Monthly Archives: August 2001

I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. – Henry David Thoreau It occurred to me while I was walking in the Arb yesterday that I never see anyone walking by themselves. I see plenty of runners, … Continue reading →

One never believes other people’s experience, and one is only very gradually convinced by one’s own. – Vita Sackville-West Of all the people I’ve talked to over the years who’ve read the book “What Color is Your Parachute?”, I don’t … Continue reading →

I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all. – Laura Ingalls Wilder I’ve gone on several walks by myself in the past week, and I’m enjoying it … Continue reading →

Over the weekend, we attended the wake and funeral for our friends’ 17 year-old daughter who was killed along with her boyfriend on a motorcycle last week. He missed a turn at high speed at night. The rituals for a … Continue reading →

Too often, the opportunity knocks, but by the time you push back the chain, push back the bolt, unhook the two locks and shut off the burglar alarm, it’s too late. – Rita Coolidge Another quote jumps out at me, … Continue reading →

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is the easiest; and third, by experience, which is the bitterest. – Confucius Wisdom can be learned by imitation? I guess so. Reading … Continue reading →

Nothing can add more power to your life than concentrating all your energies on a limited set of targets. – Nido Qubein I’m starting to worry about this. I have to focus on activities that earn me an income right … Continue reading →

On course doesn’t mean perfect. On course means that even when things don’t go perfectly – you are still going in the right direction. – Charles Garfield The list of finalists for the KeepWalking.com fund were finally published today. No … Continue reading →

To the degree we’re not living our dreams, our comfort zone has more control of us than we have over ourselves. – Peter McWilliams I’ve been telling myself that this whole adventure with Real Joe has been out of my … Continue reading →

I just found out that the 17 year-old daughter of one of my wife’s best friends was killed on motorcycle last night, along with her boyfriend. And the wife of guy I play racquetball with lost her baby yesterday… she … Continue reading →

Every day is a good day to be alive, whether the sun’s shining or not. – Marty Robbins I grabbed a long SOS this morning in the Carleton Upper Arb. Very foggy, thick dew on everything. The plants and grass … Continue reading →

Friends should be chosen carefully, because loving them will change our hearts and souls. – Jane Nakken Is this true for me? Being a good friend doesn’t come naturally to me. I have to work at it. I’ll go do … Continue reading →

This should be a man’s attitude: ‘Few things will disturb him at all; nothing will disturb him much.’ – Thomas Jefferson Robbie and I are squabbling over how mail and phone calls get handled at home. It’s unusual for us … Continue reading →

If you wait until you are really sure, you’ll never take off the training wheels. – Cynthia Copeland Lewis I think that’s what I’m doing by not sending in the Real Joe Radio Demo V2.0 to Transom.org. I’ll do it … Continue reading →

When you reach for the stars, you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either. – Leo Burnett I’m discovering this. With Real Joe, I’m reaching for the stars, but I’m already … Continue reading →

Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see the possibilities — always see them, for they’re always there. – Norman Vincent Peale Cool word, ‘possibilitarian.’ It’s one way of … Continue reading →

Well, at least they’re awake. No email or phone calls, so I probably didn’t make the cut. Or maybe they’re just far behind on the selection and this announcement is just to keep us from getting too restless. After a … Continue reading →

We do not sing because we are happy, we are happy because we sing. – William James I think it’s both. Lately, I’ve had the song is my head “Oh, What a Lucky Man, He Was” (Lucky Man) by Emerson, … Continue reading →

Pain comes like the weather, but joy is a choice. – Rodney Crowell I’d add that suffering is a choice, too. Midnight came and went. No word yet from Keepwalking.com.

I must love the questions themselves…like locked rooms, full of treasures to which my blind and groping key does not yet fit. – Alice Walker In about six hours, I find out if Real Joe is a finalist for Johnny … Continue reading →

Newsblog: Breathless – Love and a Grim Diagnosis As Ellen Hatfield lost consciousness last year, her husband, Star Tribune writer Jon Tevlin, was thrown into chaos and despair. This is a five-part series about his story, an illness that strikes … Continue reading →

Newsblog: I Just Needed A Valve Job Garrison Keillor’s essay in Time mag last week is a perfect Real Joe essay. It’s about his heart surgery, but of course, male pride is the real subject. Here’s one clip: “The inhalator … Continue reading →

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. – Aristotle I’m not sure what my habits are that are likely to create “excellence” in my life, whatever the hell that is. But I … Continue reading →

Being quiet does not mean sacrificing productivity. – Jane Nelson It’s hard to not think that it does, though, when taking time to walk or write or sit quietly seems to take time away from getting things done. But clarity … Continue reading →

It is often possible to get greater enjoyment from what we are already doing, rather than try to find something else. – L. Don Siebet Yeah. I’ve been more appreciative of my situation this week. My town. My office space … Continue reading →