Last week, we were shocked to receive word that our order processing manager in Delhi passed away while hospitalized with covid. Renu joined us in January of 2007, about a half year before our youngest son was born. To suddenly lose someone who has been such a warm and steadfast presence for well over a decade is devastating, and we are grieving for Renu's remaining loved ones. Read more
Indian clubs are incredibly useful for improving shoulder and spinal mobility. They come in a variety of materials and weights. When first starting with them, whether you have limitations or not, it's generally wise to begin with the lightest clubs you can find. I suggest starting with 1-pound clubs and gradually working up to 2 or 3 pound clubs only if you feel that your shoulders can use more weight. The maximum weight that I find I need for an excellent shoulder workout is 5 pounds. In this video, I am using 3-pound wooden clubs. Read more
Much respect to Ryan Lomber, her teacher Ms. Emily Dehn, and the community at Twality Middle School in the greater Portland area for creating such a meaningful fundraiser for Packed With Pride, a food box program that helps ensure students in the Tigard-Tualatin School district don't go hungry. Read more
A friend once told me that if we were to gather up all of the money in the world - some 400 trillion US dollars - and distribute it equally among the global human population, within a decade, all of this money would flow in a way where we would end up with about the same level of inequality that we have today.
For obvious reasons, we could never carry out such an experiment, but I feel there is merit to the idea that money does not flow randomly and without reason. While there are rare outlying scenarios, generally, money flows toward things that are valuable. Read more
Ana Lorena Fabrega is the "Chief Evangelist" at the Synthesis School, an online entity that educates children to be problem solvers and innovators. The Synthesis curriculum was originally developed by a school that was founded within Elon Musk's SpaceX complex in California for families of SpaceX. Read more
The other day while I was typing away on my laptop at a local Starbucks, I noticed an elderly lady sitting on her own with a cup of coffee and a fresh croissant in front of her. Her unassuming yet graceful presence stood out against a backdrop of lively students, friends meeting up for coffee, and an eclectic bunch working on their laptops. There was an elegant but palpably melancholic energy about her. Read more
In walking along the icy shoreline of Lake Simcoe with our firstborn in late December, I found myself feeling grateful for having lived long enough to know that our boys will remember me no matter what happens from here on out. This was my greatest wish from the time this young fellow arrived into our arms in 2005.
Today, my new greatest wish is that our boys grow up to feel that they can come to me to talk about anything. No matter how grave their concern, how intense their anger, disappointment, or sadness - even if I am a root cause of their suffering - I hope I will have built up enough trust in my emotional bank account with them that they want to share and discuss their feelings, knowing that I will do my best to understand them. Read more
Originally shared at our Facebook page in early 2016.
Our younger son, now 8, has been denying me bear hugs and kisses since he was about 3 - I guess there is a part of him that feels like he is too grown up for public displays of affection, especially in front of his friends.
I've taken solace in our tradition - started earlier this year - of making eye contact and exchanging a wave as he trots into school with his Charlie Brown-like friends. No matter how large the crowd of friends, the moment before he disappears through the entrance, he looks back to find my face and gives me a solid wave with his tiny hand. I've come to realize that this little moment of connection is confirmation that behind his spirit of independence is a tender heart that loves deeply and knows how much he is loved. Read more
Cassandra Star (10) and her older sister Callahan (19) sing this beautiful and meaningful Easter version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. These Easter lyrics were written by Kelley Mooney, the piano track was arranged by Jeff Buckley of Karaoke Studios, and the recording was mastered by Maverick Judson of MJ Interactive. Read more
