Author Archives: John Swinburn

The temperature this morning, as of about 5, was 21°F. Today’s high is expected to reach 46°F. But the air temperature will remain at or below freezing until around 9 this morning. These facts matter to me because the slush … Continue reading →

You can see everything in the universe in one tangerine. When you peel it and smell it, it’s wonderful. You can take your time eating a tangerine and be very happy. ~ Thích Nhất Hạnh ~ +++ I vacillate between … Continue reading →

One of my blog posts found its way into the February issue of The Springs Magazine. The publisher, JoAnn Mangione, who occasionally follows this blog, asked if she could include one of my posts in her magazine. Naturally, I was … Continue reading →

I feel depressed this morning. There’s no etiology to my mood. Though there are plenty of things that could be partly responsible for it, I don’t think anything is to blame. I sometimes feel like nothing matters. But then, suddenly, … Continue reading →

I disagree vehemently with a lot of people about their beliefs. I detest the repugnant philosophies of the KKK.  I find offensive the claims by some groups of men who insist that equal protection laws target men with the purpose … Continue reading →

The posts on this blog generally amount to conversations with myself. That is true even though my intent these days is to engage readers in far-flung dialogues that mimic the philosophical exchanges one might expect during a comfortable morning gathering … Continue reading →

Once again, I was unable to sleep through the night. Though I went to bed early, I woke only two or three hours into the night’s sleep. From that point forward, I drifted in and out of sleep at roughly … Continue reading →

Whether—beneath the sediment of almost seventy years—layers of buried memories of my family of eight await excavation, I do not know. Perhaps the passage of time turned those memories to ash that cannot be recovered. Instead of hidden memories, fragments … Continue reading →

Last night, I left my cell phone in my study instead of my usual practice of connecting it to an outlet just outside the bedroom door to charge. I wish I would have followed my usual actions. Had I done … Continue reading →

Last night, my niece arranged a quick Zoom video conversation with my hospitalized brother, after she and talked on the phone while she was on her way to the skilled nursing facility to visit him. I could barely make out … Continue reading →

When I awoke for awhile around 3:00 a.m., the idea that people sometimes might be able to sense things going on in others’ lives—even at great distance—came to mind.  You know the concept: a mother senses something is wrong with … Continue reading →

The topic of synchronicity, not new to this blog, is on my mind. It occurs to me that synchronous occurrences are not always positive. They just as easily can be negative. When events take place in different places, involving people … Continue reading →

Tuesdays are inherently better than Mondays, if for no other reason than—on Tuesdays—a local liquor store sells an already-cheap wine that I like to drink at a further fifteen percent discount. That takes the price down from $5.99 to $5.09. … Continue reading →

I had too much on my mind to stay asleep after 2:00 a.m.  No matter how I tried to empty my mind, vexing thoughts kept filling my head. Anxieties, worries, concerns—whatever names one might attach to troubling matters—would not leave … Continue reading →

Call it mawkish or maudlin or mushy. Call it by whatever name you feel compelled to use to dismiss it. But give compassion its due. Consider the power of kindness to protect people from stepping over that invisible line beyond … Continue reading →

As the sun emerged from its evening slumber this morning, the eastern sky bathed my part of the world with muted brilliance. Orange, blue, and deep purple light filled the horizon, backlighting the forest of naked trees behind and below … Continue reading →

Despite repeatedly falling asleep while watching Stay Close, a “limited series” on Netflix, I subsequently managed to stay awake until about 2 a.m. And that late night resulted in me saying in bed until the sun began peeking over the … Continue reading →

Bending down on my hands and knees to painstakingly apply tape to woodwork in an attempt to protect the wood from the unwanted application of paint is not something I find appealing. In fact, I’m increasingly finding it not only … Continue reading →

Fragile male egos are on my mind this morning. No, not plural. Singular. Just my fragile male ego. I realize my ego is frail and brittle. It can be shattered like thin, delicate glass simply by giving thought to how … Continue reading →

Though the vast majority of us seek both freedom and security, most of us historically have recognized the need to temper each so we can enjoy sufficient levels of the other. The concept that “your freedom ends where mine begins” … Continue reading →

Contrary to the common wisdom, Zeus did not invent thunder, nor was he responsible in any way for lightning, rainstorms, and the fierce tornadic winds that destroyed entire villages in a matter of seconds. No, Zeus was simply a better … Continue reading →

When I woke this morning, I felt a slight sense of panic that I might not have responded to a weeks-old email message from an online friend, a woman who stumbled across my blog more than a year ago and … Continue reading →

Perhaps one day after I die, someone will stumble upon this blog and will find its several thousand posts (approaching 3900 as I write this) intriguing. That someone—as she begins wading through the morass of words I have written here— … Continue reading →

I have a nascent interest in knowing something about Aristotle’s personal life. All of us have at least some exposure to Aristotle, thanks to his influence on philosophy and modern modes of inquiry and thought. But few people know anything … Continue reading →

I first mentioned Keb’ Mo’ here in a piece I posted in March 2013, but I’ve been one of his raving fans for much longer than that. I think the first time I heard his music was during a visit … Continue reading →