It’s not very often that I do research in order to write a song lyric, but on Friday I find myself digging around in Nietzsche expressly for that purpose. I had written this song with my friend Adam for our Project MA album, and the words I wrote, inspired by a title Adam had givenContinue reading “On the Twelfth Night of 2024: Nietzsche and Saltburn, In That Order”
Category Archives: Self Reflection
On the Eleventh Day of 2024: Coffee with a Friend
There are people that I meet, I have found, for whom I have an almost immediate affinity, people who exude an energy, an intelligence, or a sense of humor, or a welcoming presence that puts me at ease, that makes me feel seen, understood, and appreciated. I had coffee on Thursday with such an individual,Continue reading “On the Eleventh Day of 2024: Coffee with a Friend”
On the Tenth Day of 2024: Please Excuse Michael’s Absence
On the tenth day of 2024, after setting up a pattern of daily blogging, while admitting that he was not sure how long he could keep it up, Michael Jarmer Writer Guy neglected to post a blog entry. It appears that everyone survived the catastrophe. There were no angry comments, no demands for a fullContinue reading “On the Tenth Day of 2024: Please Excuse Michael’s Absence”
On the Ninth Day of 2024: Just Sit and Breathe
Sometimes meditation is difficult. You’d think it’d always be easy; after all, one just sits and breathes. Right? How hard can that be? Most of us do a lot of sitting. And all of us are breathing all the time. Here’s the thing–our breathing (for the most part) is not a conscious choice that weContinue reading “On the Ninth Day of 2024: Just Sit and Breathe”
On the Seventh Day of 2024: The Numbers
Consecutive days of meditation: 7. Number of walks taken with dogs: 3. Consecutive days of sitting meditation, on a cushion: 6. Consecutive days of walking meditation, with dogs: 1. Chances that walking meditation with dogs was more successful than sitting on a cushion without dogs: 0. Consecutive days of bicycling: 5. Cups of coffee consumedContinue reading “On the Seventh Day of 2024: The Numbers”
On the Sixth Day of 2024: The Creative Impulse, or What the Hell Am I Doing?
I must say that the sixth day of 2024 has been a rough one. I slept in a little bit longer than I usually do, then, diverging from my usual practice of hitting the cushion before doing anything electronically, other than calling up my meditation timer, I read a text message. Needless to say, myContinue reading “On the Sixth Day of 2024: The Creative Impulse, or What the Hell Am I Doing?”
On the Fifth Day of 2024: Meditation Method
I like the silent church before the service begins, better than any preaching. Ralph Waldo Emerson Stuff coming out, stuff going in. I’m just a part of everything. Peter Gabriel My meditation practice, as I discovered it some twenty-three years ago now, has been to sit in silence, either alone or with a group. EvenContinue reading “On the Fifth Day of 2024: Meditation Method”
On the Fourth Day of 2024: Chipmunk Instagram
I don’t know how long I will keep this up. It’s late in the afternoon now and I have had a somewhat productive day so far. Meditation, bicycling, breakfasting, coffee making and coffee drinking, making a silly reel for instagram, picking my boy up from school, grabbing lunch at Panda Express (my only mistake ofContinue reading “On the Fourth Day of 2024: Chipmunk Instagram”
On the Third Day of 2024: In the Third Person
He rose again. Isn’t it amazing, he finds, that every morning, no matter what, he never fails to wake up! On his way into his meditation space he realizes, though, that the dog has once again pooped and peed in the entryway, so he attends to that first. Then he can begin the ritual ofContinue reading “On the Third Day of 2024: In the Third Person”
On the Second Day of 2024: Notebooks
Morning meditation two days in a row after nearly a year and a half without. This morning my feet didn’t fall asleep as I sat cross-legged on the cushion, but I did find myself somehow less focused than I was yesterday. If opening my eyes to look at the timer is any indication of aContinue reading “On the Second Day of 2024: Notebooks”