Author Archives: John Swinburn

Without referencing a source (other than the author, identified as Amy Morin, giving an expert opinion), an online article in Inc. claims, “Most modern-day psychologists agree there are five major personality types.” The five types, comprising the “five factor model,” … Continue reading →

Some people, as they age, become increasingly attractive—even beautiful. The smooth wrinkles etched above their eyes are comparable to the work of a brilliant creative artist—someone who transforms a damaged limb from a wind-ravaged tree into a stunning piece of … Continue reading →

Watching dense smoke flow—like a waterfall—gently down from the ember of a cone of incense intrigues me. The explanation for the direction of flow, counter to what would normally be expected, is a matter of simple physics; but it appears … Continue reading →

I was looking forward to learning the results of my upcoming PET-scan…until I got a call from my oncologist’s office, postponing the scan for a week. The caller told me an injection I had recently was too close in time … Continue reading →

I’ve said it before: Time makes a sound as it rushes past our ears. But I’ve also maintained that the sound is so low it cannot be heard, except by Time itself. The sound made by Time is, to our … Continue reading →

Several years ago, I made a brief trip to Beijing, China to attend a conference for one of my client associations. My stay in Beijing was short, but interesting. On the way home, I had a one-night layover and stayed … Continue reading →

Quick and easily attainable proficiency in multiple languages would give me options I can only dream about in the present stage of my life. I harbor envy, jealousy, and resentment toward people who quickly and painlessly pick up languages beyond … Continue reading →

Governments naturally operate in ways that will ensure their own longevity. Dictatorial regimes employ tactics involving fear, force, and psychological pressure to maintain their control. Less oppressive reigns use similar schemes, but the pressures they tend to use often are … Continue reading →

When you quiet your mind, you can enter a world of clarity, peace and understanding. ~ Alice Coltrane ~ News of madness and horror in every facet of human life invades my consciousness, too often aided and abetted by my … Continue reading →

I believe I have conceived of a good solution for men whose bodies, like mine, are not suitable for wearing jeans as they are now configured. In my case, because my gut STILL has greater circumference than my hips, a … Continue reading →

Moments with the scourges of illness, injury, clouded vision, labored breathing, or physical or emotional pain visit us during the course of a lifetime. If we are fortunate, those visits are brief. But, finally, advanced age takes its toll in … Continue reading →

I have a lot of rage about things that didn’t happen to me, tied up with watching an immigrant, working-class father struggle to make his way through the world – and seeing how society was modeled to keep him in … Continue reading →

I daydream about a small rural cottage, made of stone, situated high on an ocean-view ridge where a forest intersects with natural pastures.  The cottage is warm and comfortable. It is hidden by topography from the few people who might … Continue reading →

Just leave us in peace. That is the desire most of us feel in our hearts, though we may not say it aloud. We just want to be left alone to go about our lives, without threats or unwelcome intrusions. … Continue reading →

I was reminded this morning that the first successful U.S. launch of a satellite into space took place on January 31, 1958, only a few months after my fourth birthday. Not quite three weeks before my fourth birthday, the Soviet … Continue reading →

The choice is deliberate: become either the victim of circumstance or the beneficiary of experience. Unfortunately, many people default to victim, when the more advantageous and more profitable option is to benefit from a lesson learned. The more unfavorable of … Continue reading →

There comes a moment when the only available options are surrender or violence. Surrender is always a minute too early. Violence is always a second too late. Both options can be tailored to circumstance, but customizing a response in the … Continue reading →

Yesterday’s chemotherapy session was postponed for a week, due to a very low red blood cell count. Instead, my oncologist arranged for me to get a blood transfusion at the hospital this morning. Therefore, I will head back into Hot … Continue reading →

Most people who know me don’t really know me. They know a public façade. It is not my intent to deceive by presenting a façade. In fact, I do not even realize that’s what I’m doing until I relax back … Continue reading →

It may be that our cosmic curiosity…is a genetically-encoded force that we illuminate when we look up and wonder. ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson ~ +++ Brontology is the study of thunder. If I had ever seen or heard the word, … Continue reading →

The recent spate of wildfires in southern California renewed my concerns about living in a densely wooded area. Though the climate here is wetter and lacks the predictably fierce Santa Ana winds, there is no guarantee that an errant spark … Continue reading →

Seven years ago, my late wife and I went on a self-guided arts and crafts tour of the countryside around Malvern, Arkansas. A  day or two ago I was reminded of one of the highlights of the tour, when I … Continue reading →

The angel realized, when it was too late, her audience was gone. She had become a witch—a powerful, awe-inspiring, angelic witch—at the same moment they had stopped enjoying the antics of witches and angels. And they had no interest in … Continue reading →

Peeking out from beneath the covers, I looked outside—past the window blinds’ wooden slats—to see budding evidence of what might become a brilliant sunrise. Two hours had passed since I woke, intending to get out of bed and go about … Continue reading →

I feel restless in the extreme. The urge to hit the road gets stronger day by day. Assuming my cancer treatments do not go on forever, the prospect of making massive changes in my life and lifestyle is more than … Continue reading →