The Ramblings of the Titanium Don

Have I Really Got This or Am I Just Fooling Myself?

The answer is yes – and wholly dependent on me and my actions. As I’m writing this, I’m preparing to take my annual trip to the gargantuan medieval event in SW Pennsylvania. However, leading up to this point has been quite probably one of the craziest years I’ve experienced in a long time. Let me sum up 2023: At the start of the year, I was recovering from COVID; we learned my mother-in-law had a terminal brain tumor; and my

Changing Your Life Is Only as Difficult as You Make It

How difficult do you make it? When it comes to finding the best ways to complicate my life, I’m an expert. This tends to come from overthinking things, overanalyzing, self-doubt, uncertainty, fear, and similar factors. Why? Sometimes it’s because of the idea that if it looks too good to be true (or too easy) it probably is. Other times because I’ve long believed that nothing worth having is ever easy. Then there are external factors like the opinions of others,

It’s Okay (And Normal) Not to Be Mindful All the Time

Nobody can be anything all the time. Please allow me to make this blanket statement: The one and only constant in the entire Universe is change. You have experienced change in your life before – and you will experience it again. The child you were, the teen you became, and the adult you (probably) are now represent change in you and your life. Some elements, beliefs, values, and habits might be the same or similar. But they’ve still come up

It Goes Well Until It Feels Like It Stops Going Well

Everyone experiences this and has choices for what to do with it. Things have, despite a lot of craziness outside of my control, been going well of late. I’ve been in therapy again and getting a lot out of it, feeling good about who I am and where I’m going, and it’s all been feeling like it’s steadily improving. Today, I hit a wall. To be fair, there were some extenuating circumstances. Yesterday morning I stepped on the scale for

Knowing You Will Die, Why Won’t You Choose to Live?

Death is inevitable. Why would you neglect to choose to live while you are here? There is a major difference between simply existing and living. Existing is easy and can be done by rote and routine. You go about your days following the same patterns and behaviors, taking little to no joy in life and putting things off for tomorrow, after you lose 50 pounds, after your kids go to college, retirement, or some other forthcoming marker. A marker that

How Do You Release an Emotion You Can’t Identify?

Working with an emotion you can’t give a name to is challenging. As I strive to walk my chosen paths in life, I find that there are times I must confront subconscious matters. Many of these get tied to old, outdated beliefs and values. Some are tied to habits. All of these exist in the subconscious and can only, thus, be accessed consciously with effort. Thoughts and feelings are tenets of the present. Hence, they can only be truly known

Why Are Habits Such a Hard Habit to Break?

Breaking a habit frequently requires a lot of conscious effort. People love quick-fix solutions. From diet and exercise programs to pills to life hacks, modern society has a love affair with seeking and finding the quick fix. Get it done as fast as possible with as little effort as possible. The problem is that quick fixes are nearly never true fixes. For example – going on a diet can help a person lose weight. And it will continue to work

How and Why Do People Have a Problem with Inclusivity?

Any problem with inclusivity comes from artificial lack, scarcity, and insufficiency. It never ceases to amaze me how bent out of shape people get over inclusivity. No matter what the topic – race, gender, color, religion – you will find somebody objecting to inclusivity. Logically, and reasonably, this makes no sense at all. Why would you want to deny other people their rights, freedoms, and acts of basic human decency? In asking this question lots and lots, I believe I

Why is The Unknown Path So Damned Scary?

Because it’s unknown – and thus, uncertain. On the one hand, I’ve never been one for plans, lists, and the like. It’s always felt genuine and true to myself to be more improvisational in my approach to life. On the other hand, I’m a Virgo. Sometimes I get utterly ordered and freakishly clean, arrange, and set stuff up. When it comes to choosing and walking a given path in my life, this can be challenging. Loose and ready for anything

What If the Right Path Chosen Yesterday is the Wrong Path Today?

Right and wrong are seldom written in stone. The path will frequently change. How old are you? Do you think that you are who you were when you were 10 years old? How about 20 years old? Do you think you (or your path) are who you were even a year ago? The point is that you are always changing. Sometimes, it’s barely noticeable. Other times, it’s sudden. Some change is desirable – some less so. But change can, will,