A Boxer at Rest

I t seems like everyone and their emotionally-overwhelmed cousin is realizing they might be autistic these days. The internet is full of lists— Signs You Have Autism and Didn’t Know It , Why You Hate Phone Calls , Are You Socially Exhausted or Just Neurodivergent? —and suddenly, what used to be dismissed as “quirks” are adding up to something more significant. For years, autism was thought of in rigid terms: a childhood condition identified early, mostly in boys, with a set of clear-cut diagnostic criteria. But the understanding of autism has expanded, revealing a spectrum that includes adults who’ve spent decades masking their traits, often at great personal cost. The realization that autism isn’t rare—it’s just been overlooked—explains a lot about why so many people feel like they’ve been navigating life on hard mode without knowing why. Of course, there’s skepticism. Some roll their eyes at the surge in self-diagnoses, dismissing it as a TikTok trend or a product of over-patholog...

S o , as I get older, I've noticed my friend group is getting smaller. It's not that I suddenly hate everyone, but I'm finding it harder and harder to connect with people these days. Most conversations just feel...shallow. I'm craving chats about big ideas and personal growth, but it seems like everyone's stuck on complaining about politics or arguing about stuff they can't control. Seriously, everyone seems so into drama and negativity. It's like no one's happy unless they're worked up about something. All this complaining about things we can't change is just exhausting. There's so much good we could be doing, but it's like people would rather just be mad all the time. I think this whole thing is a sign of something bigger going on in our society. We're all so disconnected – from ourselves, our communities, even nature. And that's leading to a serious lack of meaning in our lives. People keep telling me that as I age, I should s...

I once believed that unconditional love was key to being a good parent. I worked hard at the job, hoping that my love would help my child to grow up well adjusted and happy. I learned the hard way that love isn’t always enough.  Early Signs What initially appeared as confidence slowly morphed into a need for control and praise. Occasional selfishness turned into a pattern of manipulation and emotional pressure. Before long I was second-guessing every choice I made, wondering what I did wrong. I hoped it was just a phase.  Facing Reality It wasn't just a phase. It was how things would be. The more I tried, the more I saw entitlement and cruelty. Even years after emancipation, I was expected to bail them out of their self-inflicted difficulties. I walked on eggshells, trying to avoid angry outbursts. No matter what I did, things didn't and wouldn’t change.  I chose to step back from the relationship. I chose peace.  Choosing to Walk Away Walking away was hard. Some wo...

W hen I was in the workforce, I would hear coworkers complain regularly about how certain people seemed to be getting an unfair advantage in the workplace. Complaints could be anything from "so-in-so gets better hours, better wages, better assignments, better promotions, better treatment, etc., at work than I do .” The “I,” in that rant, of course, would be the person doing the complaining. Other coworkers would quickly take the opportunity to jump on the bandwagon to bemoan how they too were receiving unfair treatment in these and other areas. I wasn’t especially interested in joining any bitch brigade, so I would purposefully ignore the complainers and direct my full attention to doing my job in the best way I knew how. I adopted the attitude of "How others were being rewarded for their efforts was really nothing to me." All that mattered to me was that I was performing my assignments as professionally as possible and collecting the previously agreed upon wages. ...

This video suggests some practical insights on prioritizing well-being, cherishing genuine relationships, and letting go of what no longer serves a person after the age of 65.

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, Speak to us of Children. And he said: Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness; For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the...