A few things that caught my attention, made me think, or brought me joy this week.
I am home.
Finally.
I don’t say that to complain. The travel of the past few weeks has been awesome; all the trips were for good things. But it created a certain level of chaos, and I look forward to settling back in for the rest of the year.
This weekend, it was to Boise for State Swimming Championships with Gareth. It is wild—and a little bit of a gut punch—that he is now done with high school swim. Forever. Watching your children grow is both amazing and difficult. Mostly amazing. But it still can be hard to watch milestones come, go, and realize they will never come again.
I have said it many times, though: watching your children do—and excel at—something they love is one of the greatest parts of being a parent. This weekend, nerve-wracking as it was at times, was all of that, and I am incredibly proud of the swimmer and good person that he is.
The Power of Perseverance
We’ve all seen, and likely know, people who are incredibly skilled. Doesn’t matter what the particular skill is, but some people seem to be able to perform at a level we think we can only dream of.
It is impressive.
And a little depressing.
Our inclination is to lament that we will never be able to compare. We may even tell ourselves we aren’t as good as them, so we might as well just give up. I get it. I’ve felt it. I still feel it at times.
But it isn’t true. Yes, some people are talented in ways we never will be. And that is all right. Good for them. Their talent doesn’t invalidate our own skills and, most importantly, our effort. Breakthroughs most often happen over time, with considerable and consistent effort. Our willingness to continue to try, to strive, and to try again when the inevitable failures come is what leads to actual skill, progress, and those breakthroughs we are looking for.
So, let’s keep trying. Are there times when it does make sense to give up and move on? Of course there are. But those times are far fewer than we first believe. Be willing to strive. Not just try, but to actually strive.
It is worth it.
War. War Never Changes…
Anyone who has played a Fallout game just read that in Ron Perlman’s inimitable voice. He’s right.
I recently finished The Iliad. Perhaps it is a result of hearing—and reading—so much that the skill of reading is atrophying in our society, but I’ve decided to make myself read some of the classics. I’m still reading contemporary books, but I am trying to have one classic that I am working on, pretty much at all times. After seeing The Odyssey, I decided that The Iliad would be a good place to start.
Did I enjoy it? No, not really. It was… fine. I understand its place in the pantheon of classic literature, but it was a difficult read. And not for the reasons one might think.
The prose wasn’t difficult. The content is what got to me. Almost 1,000 pages of men behaving badly wasn’t what I was looking for. And behaving badly because of their pride. Sounds like modern times. We’d like to think we have made significant progress over the past millennia, but clearly we have not.
Men still seem to crave control. Power. Authority over others. It is the same, sad cycle, repeated ad nauseam. Men with power and wealth want more power and wealth. They are never satisfied.
And what they most want is control over those they believe are below them. They are happy to take whatever steps to gain or maintain that control.
Just look at modern politics. Everything is control, and we are just the pawns.
That is why The Iliad was such a difficult read.
Atmosphere, Darkness, the Pain of Being
2026 gifted us a surprise Neurosis album near the beginning. Now it has gifted us a Cult of Luna album near the close.
In the Shadow of Your Shadow is Cult of Luna being true to themselves. It is dark and oppressive post-metal, dealing with the pains of reality and being, but with moments that hint at a lightness and hope that may be found.
Over the past decade, Cult of Luna have proven themselves to be one of the best in the genre. While they were first viewed as disciples of Neurosis and ISIS (the band), they have grown to be one of the true titans of the genre. All of their albums are long and dense, and this one is no different. I have only begun to digest it, but my initial listens confirm these Swedes continue to be among the best in the world at crafting atmospheric, brooding, dark, and heavy albums.
In the Shadow of Your Shadow is another triumph.
Looking Ahead
I will be honest: I have been somewhat bereft of hope for my country over the past couple of years.
I try to keep politics out of this—we all need a break from that at times. But I have been so discouraged by the complete lack of empathy, decorum, and grace in American politics lately that I had given up thinking things might be better.
And that so many people have willfully aligned themselves with the most corrupt, degenerate, and embarrassing individual in American politics added to that loss of hope.
While Idaho continues to be a bastion of regressive politics, I see small signs of hope. Hope that there may be more of us who care about our fellow humans than those who want to control them.
So maybe, just maybe, there is a chance for us to emerge from this hell of immorality and corruption that has plagued us.
Maybe. I now have (a little) hope.
