Breaking out of the “I have to” pattern

Breaking out of the “I have to” pattern

“There is only one thing you have to do in life.” – Brad Rex, race announcer Brad Rex, who I jokingly refer to as my “uncle from California,” dabbles in a lot of different things: cycling, rowing, race announcing, sailing, environmental restoration, etc. Since meeting...
Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors

Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors

“Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” – an African Proverb Or, put another way by John Shedd, “A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” As a former Navy officer, I can appreciate the analogies to ships and seas, but what struck me...
The death of my Princess (my Dalmatian)

The death of my Princess (my Dalmatian)

I think about death a lot now. What does it mean? What happens when we die? Is death an end? Or is it simply a transition to a new beginning? Or do we come back to life as someone or something else? We had our Dalmatian, Princess, put to sleep last Friday. She’s...
What we can learn from the Navy SEALs: What it means to be ELITE

What we can learn from the Navy SEALs: What it means to be ELITE

With the killing of Osama Bin Laden and earlier rescue in 2009 of Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates as examples, Navy SEALs are arguably the military’s “best of the best” – the elite military force that gets called upon to do all the tough, clandestine...
Learning to climb because I’m afraid of heights

Learning to climb because I’m afraid of heights

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” – Anaïs Nin I started rock climbing because it’s new and because I’m afraid of heights. Walking over to the edge of “something” with a drop off (like a bridge or scenic overlook) makes me feel very...
A taste of bittersweet after IRONMAN Coeur d’Alene

A taste of bittersweet after IRONMAN Coeur d’Alene

To me, the Ironman-distance is an ever changing puzzle waiting to be solved – 1,000 pieces scattered across the table that must be carefully and meticulously assembled over months and months of preparation for a single day of 140.6 miles of racing applied across...