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REMINDER: I am hosting a conversation on Hermann Hesse’s 1932 novel, The Journey to the East, this evening, Thursday, April 16, 2026, from 6:00pm to 7:30pm ET. It’s a short book — you can read it in under two hours.

You can sign up here and I will send you the login details.

Sign me up!

Join H.H., Leo, Albertus Magnus, Plato, Don Quixote, Pythagoras, Paul Klee and me as we journey to the east!

(This article contains Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, which means that by buying from these links, you are supporting Solvitur Ambulando. Thank you!)

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Do you need a day of peace and reflection? Do you need to slow down for even a few hours? Are you aching for the restorative beauty of nature? Consider a personal retreat at Holy Hills Hermitage. Only 90 minutes from Louisville, the splendid spring season makes for the perfect time for a visit. You can read my full piece on the Hermitage here. Or, to inquire about a retreat for an individual or small group, you can reach out to the Hermitage Manager.

At the start of 2026, I did something I’d never done before. I wrote out a list of books I hoped to read during the year — an “aspirational” reading list. I don’t feel wedded to the list — if I want to deviate from it, or abandon it altogether, so be it. It’s my reading time, after all, my reading life. But I enjoyed the exercise and it did focus me. After all, I consistently read about 50 books per year. So if I live another 20 years, I can finish reading about 1,000 more books. That may seem like a lot, but I assure you, gentle reader, it falls far, far below my aspirations. So some focus and tethering to long-term desire may prove useful.

From my “2026 Aspirational Reading List,” I tackled a few books this quarter: Moby Dick, Jane Eyre, an Eknath Easwaran translation, and Martin Shaw’s new book. And I re-read one of my very favorite books, Hermann Hesse’s The Journey to the East, to prepare for the book conversation on April 16th. I loved it as much in this reading as I ever have before. Marvelous!

All in all, a wonderful quarter of reading! On to Q2!

1. The Dhammapada translated by Eknath Easwaran (audiobook)

“The wise are disciplined in body, speech and mind. They are well controlled indeed.”

A wonderful way to open the New Year! I can’t attest to the literal accuracy of Easwaran’s translation of this account of the Buddha’s teachings. But as an audiobook, the passages sing in loving and beautiful language. I wish I’d read – or listened to – it years ago.

2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

“The spoons were moved slowly: I saw each girl taste her food and try to swallow it; but in most cases the effort was soon relinquished. Breakfast was over, and none had breakfasted. Thanks having been returned for what we had not got, and a second hymn chanted, the refectory was evacuated to the schoolroom.”

Now that – that is directness and sarcasm I appreciate. I must admit: I figured to pass through this life never having to read any books by the Sisters Bronte, often recalling William Manchester’s relating of Winston Churchill’s quip upon the defeat of a venerable Member of Parliament: “Thank God we’ve seen the last of that Wuthering Height.”1

On the first day or two of the New Year, my dear friend Charles texted a couple friends, calling Jane Eyre “the Greatest Book Ever.” High praise indeed from a reader of quantity and quality. So, I broke my recurring “vow” to order no new books in the New Year and to order “nothing – not ONE ITEM” from Amazon in the New Year (as I solemnly pledged to my family), and shortly Miss Eyre arrived in a brown, or blue and white, envelope on my doorstep. I began the book that evening and didn’t regret it for a minute. I worried her 1800s language and expressions would bore me or prove difficult to decipher; neither worry came to reality. Bronte does not write with the visual expressiveness of, say, Charles Dickens, but she writes forcefully, directly and again, with a sarcasm I admire. Jane knows who she is and what she’s about, which makes the final 150 pages so fraught – I stayed up until 1:00am to find out and finish the novel. Will she cave to the admonitions of St John Rivers? Will she go that last extremity to seek, and find, as if for the first time, her true love? Will she live as she speaks, that “domestic endearments and household joys” and “the best things the world has”? Or will her slender, wispy self crumble under the weight of a world which scorns her when it cannot use or abuse her?

3. Football by Chuck Klosterman
   

“Pervasive institutional control, so entrenched that it’s become unremarkable, is both the facilitator for society’s overall enhancement and the reason so many individuals within that society feel alienated by the very things that make life easier. Everything was upgraded and nothing got better....Football is a chaotic replication of bureaucratic life.”

“What is already happening, and what will continue to happen, is that the evolution of American culture is in direct opposition to the culture of American football. The sport, in almost every way, is a contradiction of what enlightened people are supposed to want. It conflicts with how modern people are socialized to think, subverting the symbolic meaning of what football represents.”

“Canada did its best, but Canada fucked up. And now the Canadians just have to live with it.”

“I mean, it’s like the hokey pokey. Put your right foot in, you take your right foot out, you put your right foot in, you shake it all about. You do the hokey pokey and turn yourself around. Boom! That’s what it’s all about.” –“John Madden” talking with David Letterman, not quoted in Klosterman’s book.

“When you see butt sweat like that, you know that guy is giving his all.” – John Madden, also not quoted in Klosterman’s book.

“This is a football.” – Reportedly said by Dan Dierdorf. Or John Madden. Or in spoofs of them. Also not quoted in Klosterman’s book.

You can read my full review here.

4. The Black Count by Tom Reiss (audiobook)

“Napoleon could not stand the sight of a black man who was taller, stronger, braver, and more beloved by his troops than he was.”

The father of Alexandre Dumas the author inspired many of the scenes from the writer’s novels, especially in The Count of Monte Cristo. The father overcame benign neglect (at best) from his ne’er-do-well father, racism, and many other challenges to rise very high in the Revolutionary army.

Before this book, I held a low view of Napoleon. This book knocked that view down a few further rungs. What a piece of garbage.

5. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

“D’Artagnan obeyed, for Athos had the solemn voice and the powerful gesture of a judge sent by the Lord himself. And so, after D’Artagnan, Porthos came in, followed by Aramis, Lord de Winter, and the man in the red cloak.”

It doesn’t carry the ethical and intellectual weight of The Count of Monte Cristo. But it sure makes for a wild ride through Paris, the French countryside and England. And who among us does not wish for friends, only a few, dear friends, about whom we could say, “all for one and one for all” and who would say the same about us?

6. Moby Dick by Herman Melville

“Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.”

The first 200 pages flew by, then the book slowed and my interest waned. I returned again and again, for 10 pages here, 20 pages there, and so on. Finally, achingly, I rushed through the final 100 pages to finish. I made it, but almost assuredly I shall never pick up the book again.

The mad, swirling pursuit of vengeance - I tired of it. Yes, that deep, gut-burning, wrecked emotion makes for great plots and literature - Moby Dick, the Count of Monte Cristo, among many others. But in a world in which we seem to crave vengeance on thousand your old wrongs, and hours old mistakes, I have grown tired of vengeance. Weepy and exhausted, even if the reading - not even the living.

It may not make for a classic plot, but I would love to read the book in which Christ’s admonition to forgive seven times 77 times is given air and feeling and life.

This leads to a further thought. If I had been a smart, even clever, Englishman of the 1850s, if I’d read this novel by this nobody Herman Melville, I wonder if perhaps I could have foreseen the demise of the British Empire, even a few decades before its zenith. If I’d read this novel, the likes of which my nation had never dreamt, so detailingly researched, so heartfelt, so – as my friend and lover of this book says – lyrical, I think I would have trembled at the achievement. That a workingman American would go to such an extreme effort, with no guarantee of success, no family fortune to buttress him in case of failure, all in the hope of producing something of everlasting value. I should have feared the rise of this workingman author and his growing horde of compatriots. My days basking in the sun of self-assured superiority were numbered.

Again, I say, if I’d been this young Englishman, one other thought might have come to mind as I pondered this ponderous novel of seething rage and determined vengefulness. In less than 75 years my country had fought two wars with upstart America. One we had lost and one ended in a stalemate. But after those wars, our two nations had ceased hostilities and done something quite unique in the history of nations, a story so dominated by grudges and animosity. No, my Britain and this America had done something quite different, even if checkered by difficulties and numerous tensions and pressures.

