The people of Haiti are...
Resilient. Determined. Deserving of better.
🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹
I have a new episode of the Grassroots podcast out and it is seriously my favorite. 📲📲📲 When we were planning out our season, I knew I wanted to do a Haiti episode, and I knew that would be ambitious.
See, the way people talk about Haiti has historically been pretty problematic. 🇭🇹 Some people see their jovial spirit and romanticize poverty, overlooking the reality of that struggle. 🇭🇹 Others can’t get over the visible poverty, failing to see the deeper identity of the people. 🇭🇹 Then, there is a huge savior complex present in so many narratives that center attention on volunteers rather than empowering Haitians.
Anyways, I wanted to involve Haitian voices at every step of this project. This episode features audio from my trip there last year, a conversation with Plant With Purpose’s Haitian team, and some interviews with people who have put in the time to get the nuances of talking about the country.
We get into deforestation, the ills of the charity sector, the struggle for hope, the Dominican border, it’s complex history with other countries, the recent protests and political upheavals, and what daily village life looks like.
The energy on this is episode is loaded!
My personal favorite part is towards the end when Brendon Anthony and Margaret DeJong, along with our Haitian partner Dezo fire back and forth about how those wanting to help can do better. 🔥🔥🔥
If you’ve been tuned in to the podcast, you are awesome! If you haven’t listened yet, this would be a sweet episode for you to jump in on. This is the “best foot forward” I don’t mind sticking out there.
On to ATL
Happy to share that I’ll be in Atlanta for a hot minute this week! I won’t be there that long- tomorrow until Friday, but I’m excited to be back.
Once again, I’ll be going for #plywoodpresents, which ended up being a lot of fun last year. And I’m pretty thrilled to see Father Greg Boyle on the speaker lineup for Plywood People along with a bunch of others.
Last year, I was caught off guard with how much I loved Atlanta. I mean, I’m a Phillies fan who hates being too hot and has mostly lived by mountains or the ocean. But- Atlanta is so full of fun and creative people it didn’t take too long for the city to win me over. Also, OutKast helped a little.
ATL friends, I’d love to find some time to connect during this quick little jaunt!
Traveler's Mindfulness
I’ve had this really bad habit when it comes to travel— it’s hard for me to visit a place without suddenly daydreaming about my next trip, and the one after that. It’s like one small taste of somewhere new will open up all the floodgates of daydreams about all the other places.
I’ll make it to Tennessee and then I’ll start imagining myself getting off a plane in Europe. I’ll be in Italy wondering when I’ll make it to Africa next. Then I’ll start thinking about maybe going on a similar trip, but somewhere more accessible so I can invite friends.
I hated the fact that I did this, because I wanted to be a better job of being present wherever I was. Always longing for what’s next is a good way to never enjoy what’s in front of you.
I started taking a page from the mindfulness playbook. I’ve stopped feeling bad about an enthusiastic brain so easily tickled by curiosity and adventure. I’ve also learned to just let the wanderlust dreams go.
It’s like when you’re meditating and they say if you have any outside thoughts or distractions, don’t feel guilty, just acknowledge them and let them go. I’ve started doing this with wanderlust.
I fully accept that I have a huge appetite to see places. When I find myself in one new place longing for another, I acknowledge that and let it go. Sometimes I’ll even open the note on my phone that has all my future trip ideas, add the new ideas, and put it away as a way of literally keeping those dreams in my back pocket- available to reopen at a better time.
Anybody else with this kind of habit about travel or anything else?
Empathy Over Originality
One of my biggest creative lessons over the past few years has been this: always choose empathy over originality.
Every creative wants their work to stand out and be remembered. We often do that by trying to think up something that feels completely original- like it’s never been done before.
The problem with that is that everything is a remix. 💽 It’s impossible to be truly original. So many efforts to be original have instead turned into gimmicks- interesting concepts without heart.
Instead, the best creative goal is to make people say “me too.” To make people feel less alone. ⚱️ The songs that make it onto people’s summer playlists and wedding marches are the ones that are so relatable it feels like they were written for them. Ben Howard didn’t write his first album with me in mind, but it sometimes feels that way!
It’s counterintuitive, but instead of asking what would make your work distinct, ask what would make it familiar. What would take feelings, questions, and experiences that many have felt, but few have been able to put into words... or music, or visuals, etc.
Empathy over originality, always!
Ecotourism
A lot of my more recent trips, Colombia and Wyoming in particular, have made me more and more interested in orienting my future trips around conservation and community development.
In Colombia, it felt especially good to know that my visit could be a source of encouragement and help to some of the locals I met. Our guide Carlos kept telling us about how much potential he could see from ecotourism, from nature walks to hacienda hotels to coffee shops.
I don’t know exactly when we’ll take our first trip as a family of three, but I want to do something that’s an overall win for the people who live there and their land. Maybe that looks like connecting with a local conservation group. Maybe that means staying at a farm stay.
You kinda have to do your homework with ecotourism because not everything that wears that label is what it seems. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a note saved on my phone with a few dozen ideas of places to research further.
Of course there will still be cities that lure me in with their vibrant cultures and cuisine- Lookin’ at you, NOLA. And there are manmade structures like St. Peter’s Basilica that are completely breathtaking.
But the more places I go, the less interested I am in just landmarks and the status symbol of checking off another place. I want conversations with locals. I want a sense of their concerns and hopes. I want to find a bug or bird that I can’t see back home in California. Far and away, the thing that I get most out of visiting new places is a deeper sense of connection to people and the planet.
Occasional Rule Follower
Rule following. It comes naturally to some, not always to me. Does that surprise you?
I want to respect other people and do no harm, but if a rule exists, I tend to want to know why. Complying with rules for the sake of rules doesn’t really come naturally. During the flight safety demo, I dive deeper into the book I’m reading. In school, my favorite place to play was an area that the school literally named, “Off Limits.” I thought that was just what the patch of trees was called, not an actual rule!
There are pros and cons to being a nonconformist or boundary pusher. And there are some areas of life, however, where I can flip the switch and be on perfect scout’s behavior.
One big one is following all the posted signs and stuff in public lands, national parks, and wildlife preserves.
While most of my instincts lean towards hopping fences and going off the main path, in these settings, I understand and can get behind the reasons these rules exist. Places like Zion, Yellowstone, or Horseshoe Bend are exhausted from the amount of visitors they take every year and that puts their ecology at risk.
Making visits more coordinated, streamlining human activity, and enforcing area restrictions aren’t total fixes, but they’re important for allowing these spaces to stay healthy while keeping them open for people to enjoy.
As much as I’d like to be my own trailblazer and beat my own drum, especially when basking in nature, it’s not about me. These places belong to the planet and to generations before and after.
Stalking Leopard Sharks
Even though I’ve been doing a lot less travel this summer while getting ready for baby, we’ve been on some pretty sweet adventures not far at all from home.
This week I went to an expecting parents gathering. It was in the ocean and everybody else there was actually a pregnant leopard shark. 🦈🦈🦈 They like to come to our coves in the summer and spawn. As long as you’re friendly, they’re friendly and they don’t mind swimming around your feet in while standing chest deep in between waves.
The feeling of warmer salt water on skin lately has been pretty much amazing. If I’m gonna be much more home based for the foreseeable future, I’ll be glad it’s a home fifteen minutes from the coast.
Big In-Between Moments
I don't like heat. I think I experience the world 20º than the average person. But I do love summer.
Last weekend, we went out to a bike path that runs right behind a bunch of strip malls and along the San Diego River. It's not hidden by any means, but it is easily overlooked. I love that we've been getting outside a good amount lately; that we've been getting sun and movement and salt water.
I'm learning to love these in-between moments. 🚲🚲🚲
The baby isn't here yet but the bump is growing.
The bigger adventures and trips that I want to go on are on pause, but we're finding microadventures right where we are.
The podcast hasn't fully materialized into the storytelling magnet I want it to be, but it's growing steadily and picking up new listeners each week.
Good things will come, but good things are already here, too.
Isn't life just a big in-between moment anyways?
It Threatens The Most Vulnerable
Have you heard of the Gabra people?
I hadn’t either. Not until I met and interviewed Paul Robinson.
👴🏿👳🏾♀️🧒🏿
The Gabra are a nomadic ethnic group that live on the frontier lands of Kenya and Ethiopia.
🧔🏼
Paul Robinson is a scholar who has spent 30+ years researching them.
