Beauty belonging Biking the Euros brene brown Buff Urban Race Guanajuato CBT cycling David Burns declanswans Diana Raab Donald Trump Election 2024 Euro 2024 Feeling Good Germany Guanajuato guilt mental health paulmullin self compassion shame Should Statements Sierra Santa Rosa Sue Monk Kidd Susan Cain theturf twloha twola warm showers When the Heart Waits wrexham wrexhamafc wrexhamminersproject
-
The Wilderness
Either you’re with us or you’re against us. We’ve all heard these words before. They’re words that force us to make a choice, to pick sides. There’s no middle ground in these words. You’re either friend or foe. And once the choice is made, you take comfort in a certain sense of belonging. You’ve become…
-
Rhythm Is Gonna Get You
In January of this year, I read a book entitled When the Heart Waits, written by Sue Monk Kidd. I wrote a post about it. It was the perfect book for me, at the perfect time. I was coming off a ‘swing and miss’ job opportunity in Frankfurt, Germany and was trying to figure out…
-
Choosing Beauty
I hesitate to write this. I hesitate because the events of the day that shape how I’m feeling right now are political in nature. And I hesitate because I’ve taken the stand in the past to refrain from writing when my mood is especially low, when my mental health is in a particularly bad place…
-
Should Statements – Shame no more!
Should statements, those messages we use to motivate us off the couch. Should statements, the inner dialogue that condemns us for our mistakes. Should statements, tools for change or weapons of shame? Last time I wrote, I discussed my relationship with these so-called should statements, these cognitive distortions that tell us we don’t measure up…
-
Should Statements – Motivational Tools or Weapons of Shame?
I should get outside. I should take a walk. I should read. I should get out of bed. I should turn off the TV. I should do yoga. I should stack some of that wood that’s been piling up. The lake looks gorgeous. I should really go on a kayak ride. Then there are the…
-
Home, but not
I’m home. “Home,” in quotes, is more appropriate. I’m currently spending my days at our family cabin in northern Minnesota. Not home in the classic sense of the word. Not my permanent residence, but the closest thing I’ve had to home during this crazy, incredible, nomadic life I’ve been living over these past two and…
-
Welcomed to Wrexham
I arrived into Wrexham early on a Friday evening in late August, after a weary day of travel, having departed that morning from the tiny seaside village of Portpatrick, Scotland. Two buses and four trains later, and I’d finally made it to this former coal mining city in North Wales. With only a couple minor…
-
Enjoyin’ Arran
I’ve moved on from Paris, and I could hardly be in a place more the polar opposite of the French capital. I’m on the Isle of Arran, an island just an hour by ferry from Scotland’s west coast. No skyscrapers, no subways, no traffic lights. Just one main road that snakes around the entire island.…
-
Olympic Joy
I’m currently seated at a quintessential Parisian cafe, one of thousands in the city, one with small round tables lined up along the sidewalk, wicker chairs, seats facing out as to enable top-quality people watching. It’s Wednesday and it’s the rare morning that I’m not off to an Olympic event, backpack in tow, joining the…
-
Let the Games Begin
I’m officially Paris bound. It’s early morning in Bavaria. The train attendant just scanned the ticket on my phone, and I’m finishing off a croissant and Caffè crema I bought 20 minutes ago after leaving Munich. There’s a fog hanging over the wheat fields out my window. The sun has yet to come up. The…
Beauty belonging Biking the Euros brene brown Buff Urban Race Guanajuato CBT cycling David Burns declanswans Diana Raab Donald Trump Election 2024 Euro 2024 Feeling Good Germany Guanajuato guilt mental health paulmullin self compassion shame Should Statements Sierra Santa Rosa Sue Monk Kidd Susan Cain theturf twloha twola warm showers When the Heart Waits wrexham wrexhamafc wrexhamminersproject
- The Wilderness
Either you’re with us or you’re against us. We’ve all heard these words before. They’re words that force us to make a choice, to pick sides. There’s no middle ground in these words. You’re either friend or foe. And once the… Read more: The Wilderness - Rhythm Is Gonna Get You
In January of this year, I read a book entitled When the Heart Waits, written by Sue Monk Kidd. I wrote a post about it. It was the perfect book for me, at the perfect time. I was coming off a… Read more: Rhythm Is Gonna Get You - Choosing Beauty
I hesitate to write this. I hesitate because the events of the day that shape how I’m feeling right now are political in nature. And I hesitate because I’ve taken the stand in the past to refrain from writing when my… Read more: Choosing Beauty - Should Statements – Shame no more!