They became friends.

7. The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen

“‘I could tell you certain things which would convince you, but you would never know a happy day again; you would pass the rest of your life, as I pass mine, a haunted man, a man who has seen hell.’”

Now, except for the writings of my friend Jude Klinger, I don’t read much horror.

But for some reason this book called out to me. Stephen King called it one of the greatest horror stories ever. Maybe it was that recommendation.

Whatever the reason, it seemed to me more mysterious than horrific. And maybe reading Frankenstein last year prompted me to believe – to know – that the world is full of insufficiently reflective men meddling with powers they cannot possibly fathom. They may be conjured up in fiction, but they undoubtedly exist in our world too.

8. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

“‘They’re such beautiful shirts,’ she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. ‘It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such - such beautiful shirts before.’”

Our gents book club read this for our first book of the year. And we and our wives gathered for a lovely dinner to discuss it.

I read the book about 25 years ago. I hated it then and a re-reading reaffirmed my extreme distaste for the book and nearly every character in it. They are, even Nick, callow schmucks.

9. The Journey to the East by Hermann Hesse

“As it has been my destiny to take part in a great experience, and having had the good fortune to belong to the League and allowed to share in that unique journey, the wonder of which blazed like a meteor and afterwards sank into oblivion – even falling into disrepute – I have now decided to attempt a short description of this incredible journey.”

One of my all-time favorite books! I am hosting a book conversation on it on Thursday, April 16th at 6:00pm ET. You can sign up to join us here!

10. The Penguin Book of Dragons

“People who deny the existence of dragons are often eaten by dragons. From within.”
-- Ursula K. Le Guin

Reading it coincided with the latest episode of The Emerald podcast, on dragons and serpents. From ancient times to modern times, in the ages of the pagans and in the Christian era, we have marveled at, fought, tempted and condemned dragons. We have sought their destruction, their blessing, their fire and their treasure. Donkey even found the love of a Dragon, so perhaps we too can take a step into the dragon’s liar.

11. Liturgies of the Wild by Martin Shaw (audiobook)

“Can you remember what it feels like to have something come apart in your hands, again and again? The shame in that? The flush of the cheek and the resolve to continue even as you burn with embarrassment. There is no distance left to run, you simply have to stay with it. Within fairy tales, silence can have a variety of qualities and is substantial in its power and influence. When words are formed, they come from the pathos of the weight of the space around them. It’s not just rat-a-tat-tat. Initiatory silence has the quality of the brood whilst the eggs incubate; it has less spillage, it’s refined, there’s more acuity to it. It’s a dimension that religious orders and mythical folk the world over understand. I know a young African girl who deliberately goes into silence once a week for a full day, to steady herself. Confirm her own fundament. It’s to do with a certain deliberateness, a kind of yoga of the soul. It’s not secrecy but privacy. We get thinned out without it, and it’s much easier to fool.”

I pre-ordered this book so it arrived on the day of its release. My friend Sherry Shenoda reminded me that Shaw is best listened to, rather than read. How right she is! His voice and cadence lend heart to his tales.

I liked it, I didn’t love it, although my sense is that’s more to do with me than Shaw. I want to return to the myths myself. Unmediated by interpreters. I want to find out what I make of them myself.

12. The Big Book of Health and Fitness by Philip Maffetone

“We can break free from the devastating ravages of foods that make us sick and the disease-care system that is more interested in its own financial welfare than in genuine and effective health care. And we can do it by assuming greater responsibility for our own health.”

I found out about Maffetone a dozen years ago through Christopher McDougall’s Natural Born Heroes, one of my favorite all-time books. I read it, implemented much of Maffetone’s lessons, felt great but slowly over the years, fell away. Late last year, I re-committed to improving my health, even if -- given my congenital heart defect -- that improvement was quite modest. That’s okay. The effort matters. The mindset matters. To paraphrase Lord Krishna in The Bhagavad Gita, I must make the effort but leave the results to the Lord.

I won’t delve here into Maffetone’s approach. Some people would love it, others dislike it. I will only say that the closer I follow his counsel, the better I personally feel.

13. Fixing Your Feet by John Vonhof and Tonya Olson

“So the point here is that you need to put lots of miles on your feet in order to train them for long conditions. You can run 10 miles a day, day after day, and then try to do a 50-miler, and odds are that you’ll have problems. You have 10- to 15-mile feet – not 50-mile feet. This applies to walking, running, adventure racing, hiking, and any activity where you use your feet.”

Since 2020, I’ve experienced a steady stream of foot and ankle issues. It started with a painful rash, which abated. Then came deep soreness and pain. I probably caused some by overuse and poor ramp-up in my training. Some may be due to muscle weakness in my feet, legs and elsewhere. Other factors may include downstream effects of my heart defect. The last three years have proven especially fitful. Lots of foot challenges. I turned to this book not as a panacea, but to remind me of the importance of basics. Things like -- the foot-sock-shoe match matters. And to treat each new shoe purchase as starting over. (Two years ago, fearful New Balance would discontinue the model of shoe I’d been wearing, I purchased 6 pairs. The first two worked fine. Pair #3 killed my feet -- in a debilitating manner. Of pairs #4, #5 and #6, I’ve been able to wear one; the rest I donated to Goodwill.)

If you do adventure or long-distance sports, this book offers a huge wealth of tips and advice. Even for me, it reminded me of the importance of the basics. In 2026, so far, so good with my feet. Hopefully I can slowly ramp up to longer walks and rucks like I was doing until mid-2023.

(This article contains Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, which means that by buying from these links, you are supporting Solvitur Ambulando. Thank you!)

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Welcome to Walks of Life, the podcast companion to Solvitur Ambulando. Today's guest is , a longtime friend who writes The Conservative Wahoo blog on Substack. Bryan recently retired after a career as an officer in the United States Navy and then as a naval strategist, consultant and advocate. In the Navy, he served as a surface warfare officer, winning the prestigious Admiral Elmo Zumwalt Award for Inspirational Leadership, and then the ship he commanded, the USS Bulkeley, won the USS Arizona Memorial Trophy as the most combat-ready ship in the Navy. He retired with the rank of Commander and turned his energies to consulting on naval matters, tirelessly advocating for a modern, mighty and ever-ready US Navy. He lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. In his writings and in conversation, I always find Bryan a wellspring of clarity and wisdom. I've been eager to interview Bryan for a long time and I know you'll enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Episode Links

• Bryan’s blog, The Conservative Wahoo

• The Quiet Warrior: A Biography of Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, by Thomas Buell

• Wielding the Trident: Admiral Raymond A. Spruance and America’s Victory in the Pacific, by Andrew K. Blackley (to be released March 17, 2026)

• Unconventional Success: A Fundamental Approach to Personal Investment, by David Swensen

(This article contains Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, which means that by buying from these links, you are supporting Solvitur Ambulando. Thank you!)

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A few years ago, I – and the rest of the business world – read Oliver Burkeman’s take on modern productivity, Four Thousand Weeks. Like virtually everything from every business book I’ve ever read, I immediately forgot almost everything in it. One small part remained with me: Burkeman described an exercise required by Harvard art professor Jennifer Roberts, in which students stare at a painting for three straight hours. No phone, no talking with friends.

One painting. Three straight hours.

Burkeman describes the exercise and his experience doing it, and it’s worth quoting at length:

“In more and more contexts, patience becomes a form of power. In a world geared for hurry, the capacity to resist the urge to hurry—to allow things to take the time they take—is a way to gain purchase on the world, to do the work that counts, and to derive satisfaction from the doing itself, instead of deferring all your fulfillment to the future.