Specifically, he looked into how they were able to survive living in one of the world’s harshest environments. Their tradition came down to being able to predict and follow rain.
🌧⚡️🌧
With incredible precision, they could tell you when the rain would fall and where, often down to the hour. They did all this without any fancy tools. Their lives depended on it, and they’ve made it work for centuries.
This group of people and this way of life is one of the ones most threatened by climate change. As global weather patterns have become unpredictable, the Gabra lost their resilience and are in greater need of food aid.
My newest podcast episode is OUT TODAY. 🔊🔊🔊
It features my interview with Dr. Robinson and looks at the way climate change is felt first by the most vulnerable communities.
Stream. 🔈Subscribe. Rate. Review. Pretty please.🙏🏽 Many thanks!
Grassroots Launch Party
Over the weekend, Plant With Purpose threw a sweet little launch party at You Belong Here to celebrate the Grassroots Podcast. St. Archer’s donated beer, listeners came in from as far as LA, and I got to do my thing and talk about climate change concerns, the intersection of faith, and storytelling.
It’s a critical moment for the world, which is why I believe in this show. I believe that well told stories from often overlooked places can change everything. I’m thankful to have so much support while at it.
And on that note, when you wake up, there will probably be a fresh new episode in your podcast feed. I get to talk to the authors of one of the most eye opening books I’ve read this year, and you get to wake up to that! Assuming you’re subscribed. You are subscribed, right?
Backup Your Backups
There are few tangible things that I value quite as much as my photo archives. I’ve taken at least one photo a day for nearly a decade. If you know what to look for, you’ll find my most personal stories within those pictures. 🏞🎑🌅
This one is from 2014- the last time I got to see my grandma and the only time Deanna got to meet her. She would’ve turned 101 last week. I’m so glad we made that trip to the Philippines to see her. I’m so thankful for that trip and for pics like these.
I had a moment of panic when my hard drive with all my photos and creative work since 2010 crashed. Literally crashes. It took a nosedive off the sofa armrest I couldn’t stop in time. I didn’t want to think about all the possibly lost files.
⚡️⚡️⚡️
Similar things happened to me in 2011 and 2015, where I lost all my Argentina photos and honeymoon videos respectively. And thankfully I learned my lesson then. I was so relieved when I found a duplicate hard drive that I nearly forgot. It had everything up until this January- and everything else I could get from my phone.
Took a break from Insta so I could get those image files back and loaded.
And now I’m back to deliver this PSA: 📣Backup your backups. Then go out and get them some backups. And update them often. I am so thankful I did that.
Meb Keflizhigi, Grassroots, & It's a Boy!
MARIA ISABEL
![Maria Isabel [1].JPG](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5769e057b3db2b7deca538c1/1563215375340-54LA7MUIPZ5MTF2W6OHG/Maria+Isabel+%5B1%5D.JPG)
The conflict in Colombia was brutal. So much so that many of the stories I heard there aren’t ones I always feel comfortable repeating.
🇨🇴🗺🇨🇴
A friend asked me if there was any concern that the fighting would reemerge. If the conflict could resume. Honestly, it was a good question. Both Colombian and American news sources I came across recently highlighted recent setbacks in the process of peace building.
But, based on what I saw in person: I feel pretty good about where things are heading in Colombia.
✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾
I feel that way because of the people I met. They were so committed to making sure things never went back to the way they were that it drove and motivated their daily activities.
Many people committed to creating more economic opportunities so people would be less vulnerable to violence.
Maria Isabel, who fed me the best soursop juice ever, ran her doll making shop and her farm with so much heart that you knew it wasn’t just about the dolls.
Others committed to empowering, healing, and educating others.
Angelita (second pics) played a specIal role in the reconciliation process by making sure women were front and center of healing efforts.
🔅🔅🔅
A single individual can’t really go to war on his own. Similarly, building peace takes all hands on deck. I’m glad Colombia has some great ones moving things forward.
VIOTA SCHOOL
This is what progress looks like to me. 🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴
On one of our drives around Viotá, our driver slowed down to point out a marker on the side of the road. En memorial a todos las personas quien perdieron la vida en la guerra... in memory of those who lost their lives in the war. It was installed where about a decade ago, guerrilla fighters had slaughtered 22 paramilitary members.
Less than a half mile away from the marker, we passed by a school painted in bright orange.
“What happened to that school during that time? Would people even send their kids?”
Unsurprisingly the answer was no. This conflict disrupted everyday life to the point where kids couldn’t peacefully learn the skills for a better future.
🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴
We spent most of that day with a group of young people, probably the right age to have been the students that missed school back then, learning what they were doing now to move forward. On the way back, we passed by that same site. To my surprise, we pulled over and were led into a classroom while class was in session.
The teacher introduces us to the students and they eagerly tell us everything that they do to care for the environment.
💧Not wasting water.
🗑 Throwing away trash in the right place.
🍥 Not tossing your gum in the streets.
👏🏽👏🏽
We have the ability to leave yesterday’s horrors behind. The future can be so much better.
GRASSROOTS IS HERE!
IT’S HERE. 🙌🏾 TODAY’S THE DAY!
The #grassrootspodcast is officially officially officially out, and what I mean by that is that the first full episode is out on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else.
You can stream it.
You can subscribe.
You can leave a rating and review. (Well, on some podcast platforms.)
You can share this post in your stories, tag your friends in this post, and help me get the word out.
And I’d love for you to do all those things!
This @plantwpurpose podcast has been a labor of love. It’s been at least 30 hours of work a week from me for the past couple months. We surprised ourselves by getting some sweet guests lined up, and worked with some damn good collaborators (@nicklaparra, @chadmichaelsnavely, see what I did there?)
Here’s why. You’ve probably already heard that we’re in a crucial moment when it comes to dealing with our environmental crisis. And in places like Northern Thailand, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Haiti, this is a matter of immediate survival. But the voices of Haitians, Thai Farmers, Mozambican biologists, etc. are often left out of the important conversations.
This podcast is an attempt to apply my love of adventures, culture, and storytelling, to amplify their voices. Sometimes that’s meant wrestling with Haiti’s poor internet connectivity for two hours before getting to start an interview. Sometimes that’s meant literally going overseas to meet people directly.
And I’m convinced it’ll be worth it. And I can use your help! Listen! Subscribe! Rate! Share! And thanks already!!!
ROOT CAUSES
The thing that drew me towards international development were intense stories. Rescuing child soldiers. Providing relief to a war zone. Busting up a trafficking ring.
And for a while, I thought that was what my contribution to the world would look like.
And so I spent years trying to get closer and closer to the places where those things were happening so I could learn what I could do.
And the more time I spent around people, the more my thinking started to shift.
It’s great to rescue a trafficked kid, but it would be way better if the kid was never trafficked in the first place.
I realized that the one thing that consistently made people vulnerable to everything from war to trafficking to malnourishment was poverty. And I realized that the poorest people were coming from rural areas that they could no longer farm for a living because of soil erosion and climate change.
I tell a bit of my story in the first episode of the #grassrootspodcast. These days, my contribution looks like doing what I can to help rural villages plant trees and farm better. It’s a lot of little things instead of one large intervention.
And the thing that constantly surprises me? It all connects to those other issues that caught my attention in the first place. It’s not an exaggeration to say a healthy environment reduces the risk of human trafficking, puts more girls in school, and contributes to peace-building efforts.
Tune in to our first episode of Grassroots, The Roots of Everything. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else.
MEB’S BOOK
Insta was down, so I read six books. Kidding. These are my summer reads from the past few weeks.
I like running. Sometimes. But I feel like I enjoy reading about competitive running disproportionately more than I like doing it.
Meb’s book was a fun read. Especially for a plane ride. Some of his insights seemed a bit obvious, especially at first, but hearing how he’d change his approach to each race depending on his goals and physical condition really caught my interest, along with his strategy for each race itself.
Here’s what else I’ve read so far this summer:
📔 More Than Words by Jill Santopolo – I liked it! I found it really easy to empathize with each character.
📗 Normal People by Sally Rooney – Getting a lot of hype right now, but I liked it for similar reasons as More Than Words.
📓 Savage Feast by Boris Fishman – This one kind of dragged a bit. Had a hard time seeing why the author found certain stories important.
📒 Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport – Good ideas in here, but I think his outsider status as a social media nonuser didn’t come with the credibility he assumed.
📘 Territory of Light by Yuko Tsushima – As simple and delicate as its cover indicates.