Should statements, those messages we use to motivate us off the couch. Should statements, the inner dialogue that condemns us for our mistakes. Should statements, tools for change or weapons of shame? Last time I wrote, I discussed my relationship with… Read more: Should Statements – Shame no more! - Should Statements – Motivational Tools or Weapons of Shame?
I should get outside. I should take a walk. I should read. I should get out of bed. I should turn off the TV. I should do yoga. I should stack some of that wood that’s been piling up. The lake… Read more: Should Statements – Motivational Tools or Weapons of Shame? - Home, but not
I’m home. “Home,” in quotes, is more appropriate. I’m currently spending my days at our family cabin in northern Minnesota. Not home in the classic sense of the word. Not my permanent residence, but the closest thing I’ve had to home… Read more: Home, but not - Welcomed to Wrexham
I arrived into Wrexham early on a Friday evening in late August, after a weary day of travel, having departed that morning from the tiny seaside village of Portpatrick, Scotland. Two buses and four trains later, and I’d finally made it… Read more: Welcomed to Wrexham - Enjoyin’ Arran
I’ve moved on from Paris, and I could hardly be in a place more the polar opposite of the French capital. I’m on the Isle of Arran, an island just an hour by ferry from Scotland’s west coast. No skyscrapers, no… Read more: Enjoyin’ Arran - Olympic Joy
I’m currently seated at a quintessential Parisian cafe, one of thousands in the city, one with small round tables lined up along the sidewalk, wicker chairs, seats facing out as to enable top-quality people watching. It’s Wednesday and it’s the rare… Read more: Olympic Joy - Let the Games Begin
I’m officially Paris bound. It’s early morning in Bavaria. The train attendant just scanned the ticket on my phone, and I’m finishing off a croissant and Caffè crema I bought 20 minutes ago after leaving Munich. There’s a fog hanging over… Read more: Let the Games Begin - That’s a Wrap
As I begin this post, I’m on the very familiar RB-66 train from Kochel to Munich. It’s familiar because during my year in Bavaria I often took this train on the weekends, to towns like Kochel, Mittenwald, Krun, Garmisch and other… Read more: That’s a Wrap - Meanwhile in Weil
Resting. In Munich. I’ve had a few cups of coffee, I just popped around the corner from Nick’s apartment to Aldi Sud for a few groceries, and now I’m watching a replay of the Wimbledon quarter final from yesterday between Carlos… Read more: Meanwhile in Weil - Biking the Euros – Week 2
- The Finish Line is Near
I’m sitting in an Italian restaurant in Pfaffenhausen. I just had a salad and a beer – I may order another. I’ve had an unfortunate incident. My front brakes have stopped working. Actually, the wheel and the disk of the wheel… Read more: The Finish Line is Near - Highs and (only a few) Lows
I’d say over the past week I’ve felt more exhausted off the bike than on it. It’s been a good exhausted, but an exhausted just the same. There’s been little down time, and as is evident in this blog, little writing… Read more: Highs and (only a few) Lows - Dreaming, Then Doing
I chose to name this ride, because for me, cycling 2,000 kilometers in 30 days across an entire country wasn’t just some run-of-the-mill experience. In actuality, I’m not sure I had any business trying to pull this off. The longest tour… Read more: Dreaming, Then Doing - What It’s All About
Today was a great day. A great day. If you’d have asked me prior to my trip which days might be the ones that would stand out on this journey, I’m sure there’s no way I would have told you that… Read more: What It’s All About - Confessions of a Slug Killer
I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven. I haven’t felt this relaxed and at peace since I was drinking a cold beer in the sunshine back at my little camper cabin at Campingplatz Werben nearly two weeks ago. It’s… Read more: Confessions of a Slug Killer - The Warm Showers Chainsaw Killer
I’m a day outside of Leipzig, in the smallish town of Querfurt. It’s morning, and in a couple of hours I continue west, making my way, eventually, to my next Euro 2024 city, Dortmund. In between I have another 3-4 days… Read more: The Warm Showers Chainsaw Killer - Biking the Euros – Week 1
- Day by Day
- Time to Take a Breath