“I first learned this lesson from Jennifer Roberts, who teaches art history at Harvard University. When you take a class with Roberts, your initial assignment is always the same, and it’s one that has been known to elicit yelps of horror from her students: choose a painting or sculpture in a local museum, then go and look at it for three hours straight. No checking email or social media; no quick runs to Starbucks. (She reluctantly concedes that bathroom breaks are allowed.) When I told a friend I planned to visit Harvard to meet Roberts, and to undertake the painting-viewing exercise myself, he gave me a look that mixed admiration with fear for my sanity, as though I’d announced an intention to kayak the Amazon alone. And he wasn’t entirely wrong to worry about my mental health. There were long moments, as I squirmed in my seat at the Harvard Art Museum during the assignment, when I’d willingly have done countless things I usually can’t stand—shopping for clothes, assembling flat-pack furniture, stabbing myself in the thigh with thumbtacks—simply because I could have done them in a rush, instead of having to be patient.

“Such reactions come as no surprise to Roberts. She insists on the exercise lasting three hours precisely because she knows it’s a painfully long time, especially for anyone accustomed to a life of speed. She wants people to experience firsthand how strangely excruciating it is to be stuck in position, unable to force the pace, and why it’s so worthwhile to push past those feelings to what lies beyond. The idea first arose, Roberts told me, because her students faced so many external pressures to move fast—from digital technology, but also from Harvard’s ultracompetitive atmosphere—that she began to feel it was insufficient for a teacher like her merely to hand out assignments and wait for the results. She felt she would be failing in her duties if she didn’t also attempt to influence the tempo at which her students worked, helping them slow down to the speed that art demands. “They needed someone to give them permission to spend this kind of time on anything,” she said. “Somebody had to give them a different set of rules and constraints than the ones that were dominating their lives.”

“Certain art forms impose temporal restraints on their audience in a rather obvious way: when you watch, say, a live performance of The Marriage of Figaro or a screening of Lawrence of Arabia, you don’t have much choice but to let the work in question take its time. But other kinds, including painting, benefit from external restraints—because it’s all too easy to tell yourself that once you’ve taken a couple of seconds to look at a painting, you’ve thereby genuinely seen it. So to prevent her students from rushing the assignment, Roberts had to make “not rushing” the assignment itself.

“She undertook the exercise herself, too, with a painting called Boy with a Squirrel, by the American artist John Singleton Copley. (It shows a boy with a squirrel.) “It took me nine minutes to notice that the shape of the boy’s ear precisely echoes that of the ruff along the squirrel’s belly,” Roberts later wrote, “and that Copley was making some kind of connection between the animal and the human body … It took a good 45 minutes before I realized that the seemingly random folds and wrinkles in the background curtain were actually perfect copies of the boy’s ear and eye.”

“There is nothing passive or resigned about the kind of patience that arises from this effort to resist the urge to hurry. On the contrary, it’s an active, almost muscular state of alert presence—and its benefits, as we’ll see, extend far beyond art appreciation. But for the record, here is what happens when you spend three unbroken hours in a small foldout seat at the Harvard Art Museum looking at Cotton Merchants in New Orleans, a painting by Edgar Degas, with your phone, laptop, and other distractions stowed out of reach in the cloakroom: You spend the first forty minutes wondering what on earth you’d been thinking. You remember—how could you ever have forgotten?—that you’ve always hated art galleries, especially the way their shuffling crowds of visitors impart a sort of contagious lethargy to the air. You contemplate switching paintings, from a work that now strikes you as a self-evidently tedious choice (it shows three men, in a room, inspecting some bales of cotton) to a nearby alternative, which seems to show many tiny souls being tortured in hell. But then you’re forced to admit to yourself that making a fresh start, by picking a new painting, would be to succumb to the very impatience you’re here to learn to resist—an attempt to seize control over your experience in precisely the way you’re seeking to avoid. And so you wait. Grumpiness gives way to fatigue, then restless irritation. Time slows and sags. You wonder if an hour has passed, but when you check your watch, you find it’s been seventeen minutes.

“And then, around the eighty-minute mark, but without your noticing precisely when or how it happens, there’s a shift. You finally give up attempting to escape the discomfort of time passing so slowly, and the discomfort abates. And the Degas begins to reveal its secret details: subtle expressions of watchfulness and sadness on the faces of the three men—one of whom, you notice properly for the first time, is a Black merchant in an otherwise white milieu—plus an unexplained shadow you hadn’t previously seen, as if a fourth person were lurking out of view; and a curious optical illusion that renders one of the figures either conventionally solid or transparent, like a ghost, depending on how your eyes interpret the painting’s other lines. Before long, you’re experiencing the scene in all its sensory fullness: the humidity and claustrophobia of that room in New Orleans, the creak of the floorboards, the taste of dust in the air.

“The second-order change has occurred: now that you’ve abandoned your futile efforts to dictate the speed at which the experience moves, the real experience can begin. And you start to understand what the philosopher Robert Grudin means when he describes the experience of patience as “tangible, almost edible,” as if it gives things a kind of chewiness—the word is inadequate, but it’s the closest one there is—into which you can sink your teeth. Your reward for surrendering the fantasy of controlling the pace of reality is to achieve, at last, a real sense of purchase on that reality. Or, to use the Britishism, of really getting stuck in to life.”1 (Italics in original)

This one section of the book stayed with me for years. I mean, three hours?! I would bet an not inconsiderable amount of money that the average museum-goer spends an average of a minute or less per painting, the aim generally to see as much of a museum as possible in the finite time allotted by the traveler to that specific place. When my family and I visited the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay last summer, I can’t recall ever spending more than five minutes at a single work of art – and we spent that much time because we followed a guide who would stop us to explain aspects of certain pieces.

Again, the Roberts exercise stayed with me. At some point, I resolved to do it myself.

Happily, last summer I bought a painting by a French-Canadian artist, Jean Claude Roy, whom I had admired since viewing some of his pieces in the gallery at the Asheville Grand Bohemian Lodge a while back. This piece seized my attention the moment I saw it – so much yellow amidst other works with copious shades of blue, green, or perhaps red. And I spied a fisherman in the stream, wearing an orange cap. Ah ha! Love!

It has hung in my office in downtown Louisville since August, and has brightened my days since then. What better painting to try my hand at than the Roberts exercise?

My first observation: finding and then actually taking three straight hours to do this exercise proved challenging. I figured that’d be the case, so I pre-booked three hours on three separate days in late January to mid-February, assuming I could make one of them work. The first came, and other tasks intervened. The second came – same thing – other urgent tasks crowded in. The third one came and I resolved not to let it slip through. I held fast and completed the exercise last Wednesday, February 18th.

First Hour: What

I brought my chair around to face the painting. I kept my pen and journal nearby, as I wanted to record my impressions, and what I actually did, for use in this essay. My phone stayed on my desk. I started a three hour timer. Besides glancing over to the phone for a time-check four times, I did nothing with my phone during those three hours. I didn’t touch it.

Now, I am no Straussian. But I honor the artist or writer I’ve engaged with by assuming they have made the choices they have made for a reason. Maybe a good reason, maybe a poor one – but they had some definite aim in mind when choosing to craft their piece, and they made decisions in order to achieve that aim.

So in the first hour, I found myself examining What was going on in the painting. As a kid, I wanted to become a detective; I loved reading Encyclopedia Brown, the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. (And of course in adulthood I love Sherlock Holmes). A few years ago, I applied for a job. As part of the application process, they had me take the Kolbe A test. My results revealed that when I face a new situation, my default approach is to research it. That Kolbe A test illuminated my innate makeup more than any other test I’ve taken – Enneagram, Myers-Briggs, anything. I want to research. I want to play detective.

In that first hour, I scrutinized the painting, asking myself, What is going on in it? What have I missed before? What patterns exist?

I stood up from my chair and walked close to the painting. I viewed it from both sides. I knelt down and peered up at it. I felt my brows furrowing and my lips pursing in curiosity. I also found myself smiling at the challenge.

The first time I saw the painting, at the Grand Bohemian Lodge, I instantly seized upon the fisherman in the left foreground, in the orange cap. It took a couple moments before I saw a second fisherman, to the right. And only after I had agreed to purchase the work did I dimly observe, in the distance, barely in the water, a third fisherman.