📕 Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton – An action movie in novel form, though some middle parts did drag. But I loved the setting of Australia’s seedy underbelly.
📘 The Nocilla Experience by Agustin Vello Fernandez – I read this in one sitting but that’s not necessarily a compliment. I’m a sucker for intertwining storylines that start off worlds apart, but this never really tied them together in a way that made sense.
FAITH & ENVIRONMENTALISM
One thing we’ve heard a lot about the podcast since it launched is that a lot of people appreciate the fact that we talk about faith and fighting climate change in equal droves. ⠀⠀
I appreciate hearing that! And at the same time, I wish it weren’t such an unusual combo. There’s no good reason why it should be. In fact, the further I look into it, spiritual growth and sustainability go hand in hand.
Here are a few things I wish were more common knowledge.
⛪️ If you believe in a Creator then placing a high value on creation just makes sense. The first role given to humans is to be protectors and servants of the earth and at no point does that get called off.
🌵 If you think the way our culture paints environmentalism and religion in opposition to each other is kinda dumb, you aren’t alone. You really, really aren’t alone. @plantwpurpose is a great org that approaches creation care from a faith standpoint, but it definitely isn’t the only one. There way more people out there who believe faith and sustainability go together than it often seems.
🇺🇸 In fact, the hesitancy that believers have towards environmental care is a mostly American perspective. One of the things that I appreciate about getting to work with people from several countries is seeing how in most other places, these lines of separation don’t exist.
🌎 If your faith compels you to love the poor and to serve the least of these, then promoting better environmental practices is one of the most effective ways to do so.
IT’S A BOY!
Who was thinking boy???
According to my Instagram survey, only 22% of you were. And I think Beignet was hoping for another girl. Or another puppy.
But we’re thrilled! See you in 3.5 months little man. We’ll keep in touch via morse code on mama’s belly til then.
JULY 2019
#182 NOVEMBER PROJECT: FASHION VALLEY
01 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Made it out for a November Project workout for the first time in months. So glad I made it back. Hoping to make it out there more often.
#183 BOY SWALLOWS UNIVERSE
02 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Such a bizarre, beautiful, brutal story and I loved the way this was told.
Plus the setting in inner city Australia was a world I had a fun time exploring for 400 plus pages.
#184 TERALTA PARK
03 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Sweet, simple dog walks in the afternoon- I’m all about that.
#185 FOURTH WITH KIRSTEN & JOSH
04 July 2019 // San Diego, California
I never really know what to do for the Fourth of July, but joining Kirsten and Josh for some great BBQ was the right choice.
#186 CAFEINA
05 July 2019 // San Diego, California
I had a day off and all to myself. Time for a solo adventure!
Testing out the mazapan lattes at a new coffee shop in the neighborhood, climbing down Sunset Cliffs, and catching Spider-Man Far From Home were on the agenda.
#187 CAN EAT BBQ
06 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Went out with some friends for Korean Fried Chicken.
This wasn’t the spot, but I couldn’t resist taking a pic with this eclectic window display.
#188 IT’S A BOY
07 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Who was thinking boy???
According to my Instagram survey, only 22% of you were. And I think Beignet was hoping for another girl. Or another puppy.
But we’re thrilled! See you in 3.5 months little man. We’ll keep in touch via morse code on mama’s belly til then.
#189 TEMPORARY OFFICE
08 July 2019 // San Diego, California
We’re moving to the suite next door, and that’s gonna be a pretty different vibe.
#190 WEEKNIGHT AT DOG BEACH
09 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Took Beignet on an impromptu visit to dog beach tonight and that was a wise decision.
#191 HEAVY
10 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Finally got around to reading this book and the hype was right. Kiese Laymon can really write.
#192 THE NOCILLA EXPERIENCE
11 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Read through this book so fast, but that’s not a compliment. I was on a plane and it was more like a fast-forward. Simply put, cool concept, but when it came to the execution of the story, I didn’t get it.
#193 GRASSROOTS LAUNCH
12 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Threw a launch party at You Belong Here to celebrate the release of the Grassroots podcast. Loved the space and it was fun connecting with a bunch of podcast listeners.
#194 Leopard Shark Dip
13 July 2019 // La Jolla, California
Even though I’ve been doing a lot less travel this summer while getting ready for baby, we’ve been on some pretty sweet adventures not far at all from home.
This week I went to an expecting parents gathering. It was in the ocean and everybody else there was actually a pregnant leopard shark. 🦈🦈🦈 They like to come to our coves in the summer and spawn. As long as you’re friendly, they’re friendly and they don’t mind swimming around your feet in while standing chest deep in between waves.
The feeling of warmer salt water on skin lately has been pretty much amazing. If I’m gonna be much more home based for the foreseeable future, I’ll be glad it’s a home fifteen minutes from the coast.
#195 Osprey
14 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Check out this osprey I found perched in the hood. #birdsofprey #nerdsofprey
#196 Mango Topo
15 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Coffee and Tea Collective has dedicated their summer entirely to mango and I am so here for it.
#197 Desertscape
16 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Appreciation for the dry desert climate I live in doesn’t come naturally, but it’s growing.
#198 Lego Winona
17 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Spent a night with LEGO Winona and the massive expensive LEGO set I have yet to complete.
#199 Haley in Kensington
18 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Got a visit from Haley this week and had a blast. And a pizza.
#200 Cafeina Grand Open
19 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Made the spontaneous call to go to the grand opening of Cafeina and I’m glad I did. The canela latte I ordered led to a bonus concha and two free tacos.
#201 Ocean Recreation
20 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Tried -key word tried- to recreate one of the classic photos from our honeymoon.
#202 Post WDS Meetup
21 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Always happy to hang with the San Diego WDS Crew.
#203 Piggy Buns
22 July 2019 // San Diego, California
This is probably the best “birthday complimentary treat” I’ve gotten from a restaurant. Glad Shelly requested Steamy Piggy for her birthday. I’ve driven past so many times, not knowing how good the food was inside.
#204 Freezer Drama
23 July 2019 // San Diego, California
We’ve been having some freezer-over-freezing issues this summer. Someone send help.
#205 Simon’s Visit
24 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Per usual, I’ve loved having the nephews around this week.
#206 Mango Sticky Rice
25 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Easily one of my favorite desserts. All it takes are four ingredients.
#207 Bali Hai
26 July 2019 // San Diego, California
Trips to Bali Hai are always tasty. Tonight: Pele’s Revenge, a Rum Runner, incredible poke, and some scallop on butter grits.
#208 SD Night Market
27 July 2019 // San Diego, California
I really wish this event was as fun as I thought it was going to be. Unfortunately, I think the organizers really underestimated the amount of people who would be there, resulting in hour long waits for everything- getting in, each food truck, etc. A few of the vendors ran out of stuff way early for an event that was going to run until midnight. Hopefully future events get better.
#209 Dog Park Greens
28 July 2019 // San Diego, California
The dog park on summer evenings is where it’s at.
#210 Squid Ink Corn Dog
29 July 2019 // San Diego, California
I can’t say Korean squid ink breaded mozzarella corn dogs are what I usually eat on my lunch breaks, but I had to satiate my curiosity as much as my appetite.
#211 One Month Office
30 July 2019 // San Diego, California
The month we’ve spent in this temporary office space has gone by pretty fast!
#212 Gregory Boyle
31 July 2019 // Atlanta, Georgia
“Tenderness is the highest form of spiritual maturity.”
Father Gregory Boyle said this at Plywood Presents and he lives it out in his work with Homeboy Industries. He’s a speaker I’ve wanted to see for a long time. I missed out on a few opportunities to do so, but I’m glad I finally got to tonight.
Kids Deserve Better, Emanuel, & Our Fourth Anniversary
TRUTHS & LIES
![The Lost Lagoon [1].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5769e057b3db2b7deca538c1/1562019593990-WOJEW5H6R08LZV06R9WG/The+Lost+Lagoon+%5B1%5D.jpg)
![The Lost Lagoon [2].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5769e057b3db2b7deca538c1/1562019719636-DNLRVXMJ0OHPYL65UTGH/The+Lost+Lagoon+%5B2%5D.jpg)
![The Lost Lagoon [5].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5769e057b3db2b7deca538c1/1562019978340-7SJLVJJCE6QDBTAY3YYB/The+Lost+Lagoon+%5B5%5D.jpg)
![The Lost Lagoon [6].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5769e057b3db2b7deca538c1/1562019868179-PZQQWFWPCD71TAMTUTH7/The+Lost+Lagoon+%5B6%5D.jpg)
![The Lost Lagoon [8].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5769e057b3db2b7deca538c1/1562020015944-FR1HRQ2PFP1CWU6G1ECC/The+Lost+Lagoon+%5B8%5D.jpg)
![The Lost Lagoon [10].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5769e057b3db2b7deca538c1/1562020089276-S4VKQ1VGZ2TJTTYRWGYW/The+Lost+Lagoon+%5B10%5D.jpg)
Big belief: So many of the world’s biggest problems would be solved if there were an easy way to get people to choose accept the truth over a lie.
