27 Random Facts:
- A prolific list-maker, I keep lists of favorite books, movies, albums, articles, quotes, words, and even lists
- My guiding principles are: stand tall, be kind, plan ahead, let go, and choose love
- Effectively an ambitheist, I do not a subscribe to any religion, seeing little difference between, for example, the Christian (capital G) God and Quetzalcoatl; however, I do admire the pantheists and their love of all things and believe the Buddhists offer the most pragmatic tenets for living a good life
- While formally educated in math, engineering, and law, my one real skill is seeing through the complex to what really matters and sometimes translating it for others
- According to Carl Jung I am in introvert, though often I play an extrovert for work
- I find peace in nature and during moments of reflection and feel most alive while exercising or focusing on a single task
- Always up for adventure, I have set boots on six continents, motorcycled across parts of four, and sailed across The Pacific
- My greatest fears are: chronic disease, dependence (or loss of freedom), and sharks, usually in that order unless I am near the coast
- I have never had a cup of coffee or smoked and, having witnessed the effects of alcoholism, rarely take a drink
- My first experience of love was through the presence of a fellow patient while I was lying in a hospital bed at age 21
- There are three women who taught me what it means to be in a loving relationship: the first showed me love; the second I extended love to; and the third loved me back
- My greatest regret is a series of selfish choices which led to a divorce and the losing what once was the girl of my dreams
- Following the dissolution of my marriage (now years ago) I sold almost everything, lived as an ascetic for more than a year, then locked myself in a cabin until completing a manifesto for repurposing my life – I grew up
- If I could only impart one mantra it might be: everything is connected; everything changes; pay attention
- My favorite quote is from the Memorial Dedication to forester Richard St. Barbe Baker: Be like a tree in pursuit of your cause. Stand firm, grip hard, thrust upward. Bend to the winds of heaven. And learn tranquility
- A practice that has served me well through the years has been to save one-third of my income, no matter how big or how small, and invest it
- If I have been reckless with money, it has been betting on the wrong people and buying expensive cars; but at least I enjoyed the cars
- The mementos on my desk include: a bronze medallion awarded to my grandfather, a rock from a beach in Kauai, a USGS benchmark from Mt. Whitney, a life-membership pin from Mensa, a glazed obelisk from Peru, a carved stone Budai, a skull, and a pair of Smith & Wesson handcuffs which belonged to my father
- One of my many shortcomings is being a poor receiver of gifts; there is nothing I want or need besides a thoughtful card, a a nice meal, or a genuine conversation
- In another (fantasy) life I would be an astronaut, philosopher, writer, photojournalist, or musician
- One of life’s mysteries to me is why some people dress in camouflage prints and others like cheetahs? Raaahr
- The six people invited to my fantasy dinner would be: the Dalai Lama, Lawrence Durrell, Carl Jung, Neil Armstrong, Pablo Picasso, and William Shakespeare. Being a fantasy dinner, Gordon Ramsey would cook
- I am terrible at hunting, golf, and video games – always the first to be shot
- My favorite words tend to have an au or o sound like nocturne, autumn, and ocotillo
- Apart from travel – given the time I would like to see every UNESCO world heritage site – the items on my bucket list include becoming a proficient drummer, spending summers in Europe, and attending a taping of Saturday Night Live
- So who am I? Someone who believes our purpose or reason for being in life is of our own choosing
- If I aspire to be anything, it is to become a conduit of wisdom or, as I like to think of it: a bearer of light
fiat lux ☀️