Similarly, my pen hummed with new observations coming at me thick and fast. Here’s a sampling of those notes:

All yellow - the sky - yellow-orange

The sun is not really yellow -- white and surrounded by orange with a black V at the bottom - first noted by Amy as she was hanging the painting in my office

The water looks like a trout

The left foreground fisherman is catching a fish -- rod bent with the tension and weight of a fish on the line

In what seemed to me initially a very yellow sky - there are tinges of white - even blue beneath the sun - and orange

Gray cliffs in middle – look like a sleeping Homer Simpson

It just looks like a nice day for a fishing trip

In summary, I tried to view the painting in its entirety and its details to determine: What is going on here?

Second Hour: Why

After a short bathroom break (blessedly allowed by Roberts for this exercise, whew!) I returned and resumed my staring. I kept asking my What question, and it birthed a growing set of Why, or “What Really” questions. Again, let me share a sampling of my notes:

Much more pink in this painting than I initially saw.

What a curious place to build that red building – rocky, no trees, no shade. Why not build it on the brown ridge to the far right? Except that where it is, you can see the building clearly

The red building on the gray clift: is that really a church or a schoolhouse?

Why does the red building sit higher in the painting than the sun?

My eyes go to the triangle formed by the red building, the sun, and the lower-left fisherman in the orange cap. What’s in that triangle? What’s in the middle of it? And what is outside that triangle?

Why did Roy paint the scene in this way?

The church/schoolhouse – sun – lower left fisherman triangle – right in the middle of that triangle is a dark space, a dark swirl. What is that dark space? A bunch of dead trees? Some odd space between the lower grass/trees and the gray cliffs? Why is that dark spot so prominent in the middle of that triangle? There is a little texture / protrusion of paint there too – it sits up from the canvas like a dark eye

The V under the sun is pointing to the fisherman by the shore. Roy wants us to see that fisherman, as I did: he wears the bright cap, he is catching a fish, he stands in bright water, the V of the sun points at him!

Don’t forget the frame. Roy matches his frames with each painting. Why did he choose this frame?

Why did Roy decide to paint this scene?

Now, I don’t know whether Roy really had reasons for these decisions or whether he made them impulsively or on the fly. But assuming he had reasons allowed me to explore the painting at a new, deeper level. It pulled back veils of meaning which enriched my engagement with and enjoyment of the work. It didn’t even matter that I came to good answers about my questions – the questions themselves brought me into a more intense relationship with the painting. Indeed, very often throughout the exercise, I could feel myself smiling, and mouthing silently the words, “I love this painting!”

Third Hour: Who

Time sped by in the first and second hours. No bathroom break needed now. I steamrolled on. I felt absorbed and wanted to continue my enriching engagement with the painting.

In the third hour, again my questioning made a subtle shift. The Why questions from the second hour evolved into Who questions: Who was in the painting? Was I in it, and if so, where? Who else was in it? Who exactly might those three fishermen be? And how did I experience the painting?

As in the first hour, I stood up. But now, rather than peering up close with pen and paper in hand to record minute observations, I backed up -- all the way to my office windows, perhaps 15’ away from the painting. New sensations and even new emotions welled up. Here are some final notes from my journal, some written during the third hour, but more upon reflection after the exercise ended:

Where are the birds? I can hear asking me: Where are the birds?

Is anyone in the school/church? Or has it been abandoned?

We see what we want to see

I want to be in the painting! I want to be one of the fishermen – we are meant to sympathize and identify with the lower left one – but I don’t really care which one I am – I simply wanted to be on the water

Which fisherman am I? I think the one closest to shore. Although I would totally wear that orange hat. Closest to shore and to the sun and to the church / schoolhouse. The most cautious, risk-averse of the three. The closest to doing something besides fishing.

I want to fish and climb the cliffs and see inside that church/schoolhouse – I am torn. Yes, I’m in the water but just barely.

If it’s a church, I want to pray inside.

Which one is Rudy [my father-in-law and fishing buddy]? Who’s the third fisherman?

The three fishermen – which is the Father, which is the Son, which is the Holy Spirit? I think – lower right is the Holy Spirit. Unless you are up close, you can’t tell he’s fishing. His rod is a thin, ghost-like line. I think the one with the orange cap is the Son – active, visible (orange), in the world. I think the one by the shore is the Father. But why do I write that?

What am I missing!?

The paint texture makes it seem like the sky has cracked, which I haven’t noticed until now, or that there are vortices swirling around the sun.

As the exercise came to an end, again a welling of feeling came up in me: I love this painting!

Reflections on the Exercise

It might be obvious at this point, but just in case, let me write it down: I thoroughly enjoyed this exercise. And it significantly enhanced my attachment to and appreciation of a piece of art I already admired and savored.

To experience myself, almost as an outside observer, delving instantly and deeply into What questions, playing detective, in a curious way reinforced the results of the Kolbe A test. When given a chunk of time, what do I do? I research. I ask: What and Why. I engage with my mind which then enhances my emotional connection.

I found it surprising that, contrary to the experience of Burkeman, Roberts and apparently most students, I instantly and deeply connected with this exercise. I did not fight myself to put down the phone. (Ah, you might fairly ask, would you have enjoyed it as much if you couldn’t have your pen and paper? A provocative question!) Not for a moment did I miss text, email or the internet. Or even the phone. Or even the instrumental or nature sounds music I often listen to while working. I felt drawn into the painting and absorbed by the exercise itself. I felt elated.

In a profound sense, I can’t convey the feelings and wonder of this exercise. Like reading The Bhagavad Gita or The Bible, or even noble literature, like Jane Eyre, you have to do it yourself.

One point of pondering has come to me since finishing this exercise. In his and Alex Tabarrok’s daily economics blog, which I read and admire, Tyler Cowen often defends social media, the internet and smartphones against their detractors. In brief, he views the content available as salutary and beneficial, at least by many people and at least potentially, and often unavailable to people any other way. My feeling is that Cowen is wrong, but let’s be clear – he’s far smarter than me, and if he and I disagree, you should probably bet on his view.

But a different tack on the issue is highlighted by technology and culture analyst Cal Newport in a recent essay, “Film Students Can No Longer Sit Through Films.” I think he latches onto something that, perhaps, Cowen has missed. It is not the content of social media and smartphones that is causing us such societal guttural pains.

It is the scrolling itself.

The very action of quickly and with the barest of intellectual attachment moving to the next thing – whatever it is, cat memes, photos of your kids, the latest non-news on Savannah Guthrie’s mom, or suffering children in another part of town or another part of the world – causes somatic shifts in our minds and bodies that we, deep down, find profoundly troubling.

Were we humans meant to scroll, taking in snippets of a rapidly passing global experience? Or to stare, with fixed attention, appreciating our corner of the world and our place in it?

I can’t answer for all humans, of course. But last week, I found the answer for myself.

(This article contains Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, which means that by buying from these links, you are supporting Solvitur Ambulando. Thank you!)

Last year, I began publishing quarterly reviews of the books I’d read in the previous three months. In my announcement I joked that I’d made the change “in response to a diminishing number of requests,” which was true: no one had ever asked me to publish book reviews more frequently.

However, since I began writing this august newsletter, many people have asked me when I would start a book club. Now, I don’t know about a full-blown club, but today I’m really excited to announce the first “Solvitur Ambulando Book Conversation.”

For this first foray, we’ll discuss a book I have loved since I initially read it in my senior year of high school, and which I’ve re-read numerous times, and which I still love today:

Hermann Hesse’s Journey to the East

Hesse remains one of my very favorite authors. And more than any of his novels, I return again and again to this one: more than Siddhartha, more than Steppenwolf, more than Narcissus and Goldmund, more than Demian, more than the Glass Bead Game, which ostensibly won Hesse the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946.

I won’t describe the book further; I hope you’ll consider picking it up — or reading it again — with me. It’s a short book, really a novella — 100 pages or so depending on the version.