At a macro-level: if people could accept the truth that all people are created equal over the lie that one race is superior to another, so many things would be different.
But, this is true at a micro-level too.
If you want to fill the world with something, you need to make sure you’re full of that thing yourself. Some of the most spiteful people start by being unkind to themselves. The most merciful people start by forgiving themselves. If you want a world that believes what’s true, you’ve got to start with speaking truth to yourself and rejecting the lies you’re tempted to believe.
Don’t believe the lie that you have no purpose. The truth is that you were made for a life that impacts people in a way only you could.
Don’t believe the lie that the world is all scary stuff and bad news. The truth is that the bad is far outnumbered by the beautiful, and that makes fighting for progress that much more important.
Don’t believe the lie that your story’s over. The truth is that you never know what’s around the corner.
Find a truth you need to hear and say it to yourself over and over.
EMANUEL
Okay wow. I went to see the film Emanuel last week and- wow.
If you aren’t familiar, it’s the documentary about the shooting at Emanuel AME church in Charleston, produced by Viola Davis and Steph Curry. And it was really. Well. Done.
The film’s strength comes from its honesty. It goes deep exploring the history of racism and white supremacy in Charleston, along with the role the black church has played throughout history going back to Denmark Vassey. It also goes deep boldly talking about the faith of the church members and survivors. The film featured interviews from the survivors to Black Lives Matter leaders to former governor Nikki Haley.
The film made no efforts to please anybody, but instead sought to tell the truth. It was boldly faith-filled. It was boldly anti-racist. And it was absolutely worth watching.
I want to tell everybody to go out and see it- except the film only got a limited two day screening in theatres last week. I still think you should go see it, I’m just not sure how. Yet.
Hopefully it ends up on Netflix or Prime because Emanuel says important things that need to reach as wide of an audience as it can.
And whenever you do find yourself with the opportunity to see it- do it. Absolutely, do it.
A LONG TRAVEL HIATUS
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I had a planned trip to the Dominican Republic in about a month get cancelled. Unless something comes up (and ya never know), I have no planned trips at all until baby gets here. And not a whole lot planned for a while after that anyways.
That’s unfamiliar territory for me.
I know travel is a privilege and there are so many people who stay in their place for years and years with no option. But staying put has never really been my forte.
I have a friend who says that after his son was born he just wanted to be at home all the time. I anticipate something like that. At the same time, travel is a big part of what I was made to do. And I want to pass on a sense of appreciation and wonder for the wider world, nature, and culture to my future kiddos.
I’m so deeply curious how those two desires will blend. Curious and not worried. In the past I wondered if getting married or taking a location dependent job would mark the end of being able to go places. Instead, the bulk of my travel is for work and Deanna and I have seen 8 countries and 23 states in our four years of marriage.
In the meantime, I’m conscious of the fact that there’s still a lot to be done when it comes to building a community in San Diego and having it feel more like home. Here’s hoping that some of this more stationery season leads to that. (Though heads up, if any of you throw an everything paid weeklong trip to Bolivia next month at me, I’m for sure saying yes.)
summer of anticipation
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If our baby’s nursery is entirely Domo themed, blame it on the claw machine. If it isn’t, well that’s cause we aren’t that good at the claw machine.
Taking a moment, maybe the whole summer to appreciate the fact that we’re in a season of miracles right now. We prayed and hoped for this baby for quite a while and the anticipation has been a beautiful thing.
Its been a good time in a number of other ways too. Enjoying the new house. Recent adventures away. Working on exciting and life giving projects at work. Even just playing around in the kitchen last night and making a pound of poke felt enriching.
Every now and then you have times in life where things click and it seems like everything that’s supposed to happen starts happening. These aren’t common. It’s been about two years since life last felt even a bit like that. It’s much easier to notice what’s missing and to long for that sometimes.
Let’s go and savor the good things that are in front of us in this exact moment. Life isn’t always a stream of green lights, but when it is, you gotta cruise.
our fourth anniversary
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The past four years have given us more highs and lows than we would’ve predicted when it all began.
From health scares and grinding out grad school and hoping deeply for a kid, to living out our career dreams and adopting the weirdest but sweetest dog to stepping into the on deck circle of parenthood.
We said it would be an adventure, didn’t we. I think this is what a real adventure looks like.
Happy four year anniversary, Deanna. Let’s go eat s’mores.
kids deserve better
Why does anger exist in the first place? It’s neither good or bad itself, it’s job is to signal when something has been violated. When justice is missing.
Things that make me angry look like this:
“Almost every child I spoke with had not showered or bathed since they crossed the border — some of them more than three weeks ago,” she said. “There is a stench that emanates from some of the children because they haven’t had an opportunity to put on clean clothes and to take a shower.”
–Elora Mukherjee, a lawyer who has been monitoring the Clint, TX border detention facility.
Anger is an adverse emotion. And there are ways to deal with it like avoiding it or shifting the blame. But those ways often don’t accomplish what you think they might.
Pretending a border crisis doesn’t exist changes nothing. Ignoring the economic insecurity and violence changes nothing. Cutting off aid won’t stop desperation. Making detention centers as miserable as possible won’t change anything.
I used to hate feeling angry about injustice because I always felt like it just meant feeling upset over things beyond my control.
Instead, I’m learning how to let anger itself be a gateway for love.
If you’re feeling angry about this too, go ahead and let it turn into something. A hard but necessary conversation. An effort to learn more. A financial contribution.
Love shows up. Love doesn’t look away and takes it all in. Love has difficult conversations. Love problem solves. Love stands with people who suffer and lifts up the people who help.
A few good places to support and to learn more:
RAICES Texas – extremely effective org
Together Rising – successful at child rescues
World Relief – their immigration facts sheet is a great resource
Preemptive Love – swipe right to read their words
Border Perspective – great faith perspective
Border Angels Official – very active at a grassroots level
Global Immerse – so many great resources
Dropping off a bunch of their resources in my stories today.
my colombia journal
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I still have so much to share about my Colombia trip the other month— both photos and stories and thoughts. That’s the challenge with those whirlwind experiences; the time it takes to process them is long but life goes on as you do.
🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴
“Eight years ago, you wouldn’t be able to come this way at night,” Milmer tells me. “Guerilla would have stopped you and forced you to pay.”
I’m surprised when he tells me the amount they would’ve demanded. Far more than I expected- or than I would be able to come up with. I’m also surprised, because eight years doesn’t seem that long ago, and thus far the evening’s drive has been really nice.
I pointed out that some plant in the surrounding brush smelled a lot like curry. Milmer laughs, being familiar with the smell but having never connected it to curry. We continue onwards towards the municipality of Viotá. The area, 80 kilometers outside of Bogotá was very recently a hotbed for FARC- the antigovernment insurgency that kept Colombia in a state of internal conflict for decades. In the early 2000’s the violence was at its worst, and horror stories were far too common.
Now we’re on our way to meet some people who were at the center of it. Former combatants.
⛰🌿⛰
I wrote a longer recap of the journey in the link in my profile. Go have a look!
Chi & Greg Show, 49th State, & World Refugee Day
FATHER’S DAY 2019
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These days, when baby gets a little bit squirmy, I’ll try and put my hand on Deanna’s belly, and it stops. Baby just holds still. Apparently daddy’s already the strict one in this good cop/bad cop shindig.
Also, this kiddo is the happiest little fetus I’ve seen. I actually never knew fetuses could smile until I saw our own hamming it up.
Today was a good one. I think a half dozen people at church greeted me with Happy Fathers Day and I guess I’ll start getting used to hearing that from here on out. I’ve wanted to be a dad for as long as I can remember. That made the past year of waiting and hoping all the more challenging. Now that baby’s in the on deck circle, it feels kind of surreal.
📸: Jesse - who knew I’d find use for these random solo shots during our maternity shoot!
