Author Archives: John Swinburn

The degree of success I enjoyed, relative to other people my age, once mattered to me. I used an external measure, a standard against which I might compare favorably or unfavorably; the variance, positive or negative, was my yardstick. In hindsight, … Continue reading →

I’ve filled the hummingbird feeders four times in the last two days. Each time, I dissolve a cup of sugar in a quart of water and fill the feeders. In no time, those thirsty birds suck up the nectar, the frenzy … Continue reading →

It’s so damn easy for me to get distracted and, in so doing, to absent-mindedly behave in a way that causes other people to feel I am ignoring them or their feelings. Or, perhaps, the perception is simply that I … Continue reading →

Fight if you feel you must, but understand that battles have consequences, some of which are unintended. Before you enter the fray, weigh the potential for success and failure and consider what those outcomes really mean.

Lethargy and comfort are to blame, I think. They’re the reasons more of us don’t immerse ourselves in other cultures, if only for a little while, to experience the world from a different angle, a perspective impossible to embrace without … Continue reading →

I sometimes wonder, when I wake up, what other people are wondering when they wake up. And then I wonder whether they wonder what others are wondering. If they do, we should get together for some sort of reunion.

The likelihood that I will be called out as a fashion plate is less than slim. I’m comfortable with that, just as I’m comfortable in my unfashionable clothes. I have friends who would shudder if they were forced to wear … Continue reading →

In recent years, I have come to realize that my lifelong disdain for religion has never been particularly helpful to anyone, including myself. While I do not believe in a deity of any sort, nor do I believe in supernatural … Continue reading →

I am living proof that a person can learn simply by remembering, and searching for insights in those memories. Concepts, which in our arrogance we thought we knew to be truths, become harsh lessons in humility and appreciation in retrospect. Old facts become … Continue reading →

Several months ago, I wrote on my blog about a Japanese word (komorebi) that means sunlight filtering through tree leaves. I coined a wholly unsuitable neologism that would get at the theme, but would not be restricted to sunlight filtering through … Continue reading →

Some days, I can amuse myself for hours simply by imagining conversations with high-profile political figures who I’ve kidnapped and locked in my basement.    

Perseverance is key to attainment, whatever the hard-sought aim. Whether carving a face in the side of a granite mountain, writing an emotionally draining novel, or crafting a new outlook on life, success is the reward for persistence. But that’s … Continue reading →

One recent day, at the local college, I opened the door to the air-conditioned pottery studio after raku-firing several pieces outside in a 1900-degree kiln. Naturally, I was dripping in sweat; my hair wet and my t-shirt drenched. One of the women in … Continue reading →