"Enchanted" shops | Salem, MA I am writing this from Salem, Massachusetts, on a trip with my thirteen-year-old daughter Ash. The trip was a birthday gift. Ash wanted to explore the various witch lore, learn about the Salem Witch Trials, and check out some of the shops with enchanted herbs and potions. Originally, the plan was to bring three of her friends. I was mostly going to be the chaperone while they explored, and I figured I would focus on working on my own projects. Bu

What happens when the stories we tell ourselves fall apart? There are moments in life that force us to look at ourselves more deeply than we were ever prepared to. This year my divorce will be finalized. An eighteen-year relationship is reaching a new milestone. When a marriage ends, it's not only the relationship that changes. Sometimes the stories we've been telling ourselves for decades fall apart. Over the last few years I've been questioning a lot of assumptions about my

I was taught a month ago To bide my time and take it slow But then I learned just yesterday To rush and never waste the day. — "Character Zero" Tom Marshall & Trey Anastasio (Phish) Human nature and mortality have a complicated relationship. Death is always there, waiting in the background. And it's not always clear what direction it will take us. Sometimes the awareness of mortality inspires me to create from a deep place inside myself. Recently, I ventured out to an abandon

Sometimes we get tested, and it's more than we can bear. Our head gets heavy as expectations and responsibilities grow. We become stretched in ways where the answers aren't clear. Maybe it's a life event, a chaotic transition, or just a tipping point of stress that hurls us into unfamiliar territory. As guys, it can be uncomfortable to face that we do not have an answer, or admit we need help. We are supposed to know what to do. Maybe we even pretend — both to ourselves and o