CHI & GREG SHOW
Y’ALL. Guess who I got to see play live yesterday? That’s right. Chi & Greg people!
If you know them, they need no intro. If you don’t, do check their music out right away and know that they’re also wonderful humans.
Good music makes you feel thankful to be alive. So do old friends. So does seeing people put their hearts into what they do. Last night was full of all of the above.
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WORK WITH HEART
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To me, there's nothing quite seeing somebody put their whole heart into their work. And it's cool how that looks so different for different people. I heard one of my boxing instructors talk about how much he loves teaching other people the sport because of the confidence it gave him as a kid wanting to protect his sister. I met an artist whose body of work almost entirely draws from notes on her grandmother's life. She expected that to last for a couple pieces, but then found that the well ran deep.
When your work matters to you like that, you do better work. People notice and want to join. Your drive becomes contagious and helps other people connect.
Khalil Gibran says that "work is love made visible." And I try to go back to that reminder a lot. Because it can get so easy to let the thing you do every day to send you into autopilot. You can sit down, get your hands busy, and let the muscle memory take over. But I keep seeing that my best work isn't in my hands, but my heart. And it begs to get out there.
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49TH STATE
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One of my top highlights from last week: sailing down the Snake River in a raft. Scored with some fantastic moose, beaver, and bald eagle sightings.
Wyoming officially marks my 49th State. One more trip to Alaska and I’ll be able to check off one really cool bucket list item I’ve had for a while.
The United States are massive. And they contain multitudes. So many diverse landscapes, so many different people groups. So many subcultures and ideas and lifestyles and worlds within worlds.
Diversity makes a place better, whether you’re talking about terrain or plants or people. It’s a good thing. To ignore diversity is to miss out on a real gift.
Feeling so thankful today for all the random meals and meetings and moments I’ve been able to spend with friends I’ve made in different states. Next stop? Hopefully Alaska!
WORLD REFUGEE DAY
Today is #worldrefugeeday
Thinking about some of my friends who’ve had to flee across borders because of the threat of violence. Folks like Ah Jee are resilient! When you hear about what some refugees have gone through to get where they are today, it’s not pity you feel, but admiration. And so often we respond with either fear or indifference, and that’s just embarrassing.
I wish everybody had a chance to meet some of the people I’ve met who have this journey as a part of their story. I know that’s not exactly feasible, so here are a pair of my favorite ways to support refugees locally:
+ Support refugee owned businesses. I know some places that actually put together a full blown guide to where they are. I think there’s one in Atlanta. But wherever you live, you can probably at least search online for some great restaurants and retailers owned by refugees.
+ Look for local opportunities to participate with refugee supporting organizations. Some local orgs throw welcome parties at airports. Others offer tutoring opportunities. You’ll find your flavor somewhere!
+ Learn the facts and fight the stigma. Use human stories to encourage others to respond more empathically.
THE PURSUIT
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Good day! I’m loving this type mural I found hanging out in ATL a while back.
Andrew Solomon describes “that vital sense of purpose that is the opposite of depression.”
I don’t take that to mean that people who struggle with depression don’t have a sense of purpose, or that living with purpose makes you immune to that, but I do think having a guiding purpose is truly life-giving.
Purpose is an easy word to use without really thinking of its meaning. What’s that thing that you can’t NOT do? What are you just absolutely drawn to? What do you pursue and why does it matter? Start answering these questions and keep answering them!
For some reason, this is a pretty big deal to me. Life is too short to not have something you’re committed to doing during your time on Earth. I get excited when I see other people discover their pursuits, when they go after it with everything, and meet allies and score little victories along the way. It’s a beautiful path.
BACK FROM WYOMING
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I travel often, but not many of my trips are actually vacations– going somewhere with the main goal of getting some rest. Wyoming, though? That was for sure a vacation. How do I know? This first week back went by exxxxxtra slow!
Huge amounts of gratitude to my in laws for the whole week. It was such a generous treat to be able to spend some time with nature and nephews.
Now that I’m home, here are some of my favorite discoveries/lessons from the week:
🗺 The times when it’s hardest to take a break from work are often the times where your work will benefit the most from some time away.
🗺 The @nps has a really cool Junior Ranger program. I didn’t go to many as a kid, and I don’t go to many National Parks with kids until I joined my nephews, so this is a pretty recent discovery. But it’s a good one! We got a backpack full of scat guides, discovery checklists, and binoculars.
🗺 Medium sized tourist towns seem to have the best indie bookstores.
Also, enjoy this photo dump, but this is by no means the last of my Wyoming pics. The Tetons are a camera’s dream.
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Wyoming, Sudan, & The Almost Impossible
WYOMING
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Wyoming. It didn’t take that long to get the hang of things here. Basically there’s mountains and rivers everywhere and it’s beautiful 360° around you.
I’m here to play with my nephews, to stare at some moose, and to let the week go by slowly.
It’s gonna be a good week!
THE WYOMING REPORT
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Okay, a few things I gotta report on:
⚽️ First off, the US Women’s Team is absolutely ridiculous! But you already knew that.
🎙 I just previewed a trailer and some final edits for my Plant With Purpose podcast, GrassRoots and I am so dang excited about this thing. I’ll let you know when we’re live. It’ll be soon!
🏔 Wyoming is still crazy beautiful.
🍗 Also, the grocery store here has something called bruschetta wings and they are wonderful. Imagine something kinda like dried chimichurri coating the outside. Mmmmm.
THE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE
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The longer I stay in the business of trying to get people to care and participate in things that matter, the more I believe that your vision should be just one notch below impossible.
There’s totally a time and place for attainable goal setting, especially with schedules and budgets and tasks. But it can be easy to get stuck in that mode. If you actually want to get people to care and buy in to your vision, it’s got to be a big one.
Think about how Pixar plays these cards to get us invested in their stories: A rat wants to be a Michelin chef. A trash compactor on a desolate planet wants to fall in love. An elderly guy wants to fly to Venezuela in the comfort of his own home using balloons.
If the characters’ ambitions were far more attainable, we wouldn’t be invested in the story at all. Think about it: how interesting is a story about a guy who wants to reply to 15 emails before lunch? ⠀⠀
When people see somebody passionately pursuing a nearly impossible ambition, they get curious. They start paying attention. Then it happens. You get the first follower. Then a second. You find a few people who agree with you- your dream isn’t that impossible and there’s a way to get there. Then the crowd starts to form.
More thoughts on that in my latest post. But always remember to have a version of your mission that seems almost impossible.
SUDAN
I don’t exactly have the biggest social media presence in the world, but I want to be a good steward of my digital voice, and I think that often looks like trying to send some attention towards things that are in need of it.
Sudan.
The news reports 148 deaths in the past week but other estimates have that number as high as 500. “There is a massacre happening in Sudan right now and the world is silent. The world is silent and it breaks my heart,” reads one viral image among Sudanese Americans.
This country was the one that first got me invested in pursuing global justice, and it’s always disappointed me how little attention it gets in spite of some of the the things that it has gone through. That it is still going through.
Here is:
• What is happening in Sudan and how it started
• A few pieces of hope amidst the turmoil
• Some things to do to help
And of course, I’m no expert. But I can point towards some local voices that should be heard. Learn more from:
@hadyouatsalaam
@sudanuprising.updates
@ehabthebeast
@marwanonthemoon
@yousraelbagir
THERE THERE & OTHER READS
Okay, believe ALL the hype surrounding There There by Tommy Orange. It’s such a well written book! It’s been my first read surrounding contemporary Native life and really appreciated it. 🦅 Multiple characters’ storylines converge at a powwow and the story is so brutal and empathetic.
Here are a few other reads I’ve taken with me on my recent trips:
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📙 American Spy by Laura Wilkinson
The story reads like a classic spy novel, but the perspective of a black female CIA agent working to monitor a real world president of Burkina Faso throws so many layers into the mix.
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📘 If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura
A dying man gets to add days to his life by ridding the world of one thing at a time. A quirky, quick read translated from Japanese.
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📕Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi
I love Oyeyemi’s style of writing but I found this story a little harder to track.
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📔 The Opposite of Hate by Sally Kohn
Such a good and important read, especially when it comes to having conversations about difficult topics. I love how well this book explores group biases and our tendencies while arguing.
START WITH WONDER
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One perk of my job is getting to talk to so many people who work on environmental issues a number of different ways.
It’s helped me appreciate how many different ways there are to contribute to the planet, and it’s also helped me see what all these people have in common.
