Very much enjoying both of these new sunglasses. I wish I realized earlier that bigger and more squarish ones are a better fit for my face shape. 

These selfies are getting excessive but who cares i guess. I dont know anyone who checks this blog. At this point, it's a diary of sorts where I get to think out loud and just be myself.

 Building trails as always.  Ill keep doing this till my body gives out.

 

 

We are only just beginning to discover that, far from a passive observer of the outside world, our attention is an active creator of it as the brain makes constant conscious and unconscious predictions of what it expects to find when it looks, then finds just that; we are only beginning to understand how right Thoreau was when, in James’s epoch, he observed that “we hear and apprehend only what we already half know.”

-Maria Popova

 Feels good to finally go camping again after a 5+ year break from it.

I've been repairing hiking trails in Angeles National Forest for almost 5 years now.

 Over time, I've realized I like feeling "useful." Like I'm doing something unequivocally beneficial.

It feels very satisfying to clearly see the fruits of your labor, literally right in front of you. Where there previously was a damaged path, now is a clear trail:

 It bothers me so much that I quickly view myself as boring and uninteresting whenever I have an interaction with someone who is quiet and barely engaging with anything I'm saying or asking. I immediately assume it's my fault and I'm boring them.

Then, a bit later, I'm talking with someone who is so much more alive and engaged. The energy level is considerably higher and both sides genuinely care about the interaction. Both people are actively listening and asking questions that shows they're invested and paying attention.  I come away from these conversations feeling energized, valued, and seen. 

Having an engaging conversation is deceptively difficult.  At first, it seems like it should be so straightforward and effortless.  But, so many people are terrible at it.

 I need to remember to not take conversation failures so personally.  I have no control over how engaged the other person is. There is only so much I can do on my end to build and maintain conversational momentum. When the other person doesn't actively contribute, the energy dissipates. And that's ok.