Join me for a fun (and free) discussion of Journey to the East!
Date: Thursday, April 16th
Time: 6:00pm to 7:30pm ET

Please sign up here and I will send you the login details.

Sign me up!

Join H.H., Leo, Albertus Magnus, Tristam Shandy, Paul Klee and me as we journey to the east!

(This article contains Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, which means that by buying from these links, you are supporting Solvitur Ambulando. Thank you!)

I listened to Klosterman’s interview on the Art of Manliness podcast and decided to check out the book. It goes quickly and Klosterman does an impressive job dissecting an array of football topics:

• why football and TV pair perfectly;

• what Canadian football got wrong;

• why Colin Kaepernick’s protests failed;

• the inherent silliness of “America’s Team”;

• the crazy devotion to high school football and in Texas;

• CTE and the physical, mental and emotional toll on players;

• how many black quarterbacks – and kickers – there should be;

• the nature of greatness and who’s the greatest football player of all time;

• and why football, amidst its greatest stranglehold on American culture, is doomed to crash.

Here’s Klosterman contemplating these issues, as only he can:

“Should strangers be allowed to do very dangerous, very popular things?”

“There’s no reason to value life if we’re not going to value living.”

“Bookmakers know things that cannot be known.”

“Pervasive institutional control, so entrenched that it’s become unremarkable, is both the facilitator for society’s overall enhancement and the reason so many individuals within that society feel alienated by the very things that make life easier. Everything was upgraded and nothing got better....Football is a chaotic replication of bureaucratic life.”

“What is already happening, and what will continue to happen, is that the evolution of American culture is in direct opposition to the culture of American football. The sport, in almost every way, is a contradiction of what enlightened people are supposed to want. It conflicts with how modern people are socialized to think, subverting the symbolic meaning of what football represents.”

“The larger problem is this widespread social conviction that humanity is always improving, and that any greatness we see or experience must therefore represent the highest order of those qualities. I think that’s backward.”

“The Dallas Cowboys’ designation as “America’s Team” is the most remarkable modifier in all of sport, a disposable marketing term that became a mystery of faith. It’s an irony so ironical that describing its ethos feels like the epigraph of a Joseph Heller novel: Everyone accepts it, but no one believes it.”

“Canada did its best, but Canada fucked up. And now the Canadians just have to live with it.”

Listening to the podcast and reading the book coincided with something I’ve noticed in the last few years -- my interest in football has declined precipitously. I’ve explored many possible reasons for that diminishment: kids and family life; having two girls and despite the best marketing efforts of the NFL, they simply ain’t that into it; the fact I picked the wrong 35 years to root for the Washington Redskins - Football Team - Commanders (and what a terrible name they ended up with); the fact I don’t play fantasy football or bet on any sports (or really anything); the increasing moral dubiousness of supporting men playing a sport that undoubtedly damages their health, however enriching in many ways they may find it; among others I’ve pondered.

But none of those quite seemed correct. Klosterman’s theory that the conflicting values of upstanding America and of football also didn’t explain my agitation. Maybe they fed into my diminishing interest but none really explained it.

Instead, my tepid feelings come as a reaction to the increasingly pervasive and fervid reach r of the sport itself. The almost imperialism of football within American life – specifically the NFL, but also college football – demanding attention. In the 1950s, NFL teams played 12 regular season games per year. In 1961, it became 14 games. As I was growing up, the regular season lasted 16 games. Now it’s 17 games across 18 weeks. And if you think they’re stopping there, I wouldn’t take that bet. Soon, it’ll be 18 regular season games, then 20. The American market seems saturated, so the NFL looks abroad – Mexico City, Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Madrid, São Paulo, London and Dublin have all hosted games in the past three seasons, with Paris on deck for the 2026 season.

From one long-form NFL show — Sunday NFL Countdown on ESPN — and pre-game shows, we now have dozens of daily and weekly pro football shows to watch, plus literally hundreds of national, syndicated or local radio shows. (The Kevin Sheehan Show in DC produced one of my all-time favorite callers in 2013: “Uh, Kevin, I’m looking at this roster and I don’t see how this team goes anything except 16-0.” Kevin and his compadres laughed him off the show. The Redskins finished the season 3-13.)

As I was growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, the football season and Super Bowl dominated media coverage of the game. Then came increased attention on the annual Draft, which led to greater scrutiny of the Combine. Free agency and the salary cap and exploding salaries added interest to the personal and economic stories of the players. The NIKE-fication of the University of Oregon football team, with new jersey and helmet designs each week, spilled over to all of college football and into the NFL. Every team releases a story about the uniforms it’ll wear that week. Mean Joe Greene and Jack Lambert must be losing their minds. They wore one uniform of one color every game, every season – brown mud.

I feel like a player dogpiled by ads, marketing, media, the League itself, players: all demanding more, more, more attention from me. Watch me, see us, buy this, bet on that, support our social justice causes, wear our throwbacks (except the Redskins), pay attention NOW and ALWAYS to football!

And I feel tired of it all, tired by it all. I don’t want to keep up, I don’t want to watch, I don’t want to bet. It feels like yet another Dave Matthews Band album. I’m exhausted and I’m making the only act of protest I can – turning off the TV more and more.

When I purchased Football, I also bought two other books on the game: The Football 100, examining the best pro players of all-time; and Why We Love Football by Joe Posnanski. After Klosterman’s Football, true to my sentiments about the game itself, I put the other two away on my bookshelf, unopened and barely touched. One book on football was more than enough for this year.

And I take comfort that pitchers and catchers begin reporting on February 10th.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ll still watch the Super Bowl this weekend (Go Patriots). I still think the Hall of Fame voters should be publicly censured for not voting in Bill Belichick on the first ballot. I’ll still laugh at these football quotes:

“I mean, it’s like the hokey pokey. Put your right foot in, you take your right foot out, you put your right foot in, you shake it all about. You do the hokey pokey and turn yourself around. Boom! That’s what it’s all about.” – “John Madden” talking with David Letterman, not quoted in Klosterman’s book.

“When you see butt sweat like that, you know that guy is giving his all.” – John Madden, also not quoted in Klosterman’s book.

“This is a football.” – Reportedly said by Dan Dierdorf. Or John Madden. Or in spoofs of them. Also not quoted in Klosterman’s book.

And some of my favorite times next season, and every season, will be when Stephen A. Smith dons his cowboy hat and cigar to laugh his ass off following another loss by the Dallas Cowboys.

@stephenasmithWell, well, well. I reckon those COWBOYS have just been eliminated from the playoffs 😂😂😂😂

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Miscellaneous Miscellany

• ’s 10 reasons to read great literature in 2026 — and every year.

• Last year, I wrote a review of the war diaries of Lieutenant General Geoffrey Keyes, an important aide to General George S. Patton, among others, during the Second World War, for the Army Historical Foundation.

• Last summer, Ferris Bueller’s vest sold for pretty much the cost of an average American home.

• A good beginner’s guide to the Ramayana and Mahabharata. (h/t Marginal Revolution)

• investigates how China became the world’s largest shipbuilder.

• Cal Newport examines those morning routines you think you should be doing.

• New books in my library: The Philokalia: A Selection; Jane Eyre (thanks, Charles!); Emma: 200th Anniversary Annotated Edition; What Would Socrates Say? (thanks, Neil!); East Goes West (thanks, Mark!); The English and Their History; and Swann’s Way (thanks, Jesse!)

• Oh, you’ve never seen Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd rap? Well, now you have.

(This article contains Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, which means by buying from these links, you are supporting Solvitur Ambulando. Thank you!)

A few years ago, a friend gave me a pamphlet for Holy Hills Hermitage, a small retreat center about 90 minutes from Louisville. In the midst of my Mom’s declining health, and other hustle and bustle of life, Holy Hills called to me – to pause, to take a step away, to immerse myself in the natural sounds and sights I’d felt a deep yearning for.