A sense of wonder.
So many of my podcast guests have ended up revealing that their environmental action came later. First was a sense of appreciation for the natural world.
A kid who grew up by a South African National Park now seeks to end poaching. A doctor who loved trees is now an expert on their Biblical significance.
Even though I grew up in a more urban setting, time spent outdoors and living in the Pacific Northwest started some of my early interest in wanting to be more conscious of my environmental footprint.
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Most of what I try to do while not at work involve things that wake up the wonder.
I think wonder is the right fuel for any sort of work that makes the world better.
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YELLOWSTONE & THE TETONS
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It’s been a beautiful week, mostly because every single day took me to either Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Park— which I’ve decided are two of my faves!
🦌🐿🦌
When it comes to the National Parks, there’s a lot I have yet to see.
Here’s an odd-the-cuff checklist of what I’ve been able to get to the past 10 or so years:
🏞 Yosemite
🏞 Zion
🏞 Glacier
🏞 Sequoia
8/56!
But man, there’s still a lot to get to!
I think I went to the Grand Canyon as a kid, but that’s overdue for a visit. And same with Joshua Tree.
And I hope to do Denali next year. And then all the rad Washington Parks and the rest in Utah and...
🏔🌲🏔🌲🏔🌲
When traveling internationally, it’s inevitable to start comparing the merits of living in each country.
One big thing I enjoy about living in the US are the diverse natural spaces out and around.
Not taking that for granted means saying yes to chances to visit and seeking to protect them for future generations.
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Colombia Now, Our 7th Anniversary, & the Phillies Bullpen
COLOMBIA THEN
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“Some of the people you’re about to talk to have done some really brutal things.” I was given the heads up.
To be honest, I’m still torn and unsure about how to talk about some of the firsthand accounts of Colombia’s conflict era. Relaying the horror is an important part of the story, one that can easily teeter into sensationalism.
I guess the easiest thing for me to describe are my own reactions while listening. I was both intimidated by the past actions described by former combatants and impressed with the openness with which they were sharing everything.
“Our goal is to become part of the community again,” we heard. “But that will be a long process and we are only at the beginning. We are still trying to be able to be seen out and around.”
They may be at an early part of a journey that will take years and years, but they’re taking those first steps.
COLOMBIA NOW
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Truth and reconciliation amazes me. It’s because I’m drawn to visions that seem almost impossible. Almost.
How do you repair a community that was broken by conflict and violence? How does a widow sit down with her spouse’s killer? How does everyone involved move past the trauma?
The thing is- it happens. The most famous example might be the Desmond Tutu-led Truth and Reconciliation commission in South Africa right after apartheid. In Rwanda lately, there have been mind blowing stories of people who were on opposite sides of genocide now meeting face to face to move forward. Similar processes exist in Nepal, Argentina, Sri Lanka, and dozens of other countries.
In Colombia, former fighters meet with facilitators to discuss their past and future. It starts with truth. Perpetrators open up about the terrible things they’ve done. Remembering matters too. They dream up a center for historical memory. The process of reconciliation is still daunting, but it isn’t impossible.
This process means everything to me, and it’s a reminder of the fact that the daunting things in this world aren’t that impossible. It’s a reminder that the world’s worst horrors right now have a chance at a different tomorrow.
COLOMBIA FUTURE
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What does the future look like for Viotá, and for Colombia at large? It’s a work in progress. This moment of peace is still young and fragile, but there are some incredible everyday heroes working to make sure it looks worlds different from the recent past.
This is Rosita. She owns the hacienda where we stayed. An old coffee plantations and the site of exploitative labor is now locally owned and a place for reconciliation. She and her son host visitors and spread awareness of coffee’s darker history.
She’s not alone. I met people focused on using ecotourism to draw visitors. Some promote nature walks and waterfall swims and others use mindfulness retreats. Others will promote the petroglyphs and archeological finds. Some are baristas and others work with locals and young people to create new income sources, from artisan doll making to beekeeping and honey. More are focused on psychotherapy and rehabilitating former combatants and others want to make a historical memory center.
The way forward isn’t singular. There are many. There are as many as there are people who have no desire to return to the ways of the past. They are ambitious and creative and dedicated. They are part of Colombia’s fuller story.
DANIEL’S REACTION
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Seeing the reactions on people’s faces when Deanna and I started telling them about our pregnancy has been precious. Especially when it involves Daniel scaring an entire restaurant in the Dogpatch.
Sorry, Serpentine. Your brunch is amazing. We’re just a bit too pumped!
THE BEST KINDS OF MEALS
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Food and travel are the one-two punch of things that make me happy, but it’s gotta be all about human connection.
The most memorable meals I’ve had while visiting other places all have that in common. They’re either around a table with a great group, or in the home of somebody local who opened up their place with generosity.
Maria Isabel invited us over. She was a victim of the war and wanted to share her stories. Even more so, she wanted to share her food and crafts. She brought out a plate full of handmade taro cakes, chips that resembled a slim fried and chopped eggplant, and a cherimoya milkshake that was one of the most refreshing things I’ve drank.
Most of all, knowing that she made these snacks with pride, with produce she planted and grew herself was incredible. The whole plate had the flavor of generosity. It’s hard to appreciate a meal any more than that.
It’s not everyday that you get welcomed in like that. By somebody who hasn’t always had an easy life but who wants to share it with you. You can’t manufacture a moment like that either. All you can do is learn to recognize it and appreciate it while it’s in front of you. Then express gratitude however you can, a hundred times over.
THE PHILLIES BULLPEN
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Root rooting for the road team ever since I left Philly a whole lifetime ago.
A little weeknight baseball for the two of us, cause I always gotta catch at least one game of the Phillies series whenever they’re in San Diego. We spent most of it right up by the Phils’ bullpen and I got to get these pics of an endangered species: Phillies relievers.
I don’t post a ton of my baseball takes here. I save that for Twitter. So I’ll keep it at all this: I’m proud of this team’s resilience and being able to bounce back with a neat little win streak after a terrible stretch of losing McCutchen and every reliever to injuries. Second best record in the NL and the three most important players- Harper, Hoskins, and Nola have yet to fully catch fire the way they can. Once they get rolling, things should be real fun.
ANNIVERSARY 7
Seven years ago, I took her out on our first date and I haven’t had a first date since then! So many good things came out of an inkling that one of my best friendships still had room to grow into something bigger.
This year has been absolutely eventful, so it’s pretty fitting that our seventh dating anniversary didn’t involve much sitting still. Boxing, cleaning the house, packing, meeting the dog sitter, then hopping on a plane.
Finally got a little chance to breathe during our layover at LAX.
I love you, Deanna and every step of the adventure. Now let’s go take Wyoming by storm!
Colombia Past, The Struggle, & A Pregnancy Announcement
MINDFUL SILENCE
“Contemplative practices are held by postures of solitude, silence, and stillness.
In solitude we develop the capacity to be present.
In silence we cultivate the ability to listen.
And in stillness we acquire the skill of restraint and self control.”
–Phileena Heurtz
Seven years ago, I was living overseas with limited internet access, no way of transportation, and no easy way to communicate with back home. One thing I did have with me was a book about ignatian spirituality, and the isolation turned into the best environment to discover the beauty of contemplative prayer.
Learning how to pray beyond words, to relate to God beyond head knowledge, and to be very present brought my spiritual life into a new phase.
Phileena’s book is one of the best presentations of contemplative spiritual practices I’ve come across. It shares both practical entry points and the big ideas behind the practices. I also love how it spends a good deal of time focused on how contemplation and activism go hand in hand.
I’m also excited to say that Phileena will be one of my first podcast guests. I had the pleasure of interviewing her about a month ago.
A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
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We’ve got some very good news. ❤️
THANKS FOR THE WISHES
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Okay, thank you, thank you, thank you so much for all the warmth and well wishes and congratulations. Seriously.
I try not to fawn over social media likes too much, but I’ll admit that it was fun seeing them come in from all of you who I’ve met through so many different things over the years. College and internships and churches and travels and family and everything. My favorite feeling is being surrounded by a crowd of loving people, and I’m happy to know our kid’s get a good head start with that.
Also, a huge thank you to Jesse for these shots and some of the other ones you’ll see here in the near future. Thanks for racing sunset with us out to two different sites while in San Diego. Happy to have you capture the moment.
