There’s a beautiful poem by Heaney that starts with this line. I discovered it not long after it was published. For me, it captures one of the most precious teachings in life: to live an extraordinary existence, you must be Awake. Being Awake comes from the daily cultivation of excellence. Excellence of thought, of word, of action. Excellence of spirit towards others. Being Awake to life means that you are like a night watch. Better. Like an eagle, high in the sky: infinitely

As I bent down over the spring to drink from it directly, I had a sudden sense of certainty : certainty that everything—the small round pebbles, grayish blue and vermilion and white, lying at the bottom of water whose brightness seemed still to harbor the midday light; the fine sand that swirled upward, clouding it ever so slightly; and the faint shiver that ran over the surface of the water—was just as I’d seen it twenty years before; a certainty, born of longing yet to myse

Friday night. Came back home from teaching in Lugano. The beginning of my second year, in a place that means so much to me and my mission. A sense of “right place”, of “right life”. An afternoon that flies by, with the students I raised during my first year. Each moment full of the best bliss I know, a sense of alignment that surprises even me. The wonder of finding them motivated, nourished, with so much potential thanks to the work we put in last year. On the way to Lugano,

My third run this week. Listening to music in all three runs. I went with symphonies: Bruckner 7, Scriabin 1, Beethoven 3. A habit I had mysteriously lost. Both the running and the listening. I decided to start training for a half marathon I’ll run in September, and today I went running immediately after a gym session (why shower twice? That was my reasoning). I chose a nice park with open space, sunset, yellow shoes, and Beethoven’s Eroica. One minute into the music, my mind

When you scroll through social media, you’re looking for energy. That’s okay. No judgment, no blame. You’re tired, hoping for something to lift you up. Don’t blame yourself. Take it as a signal—time to recharge. Be grateful for that signal. Get OUT. Step outside. Leave your space, break the cycle. There are two disciplines to master in life. The first is the discipline of doing. It means doing the work, even when you don’t feel like it. Pushing yourself beyond what you think

I am entering a new chapter of my existence. I now live the life of the person I envisioned becoming over the past 12 years. Twelve years with a vision so vivid it defies explanation, and a suffering so deep whenever it seemed threatened. Twelve years of constant testing, using every means possible, to uncover my true self. Now, the present demands a reassessment of my priorities in this life. Not “career priorities.” Rather, “existence priorities.” First, I want to commit to