A Five-Year Project Nearing Near-Completion In October 2021, we found out we were going to have a baby. Naturally, I was terrified. I did what many terrified parents-to-be do, and I started reading parenting books, almost all of which were quite helpful. But I kind of wanted something besides books written by experts, or journalists who had interviewed a bunch of experts. So over the course of the next few months, I decided I would interview some people who already had the job I was going to...
7 days ago • 4 min read
Friday Inspiration 534 This is just a really pleasant way to spend 3 minutes: Watching backcountry ice skaters in Alaska, brought to you by adventure legend Luc Mehl. (video) (thanks, Alice) Hilary has been taking classes to get her Montana Master Naturalist certification, so I have been getting to hear a lot about plants and birds over the past several months. (Like, more than I normally do.) AND, I got to read this amazing little piece about this insane thing that the earth does at...
12 days ago • 2 min read
What A Day Dad Had -- If you enjoyed this piece, please consider supporting my work.
13 days ago • 1 min read
Friday Inspiration 533 A FINAL NOTICE: As of me typing these words on Thursday afternoon, we still had three (3) spots remaining in this session of the How To Tell One Story online writing course. It is a do-it-at-your-own-pace e-mail course, with 12 lessons delivered over the span of 6 weeks. Each email is a 3- to 5-minute read, with an illustration, a quick video, and a short writing exercise at the end. More than 225 people have now completed the course, and registration for this session...
19 days ago • 2 min read
Friday Inspiration 532 AS YOU MIGHT BE AWARE: I created an online writing course called How To Tell One Story, and every few months, I open up 25 spots. It is a do-it-at-your-own-pace, e-mail course, with 12 lessons delivered over the span of 6 weeks. Each email is a 3- to 5-minute read, with an illustration, a quick video, and a short writing exercise at the end. More than 225 people have now completed the course, and the next registration window is open as of this morning, so if you're...
26 days ago • 2 min read
Is It Just Music? As I clicked the “Buy It Now” button to spend $1500 on a semi-functional boom box, I heard my dad’s voice, saying two different things during my childhood: “A fool and his money are soon parted,” and “This is The Beatles.” I had literally just told Hilary in the kitchen maybe two minutes before that I was NOT going to buy this boom box that was 16.5 inches tall, 31 inches wide, was manufactured in 1988, and if not plugged into an electrical outlet, needed 20 D batteries to...
27 days ago • 20 min read
Friday Inspiration 531 IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A SIGN that you should say, “oh, what the hell, I’ll sign up for Brendan’s trail running and writing workshop in June,” this is it: We are re-opening our application until April 13 at midnight MST to fill two more spots. I can guarantee we’re going to have fun regardless, so you might as well join us for six days of digging into writing and storytelling, punctuated with mellow trail runs every day before lunch. Here’s the link to check it out. --...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Friday Inspiration 530 I think I know probably a dozen people who will be VERY excited reading the words “Hey, there’s a documentary about Mary Oliver coming out soon,” and I hope I am the one to deliver this news to them (video) As I understand it, this guy was replacing the stairs in his multi-floor townhouse, took out the spiral staircase, and then realized that his passport was on the top floor, which was bad because he was leaving the next weekend for a cruise. So he put an ad on...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Sure, I "Trust The Process," But, The first time I remember ever hearing the phrase “trust the process,” I was interviewing my friend Mick about the house he’d built. It had taken him eight years of evenings and weekends, and started, kind of ironically, with him spending an entire weekend peeling three 20-foot logs before he realized he’d had the draw knife backward the whole time. He stuck with it, of course, and built a house so beautiful you’d never guess he had no idea what he was doing...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