SAFE PLACE/BIGGEST ADVENTURE
Before we even started dating, we agreed that the type of person we wanted to end up with should feel like “a cozy sweater.” You know, someone you feel totally safe around. Somebody who feels like home.
Then when we got married, we went with the theme of The Biggest Adventure. We decorated the venue with a bunch of our old camping and travel gear. We named the tables after places we’d been and fed everybody s’mores.
Then this week, Deanna shared this quote with me:
“Fall in love with someone who is both your safe place and your biggest adventure.”
–Bianca Sparacino
Oh snap! She just mashed up our two favorite descriptions of a thriving relationship. And in a way that acknowledges the contrast between them but the way they go together.
After all, isn’t that kind of the dream? To go off on adventures to new places, to see wonders and to taste the unfamiliar- then to return back home with stories to share with the ones you can totally be yourself around?
Safe place. Biggest adventure. I’m starting to think all the best things in life are paradoxes.
COLOMBIA WAY BACK
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Will be sharing a few more Colombia stories over the weekend because there’s plenty more worth sharing.
We went into our trip with a lens of past, present, future. We wanted a more nuanced look at Colombia’s recent conflict, beyond the sensationalist stuff. We wanted to understand how things were changing and what it actually looks like to live in a post-conflict zone. We also spoke to many, many people with a vision for the future and we wanted to see how they planned to be part of it.
Before really digging in, though, we were greeted by the very distant past.
These boulders were less than a football field away from where we slept at night. And they all featured these very vivid petroglyphs. Out in the open and extremely accessible.
These go back to the Pre-Columbian Era, and if you’ve seen the album art of Vampire Weekend’s latest, this is where most of that visual inspiration comes from. Real distinct spirals and waves. It was amazing being able to walk up to it like that, and a good reminder that Colombia’s history goes back further than the time that it’s been called Colombia.
There would be plenty of moments full of Wonder on this trip, but this was one of the earliest.
THE STRUGGLE
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We’ve really been enjoying sharing the news about having a baby the past few days. But I also knew that when we started sharing that publicly, that I also wanted to share some of the harder parts to the story.
We started trying to conceive around the time we went to Italy about a year ago. We both absolutely knew we wanted to be parents and we were in a good spot. So we started trying and kept trying for the next year and month after month, nothing happened.
Since then we’ve definitely heard from a lot of people who tried for 4, 5, even 8 years before they were successful. One year isn’t long compared to that, but because of some other complicated health stuff, we had reason to think it just might not be in the cards for us.
We were (and still are) interested in adoption, but we’d always said we’d wanted to go for kids both ways. And I don’t think I realized how much I wanted a biological kid until it started to look like it wasn’t gonna happen.
The latter part of last year taught me so much about hope. How you don’t have to feel optimistic to have hope. Hope and hopelessness can almost feel the same, the difference is in the choices that you make. The choices to stay in the game, to never totally give up.
I know during that season, other people’s baby announcements were pretty hard to see. (And I hated that it was like that! I would’ve rather just celebrated along with people.) So if you’re in a similar spot- maybe literally, or maybe just some other way you’re feeling stuck, please stay in the game and don’t give up.
COLOMBIA PAST
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Whenever you see Colombia’s struggles depicted on screen, it usually sets the story circa 2003, in the heat of the conflict years. That’s starting the story from the middle, however. The seeds of conflict were planted over 100 years prior.
Colombia is one of the world’s top coffee countries and Viotá was actually one of the earliest sites the coffee industry emerged. But the way it happened wreaked havoc on people.
Most coffee was grown on plantations owned by Spanish or French overlords. It was basically sharecropping- an extremely exploitative process for the Colombian farmers. Most lived on haciendas next to the plantations, would work for scraps, and would be mistreated by the owners. Women workers were especially vulnerable:
These systems eventually ended, but their damage still lingers. And by the 1970’s it had left the area in a state of having limited infrastructure, lots of discontentment, and a sense of desperation and low opportunity. The locals checked all the right boxes for being conscripted by armed ideological groups, which is where the recent conflict was birthed out of.
JUNE 2019
#152 Clawing for Domo
01 June 2019 // San Diego, California
Time to get baby some toys. Gotta love Tea & More.
#153 point loma pause
02 June 2019 // San Diego, California
The gap in conversation every five minutes.
#154 american spy
03 June 2019 // San Diego, California
I loved this book- in terms of story, it was a real classic spy story, making you wonder who you can trust and what’ll happen next.
Rooting it in real world intervenionism in West Africa and using well written characters to raise questions about politics, gender, and raise took it to a new level of creativity.
#155 the phillies bullpen
04 June 2019 // San Diego, California
Root rooting for the road team ever since I left Philly a whole lifetime ago.
A little weeknight baseball for the two of us, cause I always gotta catch at least one game of the Phillies series whenever they’re in San Diego. We spent most of it right up by the Phils’ bullpen and I got to get these pics of an endangered species: Phillies relievers.
I don’t post a ton of my baseball takes here. I save that for Twitter. So I’ll keep it at all this: I’m proud of this team’s resilience and being able to bounce back with a neat little win streak after a terrible stretch of losing McCutchen and every reliever to injuries. Second best record in the NL and the three most important players- Harper, Hoskins, and Nola have yet to fully catch fire the way they can. Once they get rolling, things should be real fun.
#156 city heights pickup
05 June 2019 // San Diego, California
Another day, another bundle of books to drop at the library, and another to pick up.
#157 jason isbell & father john misty
06 June 2019 // San Diego, California
Spontaneous drop in at the Jason Isbell & Father John Misty show that got literally misty. The latter gave us some songs I don’t think he’s ever played in public before.
#158 big thank yous
07 June 2019 // San Diego, California
Anyone who works at a nonprofit: a large portion of your job is constantly saying thank you. Embrace it!
#159 anniversary 7
08 June 2019 // Los Angeles, California
Seven years ago, I took her out on our first date and I haven’t had a first date since then! So many good things came out of an inkling that one of my best friendships still had room to grow into something bigger.
This year has been absolutely eventful, so it’s pretty fitting that our seventh dating anniversary didn’t involve much sitting still. Boxing, cleaning the house, packing, meeting the dog sitter, then hopping on a plane.
Finally got a little chance to breathe during our layover at LAX.
I love you, Deanna and every step of the adventure. Now let’s go take Wyoming by storm!
#160 Grand Tetons
09 June 2019 // Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Arrived in Jackson Hole late last night and it didn’t take all that long to get the hang of this place.
There’s no bad direction to stare, it’s all beautiful. Though staring towards the Tetons is always a pretty good idea.
#161 Wyoming
10 June 2019 // Jackson, Wyoming
Wyoming. It didn’t take that long to get the hang of things here. Basically, you don’t want to close your eyes!
I’m here to play with my nephews, to stare at some moose, and to let the week go by slowly.
It’s gonna be a good week!
#162 Snake River
11 June 2019 // Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Took a cruise down the Snake River in a little river raft.
So gorgeous. Saw a beaver. Saw an eagle. Loved life.
#163 In Yellowstone
12 June 2019 // Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
This National Park had more to do than I expected. The Geyser paths are well protected- as they should be- but I wondered how much free space there would be to roam and explore more openly. Turns out there was plenty!
#164 The Book Trader
13 June 2019 // Jackson, Wyoming
We decided to go for a more laid back day around Jackson, and even that didn’t disappoint.
I loved this bookstore close to the center of town. Could’ve spent a whole day there.
#165 Jenny Lake
14 June 2019 // Jackson, Wyoming
It’s been a beautiful week. It’s been my kind of week.
#166 Last Day in Wyoming
15 June 2019 // Jackson, Wyoming
One last day in Wyoming. It’s been such a good time here.
#167 Chi & Greg Show
16 June 2019 // Long Beach, California
Y’ALL. Guess who I got to see play live yesterday? That’s right. Chi & Greg people!
If you know them, they need no intro. If you don’t, do check their music out right away and know that they’re also wonderful humans.
Good music makes you feel thankful to be alive. So do old friends. So does seeing people put their hearts into what they do. Last night was full of all of the above.
#168 Beignet Wreaks Havoc
17 June 2019 // San Diego, California
Came home from work to this scene. No clue how it happened. No one in the house other than the puppy. But seriously, how’d she flip a cabinet that weighs more than her?
#169 Rainbow Flowers
18 June 2019 // San Diego, California
Took the scenic route home today.
#170 Weeknight Movie
19 June 2019 // National City, California
Okay wow. I went to see the film Emanuel tonight and- wow.
