Conquer Your Mountains
My wife and I are currently packing up our house getting ready to move. It is amazing how many things have accumulated in the closets and drawers of our lives. Every drawer we open and closet we clean out leads us say, “Where did that come from,” “I forgot we had this,” or, “I’ve been…
Remember when the best days of your life were filled with simple things–when things like catching a butterfly, chasing a lightning bug, being hugged or tickled by someone you loved, reading a good book, running through the sprinklers, or having a water gun fight were the center of your universe? Whatever your childhood looked like,…
After moving to Grand Junction Colorado this last year, I began working as a chimney sweep. Since then, I have cleaned quite a few chimneys. And you may find this surprising, but cleaning chimneys has been an enlightening experience. A chimney allows us to burn a fire indoors without smoking ourselves out. If we want…
Why are we here in this life? The answer is as simple as this: to transcend ourselves. First, what does it mean to transcend ourselves? a.) To transcend means to rise above, go beyond, overpass, or exceed. b.) To transcend ourselves means to act differently in the present moment – in a more positive way – than we…
When a Loved One Commits Suicide As an oldest child, I am used to fixing problems—both in my life and in the lives of my siblings. With the suicide of my brother in 2008, for the first time in my life I faced a problem that I couldn’t fix. My brother lay in the hospital for a…
“The way I figure it, YOU were BUILT for relationships!” he said. Sitting in the desert, I poured out my soul to a dear friend Jeff Martin. He had a deep well of wisdom from which to draw, and although I wasn’t expecting anything in particular, I was curious what he would say. I listed…
For many years I misguidedly sought happiness where it didn’t exist. I didn’t understand the principles upon which it flowed. I did things that most people say are important or will make you happy (traveling the world, striving toward achievement, or taking on big and interesting projects), only to discover that happiness did not flow…
As I walked through the front door, I heard two little voices excitedly yell from down the hall, “Dan’s home! Dan, will you come play with us?!” 4-year-old Gordon and 6-year-old Grace came running around the corner as they waved, “Hi Dan!” They had friends over, and were playing in the back room while their…
About a year ago, I began asking myself questions about commitment. I wondered why I was still single and what it really meant to be truly and wholly committed. Wasn’t there anyone out there who I could be truly happy with? What would it take for me to finally commit to a long-term relationship? I…