Anthony Bourdain. It’s been a month since he took his own life. Another great cultural influencer gone by the way side.

His story was inspiring. His writing was entertaining, his reporting was full of color and depth and scope.

His experiences were as admirable as they were diverse. Hell, he had lunch with Obama at a lunch cafe in Vietnam [good story on that here].

He was a chef turned writer turned foodie global travelogue guy. Great insights, good humor.

His death is sad, but also instructive. Even, and maybe especially, at the top of your game, you’re vulnerable. We are all vulnerable.

The demons are out there, and we must remain vigilant to our own care, our own well-being. Attend to it daily. Take care of yourself. First. Always. Or you won’t have anything to give.

Bourdain. Rest In Peace.

The discourse in this land is pretty rough right now. Seems that there’s more extremism, and much less willingness to compromise. And policies we would have previously not thought within the realm of reasonable are implemented to “get tough” and “act as a deterrent.” The decision a few weeks ago to separate children from parents when they come into the country under questionable circumstance is a glaring example of our society’s diminished humanity.

I side with Brene Brown’s approach:

I often think about what the United States means to me, what my impressions are, compared to my fellow Americans, and the rest of the world.

As for me I want to live in a place that offers the basics, not just to those who were born here, but to everyone who is here.

Life, liberty, justice, the pursuit of happiness, safety and security for the persecuted, and the poor, for those trying to make their lives better.

On this day we celebrate Independence Day for the United States, when we declared America a country free from British rule, I’m thinking about those early American attitudes that shaped our country. Fighting the power, striving to live the lives they want to live, striving to have compromise and tolerance and inclusiveness be the guiding themes we live by.

I’m IN.

Today is the day, let’s begin this way, Celebrating Susan!

Today is the day we ring the bells and honk the horns and light the candles and sing from the rooftops, Happy Birthday to you, Dear Susan!

She is our light and our inspiration, who leads and loves by example, who gives our family the foundation and the inspiration to love and laugh and live the best day we can everyday.

She gets up early and stays up late to do the little things that make all the difference for herself and for us and for good, and she is GOOD, and we are so lucky, *I* am so lucky, to call her my wife and my love and my friend.

You are the light for me and for A.L.L. Here’s to you for all you do, on this your day, Happy Birthday, Susan!

Getting back into the day-to-day groove is turning out to be tougher than I thought it would be after the glory of family summer vacation just concluded.  It seems at every turn I struggle to make the right move, challenged to have a good attitude, recover from a mistake, cope with kid chaos, the pull of so many demands on my next action.

I’m down in it.  I’m groping the the darkness for a hand-hold, to get some traction on the trail.  I know the light’s out there somewhere, I see little glimmers, and then all goes black again.  What to do?

Find bits of good.

Taking solace in little things, small victories, and some music. I’m finding a footing in the right moves I have made, little bits of good that are for sure there, but I’m not allowing them to shine through and motivate. It’s helping, that’s for sure.  Slow but sure, getting better.

I’m trying to keep up with the day to day. I’m doing little things that make a difference for the good. Or I hope they do.

That’s been easier at home than at work. The learning curve at the job continues to challenge and give plenty of opportunity for growth and getting better.

Oh, and that music I mentioned?  Oddly enough, it’s coming from an unlikely source on the face of it. Nine Inch Nails.  Industrial rock that first hit the scene a long while back.

Stumbled upon them anew at the end of last week. Fresh inspiration from a music project and one dude in particular that has me digging in.  New energy from music that’s still worth it and fresh tracks adding bonus to the mix.

Yep, I’m down in it.

And that’s GOOD.

—

Addendum:  Ah yes, and here’s the tune, in case you’ve not heard it.

This final day of family vacation before we make the journey home, appropriate that today is Father’s Day.

This the day began.

The three that made me a father, the three that make me a dad, better than I could be otherwise.

We wandered the town. We learned a little about the islands. We enjoyed the shade of the oldest Banyan in the country.

We waited in line. We ate shave ice. Again.

Simple things with the people that matter most. Family.

One last gathering this eve, one final celebration, island-style.

We’ll celebrate family, celebrate being together, and soak up some final energy to top off for the regular life that we travel back to tomorrow.

Luau.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luau

Soak it up. GOOD.

What, like the island, “Midway”? No, although from where I sit just now (West Coast, Maui, Hawaii), that’s kinda funny.

What I’m referring to is this feeling I knew I’d have, “midway” through this awesome vacation.

Today begins Day Four of six full days on the trip. We still have ALL of today, three FULL days before we leave. And yet I woke up thinking, “It’s almost over…!” Ridiculous.

So it’s a good time to reflect on all the cool stuff that’s happened, and more to come. Funny what we get muddled up in on vacation, and funny how we get off track with the main objectives: relax, take a break from the regular life pace and schedule, and enjoy. ENJOY.

This pic was from the weekend. What’s up just now?

Monday Funday rounding out with some simple chill time with the kids solo. My wife has to work tonight, so it’s me and A.L.L.

Upside: Everyone’s in a good mood – which is a plus for three kids under eight. The TV is helping me on that front, full disclosure. Everyone ate their dinner in reasonable elapsed time, and there have been no protests (touch wood) to bath time yet. Might get to bed on time tonight (jinx).

Not so up? I have some family management, white collar chores that will likely push until early tomorrow.

Oh well, that’s life. I forgot about my wife’s schedule, and overbooked on my evening expectations. Not happy about falling off a bit, but I’m not willing to up the stress level to get things done.

Gonna chill. That’s my choice, and I’m going with it.

And one more up?

I got a short blog post out of it.

🙂