In the earliest days of autumn, I drove down for a day. The Hermitage was barely a year old when I visited, but I instantly felt at home and at peace. I spent only a few hours, but they fulfilled and restored me. I walked. I visited the pond and perched for a long spell on a nearby bench. I simply stayed still. I walked through the then-tiny Memorial Tree Garden. I wrote in my journal. I listened.

For a few hours, I felt, and felt surrounded by, stillness and peace.

I returned for a day in the summer of 2024. Again, glorious nature and happy tranquility.

As Mom’s health deteriorated in late summer 2025, I spent a night at Holy Hills. That time, surrounded by peace, brought courage to my heart so that I could be with Mom, fully – as starkly as any mortal can be with someone as they cross the passage into eternity – in her final days. At the least, I felt better prepared in my heart because of that visit to the Hermitage.

I really can’t speak highly enough about taking even a few hours away, even once a year. We are bombarded – assaulted – by the synthetic din, noise and brightness in our modern lives. Even a brief time away helps restore our hearts to balance.

Late last year, I happily joined the Board of Directors of Holy Hills Hermitage. I look forward to helping it thrive as a retreat center of natural beauty, to encourage inner stillness and revered connection with our inner and outer worlds.

If you live near Louisville, I encourage you to spend a few hours or an overnight or two or more at the Hermitage. (Even if you don’t live near Louisville, it’s a place worth traveling to!) Or find a quiet, perhaps very small, place of refuge near your home.

For more details about the Hermitage, check out the FAQs or reach out to me. To inquire about a retreat for an individual or small group, please reach out to the Hermitage Manager.

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Happy New Year! 2025 turned out to be a wonderful year of reading for me — I delved into Traditionalism, re-learned what a joy and fun great literature can be, renewed my deep affection for that greatest of fictional (?) detectives, and continued my readings in mythology from around the world. Also for the first time since college, I read several books in community. I wondered how much I would enjoy reading in a book club and in other communities. It turned out: I loved it! What a fantastic expansion of my reading experience in 2025!

Below you can see my reviews of the books I read in the fourth quarter — and links to Q1, Q2 and Q3 are below them.

May this New Year — 2026 — bring you joy, friendship and fulfillment. And of course I hope you enjoy a beautiful walk today, and every day. Onward! A Joyful New Year to all the world!

1. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

“But it is a still greater evil to me that I am self-educated”

“He is so gentle, yet so wise”

“My temper was sometimes violent, and my passions vehement; but by some law in my temperature they were turned not toward childish pursuits but to an eager desire to learn....It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn.”

“I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation.”

Published in 1818, over two centuries ago, the Gents Books Club read this novel in October, but alas, I could not attend the meeting. I felt the loss keenly as I found this book attractive and repulsive.

My dominant takeaway: Even 200 years ago, people could grasp the potential terrors incumbent on a society which had abandoned even the pretense of initiation for men. Beware the merely self-educated. Beware the man of genius without a guru, guidance, limits. Beware the uninitiated man.

2. Dracula by Bram Stoker

“When we started, the crowd round the inn door, which had by this time swelled to a considerable size, all made the sign of the cross and pointed two fingers towards me. With some difficulty I got a fellow-passenger to tell me what they meant; he would not answer at first, but on learning that I was English he explained that it was a charm or guard against the evil eye.”

I read Dracula this year along with the Substack, Dracula Daily. I’m glad I did so — it demonstrated the actual lapsing of time in the story and offered a new way for me to experience the novel. But overall I liked the Daily Dracula far less than reading the novel. Reading the novel assures a certain tension, a particular drama of events that I found lacking when stretched to the actual 6 months. Still, if you have never read Dracula, ah, ah, ah, my friend....you simply do not know what you are missing. So light a fire, rest your feet on an Ottoman, and take heed of the supernatural in our all-too-fragile natural world.

3. The Secret History by Donna Tartt

““It’s a terrible thing, what we did,” said Francis abruptly. “I mean, this man was not Voltaire we killed. But still. It’s a shame. I feel bad about it.”

““Well, of course, I do too,” said Henry matter-of-factly. “But not bad enough to want to go to jail for it.””

Another book read by our Gents Books Club. In the 30-plus years since its publication, it has garnered an enormous cult following — podcasts dedicated to it, online groups, Reddit subs and much more. As one of our bookclub friends noted, it so clearly portrays a thin moment in time in a very specific setting. And the book does so with wonderful success. For me, the book provides a meditation on the young, especially young men, living in a society which has forgotten how to initiate them, or why such initiation played a crucial societal role for thousands of generations. And ultimately the book raises difficult questions about the advisability of smart, talented young men walking around in that uninitiated state. And the supreme danger of young men attempting to initiate themselves. Any thoughtful observer knew Napoleon’s days were numbers once he crowned himself Emperor. Even Jesus let Himself be baptized by another. We cannot initiate ourselves into the mysteries of this universe.

4. The Essential Ananda K. Coomaraswamy

5. Am I My Brother’s Keeper? by Ananda K. Coomaraswamy

6. Selected Letters of Ananda Coomaraswamy

“What better homage to his [Coomaraswamy’s] memory can one find than to join him in striking a blow or two in the battle of Kurukshetra, which is ever with us? No need to look far afield for opportunities; one’s daily occupations, one’s home with its furnishings, how one spends one’s leisure time, what one chooses to wear or not to wear and for what reason, all these things together contribute a field of battle adequate to the powers of any normal person” – Marco Pallis, in his Prologue to The Essential Ananda K. Coomaraswamy

“As for Hinduism and Buddhism, Plato and St Thomas Aquinas, you see differences where I see essentially sameness.”

“In any case, let me say, speaking for Hindus as to Christians, that even if you are not with us, we are with you.”

These three books offer excellent introductions to Coomaraswamy’s views on the Perennial Philosophy. Looking back, I should have read them before his book Hinduism and Buddhism, and now I will go back and re-read that book. Comaraswamy is a tough, cogent, hard-hitting writer, unyielding in his hard questioning of philosophers, religious figures and writers who dare to write of the great traditions of the East without having read and studied their magnificent Scriptures in their original languages. In that sense, his writings become a beacon of humility — a suggestion that we come to evaluate more honestly that which we do not know. And in doing so, we prostrate ourselves in fitting humility before the Divine Mystery of the Universe. Coomaraswamy has thus already become one of the great teachers of my life.

7. The Way and the Mountain by Marco Pallis

“[O]ne of the commonest obstacles in the way of spiritual development is the existence, in greater or lesser measure, of a contradiction between the outward and inward life of the being.”

As with Coomaraswamy, 2025 represents my introduction to Marco Pallis. His Peaks and Lamas might be my book of the year. I loved this book of his essays as well. Pallis traveled to Tibet in the 1930s and 1940s, and eventually became initiated into Tibetan Buddhism, taking the name Thubden Tendzin. Like Coomaraswamy, he viewed the essential rightness of the Perennial Philosophy, or, as he called it, Tradition. He found himself especially drawn to the Tibetan Buddhist manifestation of that Tradition — or did it call to him? — and he spent the greater part of his life bringing a more profound appreciation of that Tradition to the West.

8. Set Your Story Free: The Writer's Guide to Freewrite edited by Annie Cosby with Colin Butts

“Just let the thoughts flow.”

Since I began using Freewrite devices, I’d wanted to read their manifesto, as it were. Good overview of “freewriting” and why it offers a useful approach for writers. As I’ve written elsewhere, nothing has affected my writing process as much as Freewrite this year. An excellent, and needed, addition to my process.

9. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

““It’s Christmas Day!” said Scrooge to himself. “I haven’t missed it. The Spirits have done it all in one night. They can do anything they like. Of course they can. Of course they can.””

My full review of my 30th annual reading of this lovely story is here. My old political philosophy professor, Fr. James Schall, S.J., used to say that if you’ve only read a book once, you really haven’t read it. My 30th reading of this book made me wonder whether he meant to say, “If you’ve only read a book 29 times, you really haven’t read it.”

10. A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

“Like all other arts, the Science of Deduction and Analysis is one which can only be acquired by long and patient study, nor is life long enough to allow any mortal to attain the highest possible perfection in it.”

