a daily blog on well-being and how to feel better by Mark Barger Elliott…

I decided to reread one of my favorite books this morning, The Creative Act by Rick Rubin where he writes, “You exist as a creative being in a creative universe. A singular work of art.” We often measure our lines by comparing ourselves to others. Our homes, apartments, cars, clothes, etc. become a standard by…

I went on a walk yesterday and it suddenly occurred to me how there are no repeatable days. When this day ends, it is gone. When it occurs to us something is finite – this moment, a day, even a life – it opens something inside of us to see, for example, sunlight on a…

My wife and I are working on a fun project that we are excited to announce in a few weeks. But yesterday, we were feeling a bit overwhelmed with some of the details involved and I said, “Well, if we think of this project as a marathon that we are excited to run, then we…

One of the fascinating choices we make is whether we believe we are alone in the universe, or not. Whether a form of what we imagine God to be is aware, present, and active in our lives, or not. Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk and well-regarded author in the middle of the 20th century.…

One of my favorite books, Explorers’ Sketchbooks: The Art of Discovery and Adventure, is curated by Huw Lewis-Jones and Kari Herbert. The book shares the remarkable and inspiring diaries and notebooks of famous explorers. I reread a section by Wade Davis this morning and he related how a principle that guided his explorations and work…

One of the most important questions we can ask ourselves is, “Is it possible? Our answer to that question in many ways will define the content and course of our lives. We might ask that question as we consider various schools and jobs we want to apply to; as we imagine a big dream or…