Henry, In my last letter, I had a short section about “Don’t fight the last war.” I thought this idea deserved its own letter. When I was in school, my extracurricular activity of choice was basketball. I am sure when you read this you will be able to empathize
Continue readingAuthor: Ryan
Letters to Henry: Imua
Dear Henry, By the time you read this, you will know that among all the various mottos and maxims that define how the Hess family approaches life, there is one which stands out as being both the most important, and the simplest; Imua. It’s a Hawaiian word that your
Continue readingFreedom vs. Safety
October 23, 2020 Dear Henry, Today is the last day of the 10-day quarantine I have been on since I was diagnosed with COVID 19. Upfront I want to be very clear that I was far luckier than some who have gotten the virus and for me, it was
Continue readingLetters To Henry: Fear
Henry, For this, my first letter to you, I am compelled to talk to you about fear. Why fear? Why would I choose to open this series of letters on a topic that is so negative and for many, debilitating? Because in writing this, I am recognizing just how much
Continue readingFear in the time of COVID
I thought I would start by addressing my long absence from posting on this blog, and why I have chosen now to again take up my metaphorical pen but given the current situation I feel that might be superfluous. That said, if I ever god back and read this, it
Continue readingCongratulations, Good job….. Now get to work
There is nothing wrong with being proud of our accomplishments… But it is important we know that just because we get a win, the season is far from over. There’s always another fight, always more to learn, always more training to do.
Continue readingPatience and Happiness Today
Can we make the slow driver speed up? Probably not. Can we force the coworker to reply to the e-mail? not without the perception that we are uncontrollably overbearing. Can we force other people, or the universe to speed up and slow down at our whims? almost never. So then why do we allow it to affect our mental state?
Continue readingAn Extremely brief Summary of My Trip to Greece and the Birth of Stoicism
It would be a shame if I went to Greece last month and did not post at least some information about my trip. After all it is the nation that birthed the Philosophy according to which I am trying to live.
Continue readingAnger and Jiu-Jitsu
To put it blithely: When life has you in mount, the solution is not to flail around, a victim of your own passion and panic. Instead, stay calm, breath, and remember that you know how to fix this.
Continue readingStop Complaining, Ryan
One could argue that it is this lack of reflecting, and of daily practice that has caused the second reason for my absence. The truth is, that over the last few weeks I have been a pretty rotten Stoic.
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