For Christmas, I received the Lego Sherlock Holmes book nook set. I delighted enormously in building it and now it happily resides in my library next to my Holmes collection of books. Even though I’d read The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes early this year, the build inspired me to re-read this first Holmes novel. Ah, I delighted in reading the words of “John H. Watson MD, late of the Army Medical Department,” as he introduces us to this curious character, this “consulting detective,” who has so palpably affected our imaginations for well over a century.

(This article contains Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

You read a book 29 times and you know it, right? I mean, you hear a song 29 times, and you’ve memorized it — every word, every chord, every beat. Right?

As I read A Christmas Carol this year — my 30th annual reading between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve — it increasingly dawned on me that I had missed a fundamental part of the story. Sure, I read it and I knew it. But I didn’t truly internalize it or appreciate its significance.

What had escaped me for nearly three decades?

Scrooge transformed in one night.

““What’s today, my fine fellow?” said Scrooge.

““To-day!” replied the boy. “Why, CHRISTMAS DAY.”

““It’s Christmas Day!” said Scrooge to himself. “I haven’t missed it. The Spirits have done it all in one night. They can do anything they like. Of course they can. Of course they can.””

In fact, from the first scene to which the Ghost of Christmas Past transports Scrooge, we can tell some magical alteration is afoot. He instantly becomes giddy at the sight of his old school:

““Good Heaven!,” said Scrooge, “I was bred in this place. I was a boy here!”

““Your lip is trembling,” said the Ghost, “And what is that upon your cheek?”

“Scrooge muttered, with an unusual catching in his voice, that it was a pimple; and begged the Ghost to lead him where he would.

““You recollect the way?” inquired the Spirit.

““Remember it!” cried Scrooge with fervour — “I could walk it blindfold.””

He behaves so differently, so contrary to how we view him at the beginning of the book, that he already appears as an altered man. The rest of his experiences with the Three Spirits complete this rehabilitation. The book ends with Scrooge waking up on Christmas Day as a totally new man:

“He became as a good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew”

The message I took from this year’s reading — change, improvement, reform, redemption — can happen quickly. In a day, a night, a weekend.

And not only in one aspect of life. Many of them, or even all of them. Scrooge had become submerged in many sins — greed, avarice, unfeelingness toward his fellows, profound remoteness (“secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster”), single-minded focus on himself and his money, and venomous miserliness. The Three Spirits did not chisel away at one of these sins during the night. They thrashed all of them. All at once. So that when he rose on Christmas Day, his old self lay in ruins — completely, to the core. His new self had emerged, a sun to brighten the remainder of his days. It reminds me of G.K. Chesterton’s description of the arrival of St. Francis of Assisi, a symbol of the end of the Dark Ages:

“While it was yet twilight a figure appeared silently and suddenly on a little hill above the city, dark against the fading darkness. For it was the end of a long and stern night, a night of vigil, not unvisited by stars. He stood with his hands lifted, as in so many statues and pictures, and about him was a burst of birds singing; and behind him was the break of day.”

Scrooge still engaged in business — his profits allowed him to assist the Cratchits and Tiny Tim. He still made money — enabling him to donate to the less fortunate. But all these aspects of life had gained a new perspective. He had attained perspective and understanding. He was reborn as a new Scrooge on that Christmas Day.

To be clear, we witness two changes by Scrooge: his “reclamation” from curmudgeonly scoundrel to noble friend, employer and citizen; and also — earlier in the novel, through his experiences with the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present — his devolution from seemingly normal young English lad to “a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!”

While his magnificent reform transpires in one night, his devolution from regular schoolboy into the unfeeling Ebenezer Scrooge takes time. We do not see it in the visions of Scrooge as a schoolboy, or even as an apprentice with Fezziwig. We only see his degradation in the exchange with his then-fiancee Belle.

“For again Scrooge saw himself. He was older now; a man in the prime of life. His face had not the harsh and rigid lines of later years; but it had begun to wear the signs of care and avarice. There was an eager, greedy, restless motion in the eye, which showed the passion that had taken root, and where the shadow of the growing tree would fall.

“He was not alone, but sat by the side of a fair young girl in a mourning dress: in whose eyes there were tears, which sparkled in the light that shone out of the Ghost of Christmas Past.

“”It matters little,” she said softly. “To you, very little. Another idol has displaced me; and, if it can cheer and comfort you in time to come as I would have tried to do, I have no just cause to grieve.”

“”What Idol has displaced you?” he rejoined.

““A golden one.”

“”This is the even-handed dealing of the world!” he said. “There is nothing on which it is so hard as poverty; and there is nothing it professes to condemn with such severity as the pursuit of wealth!”

“”You fear the world too much,” she answered gently. “All your other hopes have merged into the hope of being beyond the chance of its sordid reproach. I have seen your nobler aspirations fall off one by one, until the master passion, Gain, engrosses you. Have I not?”

“”What then?” he retorted. “Even if I have grown so much wiser, what then? I am not changed towards you.”

“She shook her head.

“”Am I?”

“”Our contract is an old one. It was made when we were both poor, and content to be so, until, in good season, we could improve our worldly fortune by our patient industry. You are changed. When it was made you were another man.”

“”I was a boy,” he said impatiently.

“”Your own feeling tells you that you were not what you are,” she returned. “I am. That which promised happiness when we were one in heart is fraught with misery now that we are two. How often and how keenly I have thought of this I will not say. It is enough that I have thought of it, and can release you.”

“”Have I ever sought release?”

“”In words. No. Never.”

“”In what, then?”

“”In a changed nature; in an altered spirit; in another atmosphere of life; another Hope as its great end. In everything that made my love of any worth or value in your sight. If this had never been between us,” said the girl, looking mildly, but with steadiness, upon him; “tell me, would you seek me out and try to win me now? Ah, no!”

“He seemed to yield to the justice of this supposition in spite of himself. But he said, with a struggle, “You think not.”

“”I would gladly think otherwise if I could,” she answered. “Heaven knows! When I have learned a Truth like this, I know how strong and irresistible it must be. But if you were free to-day, to-morrow, yesterday, can even I believe that you would choose a dowerless girl – you who, in your very confidence with her, weigh everything by Gain: or, choosing her, if for a moment you were false enough to your one guiding principle to do so, do I not know that your repentance and regret would surely follow? I do; and I release you. With a full heart, for the love of him you once were.”

“He was about to speak; but, with her head turned from him, she resumed:

“”You may – the memory of what is past half makes me hope you will — have pain in this. A very, very brief time, and you will dismiss the recollection of it gladly, as an unprofitable dream, from which it happened well that you awoke. May you be happy in the life you have chosen!”

“She left him, and they parted.”

Presumably this devolution takes time — years, or at least many months. Belle knows herself and what she’s about. She seems unlikely to have begun dating Scrooge, or become engaged to him, if she’d perceived that Gain would take over his life in the way it ultimately did. And so his decline occurs during the time of their courtship – at least from what we witness going ourselves alongside the Ghost of Christmas Past. So he declines over a year, or maybe two or three. He declines further, steeply, after Belle exits his life.

Scrooge does not perceive his change as a deterioration. He views it as more exactly appreciating the ways of the world, and what the world needs or demands. Belle — and the Ghost of Christmas Past, and we, and Scrooge alongside the Ghost of Christmas Past — clearly view it as a steep moral descent.

How, I wonder, am I different today than I was yesterday? To me, I seem the same. I perceive no difference. But what does my wife, for example, see that I do not? What do my daughters see that I do not? Or my friends? Am I really the same man today as I was yesterday? Or the day before? Or the year before? Or a decade before? I do wonder, what would they say?

I might want to ask those questions. As a dear friend once said, objective self-criticism is very hard.

Dickens suggests moral decline takes time. But again, all these years I’d missed his view of reform, or improvement.

I, for one, have this view that self-improvement takes time. Months, years, even decades — chipping away at flaws, sanding out the rough edges, tackling one area then another, and then the next.

