My best friend in eighth grade claimed that he could adopt anyone’s personality. He claimed that if he spent enough time around someone, their quirks and mannerisms would rub off, and that he’d acquire some of their being. We use the term persona sometimes to describe the way a person acts, the general flavor of their jokes and conversations. If someone adopts a new persona, it usually means that they are adopting a character, the way that Steven Colbert used to do on the Colbert Report.

This isn’t about mood, or even wellness. It’s about the skill of feeling. How do we improve how we go about feeling? If we hold an object, our skin is exposed to it, and we feel it automatically. We can also hold memories, experiences, happenings, and ideas. We can feel them, touch their ridges, rub their rough surfaces. But feeling better happens when we put the thing down. After we feel it, we go back to not feeling it.

+++ title = “08” date = 2019 +++ They say the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. What they don’t talk about is what happens when you end up on the other side of the fence. Yes, it’s implied that eventually the grass seems greener on the side you left, but there’s something even more ponderous at play. The grass that you migrated to is now ubiquitous: what was once interesting and colorful and attractive now blends into the background.

+++ title = “08” date = 2019 +++ In Star Wars, Yoda teaches Luke to control his power. Harry Potter is also trainer by his mentors. The ninja turtles turn to their sensei Splinter when they are out of control, and he grounds them with his calm and poised nature. Teaching and training is always like this. There’s no way to transmit knowledge as far as I know. The best we can do is assume our learners already have everything they need as beginners: curiosity, passion, and perseverance.

+++ title = “08” date = 2019 +++ Many people make it a goal to be more reliable. To be the kind of person that can be trusted, one that keeps promises. How do we practice this? It’s not as easy as it sounds. I find myself more reliable in the last few years than I’ve ever been before. I can tell because people in my life trust me to complete important projects and tasks.