I’m stopped at the stunning Sanddorn-Garten farm shop and cafe near the shores of Lake Schwielow and on the southwestern outskirts of Potsdam. For all of you sick of me complaining about the rain, wind and cold, you may be happy… Read more: Time to Take a Breath - Berlin and The Big Dog
I made it to Berlin! And I’ve officially completed seven days on the bike, one quarter of my total biking days. On Day 1 I was having serious doubts about whether I could actually do this and wondering why on Earth… Read more: Berlin and The Big Dog - Sunshine, Good Fortune, and the Mighty, Mighty Elbe
It’s 7:00 a.m., Thursday morning as I write this. I’m in my single bed, inside my six foot by eight foot cabin, looking out at the beautiful sunny morning, listening to the colorful music of birds as they help me welcome… Read more: Sunshine, Good Fortune, and the Mighty, Mighty Elbe - Start with Sun, End with Goodnight Gorilla
I’m wet as a dog. Third day of riding. Third day of rain. The day started with so much optimism as my ride from Hüttblek to Hamburg was a gorgeous one. Frauke and Nills, my Warm Showers hosts, had planned a… Read more: Start with Sun, End with Goodnight Gorilla - Cold Day, Warm Shower
Ok. Day 2! Done! The theme once again… cold, windy, wet weather. Ugh. Where are you, sun??? The forecast called for sun in the morning, so I woke up early with the intention to get on my bike by 6:30. But,… Read more: Cold Day, Warm Shower - Day 1 Done!
The madness has begun. Day 1. Oh my God, what have I gotten myself into??? I feel like I need people in my life to talk me out of these crazy ideas! Joking, but maybe only half way. It’s a daunting… Read more: Day 1 Done! - Hallo Deutschland!
I’m currently on a German ICE train – a rather empty one at that – bound for Hamburg and then eventually Flensburg in the very far northern part of Germany. It’s Thursday morning, my train having left Frankfurt around 8:30 a.m.… Read more: Hallo Deutschland! - Gearing Up for My Ride
- Biking the Euros – Moral Support
Biking the Euros is about my personal quest to push beyond my fears and perceived limitations and accomplish a something “big.” It’s also about raising money to help people struggling with depression, addition, self-injury and suicide. It’s about telling my story… Read more: Biking the Euros – Moral Support - Biking the Euros – Why I’m Riding
Biking the Euros – Why I’m Riding This summer I’ll be riding my bike across Germany, from its northern border with Denmark to its Austrian southern border. Two thousand kilometers, solo, over 35 days. And while I ride, the top European… Read more: Biking the Euros – Why I’m Riding - Biking the Euros – The Ride
Biking the Euros – The Ride Two thousand kilometers. Ten major German cities. Thirty-five days. Thirty thousand feet of total elevation gain. From Flensburg in the north, along Germany’s Danish border to picturesque Mittenwald at the Austrian border in the south.… Read more: Biking the Euros – The Ride - Contemplating the Bittersweet
Life in Guanajuato has begun to feel quite normal. I’m settling in, and I like it. It’s a good feeling to have found a community that feels welcoming, positive, energetic and that’s filled with interesting, caring, curious people. It’s home to… Read more: Contemplating the Bittersweet - Guanajuato Night Run
Saturday night I did one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my life. It was called the “Buff Urban Race Guanajuato,” and it was a night race that twisted and turned around, up and down the narrow, winding streets… Read more: Guanajuato Night Run - Chilled to the Bone
It’s Monday morning. I’m at a coffee shop – Café Tal – just down the street from my house. I’m starting my days a little differently this week, mostly because I’m taking a break from Spanish classes and I don’t have… Read more: Chilled to the Bone - When This Heart Waits
Acting. Solving. Accomplishing… Doing. Or Thinking. Pondering. Listening… Waiting. “Waiting.” This idea has been in the forefront of my mind recently. Waiting, not doing. Waiting, not acting or problem solving or accomplishing. Just waiting. Being open. Listening, feeling, being. Over the… Read more: When This Heart Waits - A Slight Change of Plans
In Guanajuato. Mexico. Again. I’m back after spending three months here last spring. This wasn’t where I was supposed to be. In my grand plan of plans. I was to be in Frankfurt right now, likely in my apartment, watching some… Read more: A Slight Change of Plans