What a great day this is!

I always remember receiving little mystery bundles in torn paper bound and sealed from yards of scotch tape, some smeared with fingerprints of peanut butter. Inside are Dad-Treasures. Some of my favorites that I received over the years:

A wild psychedelic necktie made of wallpaper with the message of love written on the back.

A plaster hand print

An OJ can wrapped in construction paper transforming it into a pencil holder with a message, “You’re Thumbody Special” next to a black smeared thumb print.

A custom-mixed CD compilation of songs I should be introduced to

And a rubber life-like Big Mouth Bass mounted on a plague that sings and dances.

A box of a thousand-plus golf tees in fluorescent colors with a gold embossed seal embossed with: “World’s Greatest Dad” .

All treasures.

It is also a day of remembering my Dad. The tough times and struggles all sift away leaving gold nuggets: funny and touching stories of a guy trying his best to be a good father.

As I wander through the day, visiting the farmer’s market and then going out to dinner, I see other Dads with smiling faces. They received their treasures today as well. And a knowing nod as we pass. “We band of brothers“.

Here’s to Dads everywhere. There may be Disquiet in your life and you may be struggling to work with it. But also remember to take a break and put the burden down for a day. Take in and appreciate what you do have.

Enjoy those Dad-treasures.

Happy Father’s Day!

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The joys of getting older can be Disquieting

Most men working their Disquiet are baby boomers. As we are aging, there are so many more opportunities for this Disquiet to show up. Here is an amusing cut at one piece by Tom Rush - enjoy!

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Here is an artist who learned to navigate his Disquiet and help others travel theirs.Naomi Wolf’s father believes everyone has an innate artistry

By Tee Hun Ching, books for the soul:

WHEN American author and feminist thinker Naomi Wolf decided to build a treehouse for her daughter Rosa, her father Leonard paid frequent visits to their house in upstate New York.Over those six months, they talked as they worked, discussing Leonard’s favorite poems and the lessons they held.

Now in his 80s, the well-regarded poet and teacher believes creative freedom is the key to happiness.

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I remember the early days of a major period of Disquiet in my life. I felt like a zombie in a job I had. I wanted to go in a new direction but I felt trapped. I had a young family and it felt risky.

I also felt pretty wrung out. I wasn’t getting to the gym, I never had time to be in the outdoors (which really recharges me) and I could not remember when I did something just to relax.
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ETD # 19 How to know what to say and when to say it

You can listen to this episode by clicking on the prompt above. To learn how you can automatically get new episodes for free to download to your MP3 player or computer, check out the sidebar to the right. Hint: Many of my listeners enjoy burning several on a CD and listening to them in their car.

“I only told the truth. I did the right thing. Now he’s all upset. He just doesn’t want to hear the truth. He can’t handle the truth. Now what do I do?”

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 Podcast [5:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Security is mostly a superstition.
It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of man as a whole
experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than
outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

~Helen Keller

Do you play it safe? I know I often do. Planning for all contingencies, working to avoid unforeseen disasters and being always vigilant are things I have learned to do well. I think these were natural inclinations and abilities I had that I sharpened over the years.

In earlier times, they balanced nicely with a strong desire for adventure. On occasion, they literally saved my life as well as others. But over the years, I slowly started playing it safe and tried to minimize risks. Looking back and after a lot of work on this, I now believe this playing it safe was very related to my not engaging my own Disquiet. I can remember times of feeling paralyzed by not knowing what to do because I was trying to minimize risk.

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