It’s OK to not have an opinion.
  29. In fact, it’s OK to not give a fuck about some things.
  30. Perhaps even consider the value of doing nothing.
  31. Even though I’ve pledged to buy no new books this year and read what I already own, I’ve barely made a dent in this pile.
  32. In Japan this is called Tsundoku.
  33. The best time is always now.
  34. This is when my heart awoke.
  35. Sometimes, broken is a feature.
  36. It’s not about the stuff, really. It’s about the stuff behind the stuff.
  37. Even the space between us, connects us.
  38. In an emergency, these are useful survival tools
  39. Searching my site for “Beatrix age *” yields wonderful life lessons and advice. She remains one of my most valuable teachers.
  40. When people ask me, “What do you do?”, this is my answer.
  41. What Now > What If.
  42. This is all I ever want for Christmas. Exactly according to plan.
  43. There are things a photograph can never capture.
  44. There are two essential questions that drive every human being.
  45. To lead, one must choose to go the new way.
  46. Play the long game and the market will almost always be bull.
  47. I still long for a return to where business casual was considered minimum proper attire for travel.
  48. I’m going to die. So are you. Let’s act like it.
  49. Not all journaling needs to be words.
  50. Explore deep gratitude for the mundane.
  51. 51 (and all ages past 21 that end in one) always seemed a strange thing to say when people asked me how old I was. I don’t know why. Just felt like a strange age. A not quite age. I sometimes would be tempted to reply, “I’m almost 52” or “I’m 50 and 17 months”. So, I’m looking forward to the year to come.
  52. I don’t feel like I’m getting older. I feel like I’m getting better.

“He’s not a white guy who super likes bikes or is a mansplainer. So, that means he’s a really good guy”

— Beatrix, age 11, regarding my friend CJ Chilvers. We had the pleasure of having dinner with him and his wife tonight.