Lovely to read this update which is so much more than that…to feel it, which you excel at expressing so beautifully. I feel like I just watched a movie and lost myself in it for a moment. A life lived so far from my own, and filled with so much that so many have longed for, including me. I played with your topic recently with a friend and practice partner and we found this question, rarely asked, to be quite profound when the question came from a place of true interest and care: “Are you ok?” You sound ok Jeff…and I am glad to read your words.
This is absolutely lovely. And I find this incredibly relateably--chaos on the outside, but the center will hold. I love the way you talked about walking as prayer. I wish I was a better walker, although I do it sometimes, and I do have a very, very regular and important prayer practice morning and night. That's where I place the credit for my center basically holding.
Jeff, thank you for sharing such a raw and insightful reflection on finding stability amid life’s uncertainties. Your words resonate deeply, especially in a world that often pressures us to seek validation externally. Your perspective on “the center” as something internal, unshakable, and sustaining is powerful. It's a refreshing reminder that no amount of success or external accomplishment can truly replace that inner grounding.
I appreciate how you connect “holding the center” with the idea of staying true to oneself, even when external circumstances pull us in different directions. In my own journey, I’ve felt the allure of chasing external validation, only to find myself feeling unfulfilled and disconnected. Your emphasis on the importance of returning to a place of inner security is something I’m working to cultivate—creating space for self-reflection and letting go of what doesn't align.
Thank you for putting this out there as a gentle reminder that, while life’s chaos may be inevitable, the way we center ourselves is our choice. Your words remind me that true growth happens not by moving outward, but by deepening our roots within. Looking forward to seeing where this journey of staying centered takes us all.
Thank you for this lovely peek into your life and wellbeing. And thank you for the inspiration you gave us at the writers conference this weekend. I’m still processing all the good of that day, and you and your wife were such a big part of that. You gave us a lot to think about as we move forward in our writing careers. I appreciate you!
I really enjoy hearing from you. You ask how I am doing? My husband, I just recently found and bought a new trailer. I have been going through our stuff, not worrying so much on email and phone. We now have 9 rooms. I took over one room and have turned it into my computer/ library/ office room. I have 4 bookshelves full of books. In my opinion, it is beautiful. We have unpacked. I am now enjoying my room. We need to get more picture frames, so I can get our pictures on the walls. Isn't life beautiful.
I can tell from this that you and your wife are making your relationship a priority. That’s very admirable, especially when you have kids. I am working on a piece which seems to be taking on the theme of dealing with disappointment. My failure at using what I consider my gift, ie writing, is used as an example of disappointment. Your efforts here have served to help revitalize what was once a dead writing life. So, I was disappointed to learn that a family event involving my own birthday makes it impossible to attend your conference in Santa Rosa. As I have reflected on it while writing the aforementioned piece, I have realized that a lot of my ambitions have been set aside in order to address greater priorities, including spending time with my wife and family, something I think God has determined is more important for me at this stage of my life. So this post, with its own theme of prioritization. in a kind of circular way has provided even more incentive to miss your conference. Enjoy our weather, though, Jeff. Perhaps one day we will meet at another venue!
Thank you so much for sharing this Jeff! I love your writing, it's very poetic. And I love getting a peek into your life. I love to walk too and have two large dogs to walk with me. Sometimes I like to walk for exercise and listen to a podcast or audio book. I feel like I always having to be accomplishing something, even on a walk. The rush of this world we're living in these days, I suppose.
Lovely to read this update which is so much more than that…to feel it, which you excel at expressing so beautifully. I feel like I just watched a movie and lost myself in it for a moment. A life lived so far from my own, and filled with so much that so many have longed for, including me. I played with your topic recently with a friend and practice partner and we found this question, rarely asked, to be quite profound when the question came from a place of true interest and care: “Are you ok?” You sound ok Jeff…and I am glad to read your words.
Aw, thanks. :)
This is absolutely lovely. And I find this incredibly relateably--chaos on the outside, but the center will hold. I love the way you talked about walking as prayer. I wish I was a better walker, although I do it sometimes, and I do have a very, very regular and important prayer practice morning and night. That's where I place the credit for my center basically holding.
Lovely piece of writing. I’m doing about the same: good and bad, happy and sad, full of hope and dread.
Jeff, thank you for sharing such a raw and insightful reflection on finding stability amid life’s uncertainties. Your words resonate deeply, especially in a world that often pressures us to seek validation externally. Your perspective on “the center” as something internal, unshakable, and sustaining is powerful. It's a refreshing reminder that no amount of success or external accomplishment can truly replace that inner grounding.
I appreciate how you connect “holding the center” with the idea of staying true to oneself, even when external circumstances pull us in different directions. In my own journey, I’ve felt the allure of chasing external validation, only to find myself feeling unfulfilled and disconnected. Your emphasis on the importance of returning to a place of inner security is something I’m working to cultivate—creating space for self-reflection and letting go of what doesn't align.
Thank you for putting this out there as a gentle reminder that, while life’s chaos may be inevitable, the way we center ourselves is our choice. Your words remind me that true growth happens not by moving outward, but by deepening our roots within. Looking forward to seeing where this journey of staying centered takes us all.
Thank you for this lovely peek into your life and wellbeing. And thank you for the inspiration you gave us at the writers conference this weekend. I’m still processing all the good of that day, and you and your wife were such a big part of that. You gave us a lot to think about as we move forward in our writing careers. I appreciate you!
I really enjoy hearing from you. You ask how I am doing? My husband, I just recently found and bought a new trailer. I have been going through our stuff, not worrying so much on email and phone. We now have 9 rooms. I took over one room and have turned it into my computer/ library/ office room. I have 4 bookshelves full of books. In my opinion, it is beautiful. We have unpacked. I am now enjoying my room. We need to get more picture frames, so I can get our pictures on the walls. Isn't life beautiful.
This was magic, Jeff. Thanks for the walk.
Beautiful reflections . Your book the Art of Work is the best book on purpose I ever read .
This was sooooo beautiful...so touching....and so very real. Thank you.
This was so beautifully written, I couldn't stop reading. Thank you for sharing a slice of your life with us.
I can tell from this that you and your wife are making your relationship a priority. That’s very admirable, especially when you have kids. I am working on a piece which seems to be taking on the theme of dealing with disappointment. My failure at using what I consider my gift, ie writing, is used as an example of disappointment. Your efforts here have served to help revitalize what was once a dead writing life. So, I was disappointed to learn that a family event involving my own birthday makes it impossible to attend your conference in Santa Rosa. As I have reflected on it while writing the aforementioned piece, I have realized that a lot of my ambitions have been set aside in order to address greater priorities, including spending time with my wife and family, something I think God has determined is more important for me at this stage of my life. So this post, with its own theme of prioritization. in a kind of circular way has provided even more incentive to miss your conference. Enjoy our weather, though, Jeff. Perhaps one day we will meet at another venue!
Thank you so much for sharing this Jeff! I love your writing, it's very poetic. And I love getting a peek into your life. I love to walk too and have two large dogs to walk with me. Sometimes I like to walk for exercise and listen to a podcast or audio book. I feel like I always having to be accomplishing something, even on a walk. The rush of this world we're living in these days, I suppose.