If you aren’t familiar, it’s the documentary about the shooting at Emanuel AME church in Charleston, produced by Viola Davis and Steph Curry. And it was really. Well. Done.
The film’s strength comes from its honesty. It goes deep exploring the history of racism and white supremacy in Charleston, along with the role the black church has played throughout history going back to Denmark Vassey. It also goes deep boldly talking about the faith of the church members and survivors. The film featured interviews from the survivors to Black Lives Matter leaders to former governor Nikki Haley.
The film made no efforts to please anybody, but instead sought to tell the truth. It was boldly faith-filled. It was boldly anti-racist. And it was absolutely worth watching.
I want to tell everybody to go out and see it- except the film only got a limited two day screening in theatres last week. I still think you should go see it, I’m just not sure how. Yet.
Hopefully it ends up on Netflix or Prime because Emanuel says important things that need to reach as wide of an audience as it can.
And whenever you do find yourself with the opportunity to see it- do it. Absolutely, do it.
#171 Small Orange Sprout
20 June 2019 // San Diego, California
Afternoon walks with Beignet are an afternoon treat for me too.
#172 Orange Ave. Water Tower
21 June 2019 // San Diego, California
More discoveries from the scenic route home.
#173 Olé SD
22 June 2019 // Del Mar, California
Went to a meetup for UCSB Alum living in San Diego and had a fun time meeting fellow Gauchos of years past. Had so much fun the only shot I got was of Beignet also having fun.
Can’t wait for even more outings with this crew.
#174 CHCH
23 June 2019 // San Diego, California
Looking ahead to a quiet summer.
#175 26 Marathons
24 June 2019 // San Diego, California
What is it about running that makes me so drawn to reading books about it? Probably disproportionately compared to how much I’m into running itself.
That said, I really liked Meb’s book and hearing his mental approach to each of his famous marathon quests.
#176 Grocery Imports
25 June 2019 // San Diego, California
Things that are uniquely exciting to me: Grocery shopping at an Asian market midweek.
#177 Normal People
26 June 2019 // San Diego, California
You may have heard a lot of of hype around Sally Rooney’s book, and in my take, it’s well deserved. The characters were extremely sympathetic and I loved the little look into college life in Ireland.
#178 Fourth Anniversary
27 June 2019 // Carlsbad, California
The past four years have given us more highs and lows than we would’ve predicted when it all began.
From health scares and grinding out grad school and hoping deeply for a kid, to living out our career dreams and adopting the weirdest but sweetest dog to stepping into the on deck circle of parenthood.
We said it would be an adventure, didn’t we. I think this is what a real adventure looks like.
Happy four year anniversary, Deanna. Let’s go eat s’mores.
#179 Toy Story at the Drive In
28 June 2019 // Imperial Beach, California
Thoughts on Toy Story 4? Probably not my favorite in the series, but it’s a series with crazy high standards. They didn’t go for the emotional pull that TS3 had, instead leaning more into comedy. I’m glad they took risks with all their new characters.
This one was kind of a victory lap. The world of Toy Story is too good to have permanently shut it nine years ago. That said, it did have an Avengers’ feel to it where it felt like a real end of an era and certain plot lines were ready to wrap themselves up.
#180 Colored Skies
29 June 2019 // San Diego, California
Shoutout to the sky today. Thank you for being the way you are!
#181 Baby Bump Bike Ride
30 June 2019 // San Diego, California
Happy to be getting to put my bike to better use this summer!
Run River North at Soda Bar, Waterfall Slides, and the GrassRoots Podcast
RUN RIVER NORTH AT SODA BAR
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A few weekends ago I took Deanna on a surprise date to see Run River North at Soda Bar. It was a very different venue than the last time we saw them, and their sound has evolved quite a bit too.
There’s still always going to be something about Growing Up that gets me goosebumpy and nostalgic. It’s one of those songs that turns into a 2.5 minute highlight reel of the past decade but in audio form.
I love the kind of music that sticks with you for years.
PWP ANNOUNCEMENT
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I don’t get to see our East African Plant With Purpose partners nearly enough. Perhaps because they’re usually in East Africa. I hope I get to see them in Burundi, DRC, Ethiopia and revisit Tanzania someday. Until then, spending the other week with them, plus our other country directors was a blast.
Over two years ago, I started this job that felt like it couldn’t have been a better fit. But it actually kept getting better. I can honestly say that the past couple months of work have been some of the most fun, the most creative, and the most zoned-in.
Tomorrow, I’ll be announcing what I’ve been working on the past couple of months and it’s a project I’m really excited about. I’ll need your help in making some noise, though. I’d love it if you could spread the word!
GRASSROOTS PODCAST
And here’s the big announcement: I’m launching a podcast with Plant With Purpose!
One thing I’ve noticed about most conversations about the environment is that they happen at a high level- among policy makers and researchers and corporations. The people who get left out of the conversation are actually the ones most affected by climate issues- those living everyday lives dependent on the Earth.
This project has taken over the bulk of my working hours and I’ve been thrilled about that. And the people I’ve gotten to interview... what a diverse bunch! A Mozambican biologist, inner city medical practitioners, modern abolitionists, authors who changed my life in college, Thai farmers, Congolese community leaders, mindfulness practicioners, and so many others.
I am so excited to start sharing bits and pieces of the process with you, leading up to its release in June. Our six episode pilot season will send out a new episode each week. I’ll definitely let you know when it’s out, and when it is, please share away!
WATERFALL SLIDE
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One of my life’s rules is to try and never turn down a chance to jump into a great swim hole while exploring nature.
We’d been trekking through the Colombian jungle for about an hour when we ran into this: a point in the river where the water dropped off a small slanted wall of rocks.
Next thing I knew, I’m in my underwear sitting in the cool water, ready to put this thing to the test. Oh mannnnn- nature carved out the perfect water slide. Ages of water eating away at the rock made for a perfectly smooth slide that ended with a splash into the mouth of the mini-waterfall.
MONTH OF MAY
I’m starting to realize that I might actually be in the middle of one of the most fun months of my life.
Between the Birthday fun, the adventure in Colombia, a handful of life changes, and new doors open at work, there’s been an abundance of good to take in.
Here are some of the smaller moments along the way, because they matter too. I love recognizing a good moment while it’s happening.
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INTERVIEW SKILLS
I’ve had to learn the art of interviewing this year while working on the #GrassRootsPodcast. It’s something I never did a very much before, and being able to get somebody to open up for an audience with their true self can sometimes take a bit of skill.
I’ve had to speak with such a wide spectrum of people, from nonprofit leaders and authors to ex-combatants and farmers. I’m still nowhere near an expert, but here are some of the more helpful things I’ve learned while trying to figure it out:
🛋 As an interviewer, you’re basically your audience’s surrogate. If the interview subject has said casually mentioned something that left you wanting more info, then your listeners probably need more info. But it’s on you to ask it.
🎙Curiosity is your best friend while interviewing. Even if you know a lot about your topic, your guest will have interacted with it in ways you haven’t for years and years. Think of those things you’ve always wondered.
⏱ Sometimes a good answer takes a moment or two to come out. Be okay with a little bit of silence if that’s what it takes to get to the heart. See Stephen Colbert’s interview of Ellen Page to watch a pro at this.
🗞 You don’t need to be a bulldog interviewer, but you also don’t need to be your guest’s PR agent. People generally welcome you sending a counter argument along their way, especially if it makes their argument stronger. (Another strength of Colbert’s)
📗 If your guest has written a book, the interview will be much stronger if you’ve read it.
GET SPECIFIC
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Every week I send out an email with tools for the Creative Changemaker. I try and share helpful ideas but also concrete action steps for applying them. This past week’s idea was about how mentioning things by name gives life and depth to your message and story, while referring to things generally creates a sense of detatchment.
So much of our brain’s activity is connected to making associations with things we’re familiar with. If you mention Martin Luther King, your audience will be more ready for you to make a point about morality and justice. Mention Nickelodeon, and your audience is primed for something more playful or nostalgic. You can use these associations to help build an emotional arc in your storytelling, writing, and speaking.
Here’s the action step: make proper noun use part of your editing process. When reviewing a piece of copy, ask if any of the nouns could be replaced by something more concrete. That might just add a lot more strength to your story.
And to see the full idea and to sign up for the mailing list, go ahead and pay a visit to the link in the bio.
http://www.philippelazaro.com/journal/propernouns