Again, my key insight was that Scrooge reformed in one night. Nearly instantly. So perhaps Dickens has something to tell me about how I should go about my own betterment.

Don’t take my time. Do it all at once. Now.

Because, like Jacob Marley, maybe there are no Ghosts coming for me.

If you’ve never read A Christmas Carol, you will love it! You can read it in an evening. If you have read it before, consider reading it again this holiday season. You may look at it — and the world, and yourself — differently this time. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays to all the world! A Very Happy New Year, and “as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!”

Welcome to Solvitur Ambulando, which means “Solve It By Walking.” On this journey, we explore the alchemic potency of walking for sorting through life’s puzzles, exploring our world, and transforming ourselves. Like a good walk, you will encounter distinctive ideas, remarkable people and gorgeous scenery. I hope you will enjoy a beautiful walk today. And if you like what you read and hear, please

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Brrrr…Louisville got hit with a 4” snowfall this week — a veritable blizzard for us. Temps haven’t risen above 35 degrees all week. When nature sends that signal, I head straight for my tea bin. I need a hot beverage to thaw my insides and purple hands. And for that noble purpose, nothing in the world beats a cup of holiday-season-inspired tea. 

Over the years, I’ve found my favorites. A couple of years ago, I decided to expand my horizons and test out some new Christmas teas. My reviews – brutal, honest, firm – are below, with a few updates.

Whatever tea you choose this holiday season, may it give you warmth, cheer and joy!

Five Christmas Stars

Louisville Tea Company Christmas Morning

Save the best for last, right? Nope, I am saving the best for first. This is the greatest tea ever of all time, Christmas or no Christmas, and that’s a hill I’ll die on.

First, the look. Huge chunks of almond, apple, orange and raisins. It isn’t a sprinkling of flavor – it’s a wonderful, gorgeous mixture. I smelled every one of them too – and cinnamon, cloves and safflowers. Louisville Tea Co. gets the combination perfect – a delightful blend, a harmony in which each flavor buttresses the others and none overpowers the compound. 

I steeped the tea and it came out a gorgeous, deep brown. Every ingredient appeared on stage. Lovely to behold in my clear teapot. After the steeping, I could smell each ingredient distinctly. The citrus of the orange peel. The sharp sourness of the apple. The sparkle of the cinnamon. And on and on. 

It smelled of Christmas morning: snow on the ground, Santa had visited, trees and decorations lit, beaming smiles on all our faces. It smelled exactly like Christmas morning.

Oh the first sip. The first resplendent sip. A dram of angelic joy. 

Like the look and smell, the flavor on the tongue flawlessly mixes each ingredient into a miracle in a cup. A burst of orange. A stick of cinnamon. They all meld in my palate in lovely accord.

I have loved this tea since my first sip a few years ago. Each year, I eagerly (aggressively?) await its return to the Louisville Tea Co. shop. It is one of the true highlights of my year. 

Four Christmas Stars

Taylors of Harrogate Spiced Christmas Tea

One of the most affordable teas on this list, this tea comes in individually packaged sachets or as loose leaf tea. I tried the sachets. The orange came through strongly with both the smell and taste of this tea. The aroma reminded me of orange and powdered sugar – a fine, light hint of the sweetness at the end of an inhalation.

I steeped it for about 4 minutes, during which the water turned a pleasant reddish brown – less dark than many black teas. I like that color a great deal and usually like teas that steep to that color. 

This tea was no different. The smell and taste blended really well into satisfying sips. The orange came through, a slight sourness on my tongue to complete each sip.  It almost reminded me of an orange pekoe tea, which I enjoyed about 20 years ago, but rarely drink now. Maybe this Taylors Spiced Christmas Tea subtly returned me to those more youthful days. 

I drank this tea in a mug a friend sent me. The first cup in a new mug always provides a warm and special experience. The mug, like the tea, reminded me of good, even noble, days of my past – days which had passed, a life which had passed, and would never return. But the memory did not fill me with sadness; rather, as I emptied my cup, the memories stirred up by this tea and this mug poured into me with gratitude for my unique path.

Twinings Winter Spice Herbal Tea

A unique tea in this list, Winter Spice is an herbal tea and therefore caffeine free. After many days tasting black teas, this one came as a welcome retreat from that flavor profile. Instead, Winter Spice delivers a refreshing, clean, subdued experience. The tea bag doesn’t really smell like much. Even after steeping it in hot water, the smell remained subtle and delicate.

The tea bag advertises the tea as containing “a sweet apple flavour and savoury cinnamon, cardamom and clove spices.” I could detect the apple and clove as hints, deep in my cup after many sips. The cinnamon and cardamom never came through for me. 

But no matter. It smelled and tasted of a dainty floral arrangement, which I enjoyed thoroughly. The tenderness of the flavour (in keeping with this tea’s British heritage) became a pleasant prompt to slow down, to enjoy, to savour this cup of tea. I took the hint and decelerated. 

I’m probably fooling myself but my body doesn’t really respond to tea having or not having caffeine. I felt this tea calling to me as a British gentleman might:

“I do say, my good man, you don’t always need that rush of caffeine to enjoy a fine cup of tea. Sometimes you just have to take it easy. Take it easy with time. Take it easy with the body. Take it easy with the mind. Sit down and enjoy this cup.”

So after drinking this tea, I didn’t miss the caffeine. I welcomed its pretty floral experience and its (or his) invitation to simply enjoy. 

Twinings Christmas Tea

The clove and cinnamon smell and taste came through with more punch in this Twinings tea. There was a nice balance between the flavors. And they came through in smell and taste. 

Again I heard the British gentleman calling out from this cup:

“I do say, my good man, sometimes you do need a jolt of the good stuff. Revs you up, I might say. Yes, that’s it, revs you up. Can you pass the teapot, my good sir?” 

Yes, the British gentleman has a point here too. A wee bit of the ole caffeine sometimes helps too. 

The Twinings Christmas Tea makes a solid, fine cup. Well worth enjoying.

Harney & Sons Holiday Heritage Colonial Williamsburg Blend

This tea comes in triangular sachets. Opening the container, a potent scent of cinnamon hit me – almost like a nice cinnamon gum. The sachets contained a deep, dark black tea and chips of cinnamon. Really lovely. No orange in this one or at least orange wasn’t mentioned and wasn’t apparent. 

Cinnamon dominated this tea, in smell and in taste. The tea steeped to a rich darkness. The cinnamon smell wafted from the steaming cup. And, unlike several teas in this pseudo-advent calendar, the cinnamon flavor came through beautifully in the taste of the tea too. 

That consistency between the smell of the tea unsteeped, the smell steeped and the taste made my day. It announced the cinnamon triumphantly with the first note, and the entire ballad rang clearly and loudly of cinnamon. I really loved that consistency in this delicious cup of holiday tea. 

Three Christmas Stars

Harney & Sons Celebration 

Thirty sachets come in a sturdy white and blue tin. It smells of nuts and dates and apricots. The nuts – walnuts and chestnuts to my nose, did smell nice. But the smell and the taste, like many teas in sachets, seems flat to me – without definition. Two dimensional. Many little tea particles floated in the water – something I’d expect more with a loose leaf tea.

Harney & Sons Holiday Spiced Black Tea

This tea comes in a lovely, sturdy tin. The red counterpart to the blue “Celebration” tea. Curiously, the sachets were less sturdy. I tore two of them as I peeled the small label attached to the string away. 

In smell and taste, the dominant ingredient here were the safflowers. The chocolate and tobacco milieu of the safflowers really came on strong the moment I opened the tin. Steeping the tea and then drinking, again those notes came out, especially the slight bitterness of the chocolate dimension of the safflowers. Then the sweet smell of hung, drying tobacco wafted out delicately at the end of an inhalation or a sip. 

Other flavors mentioned – orange peel, vanilla flavor, clove, almond and cinnamon – did not come out for me. Still, the safflowers made for a different twist on the holiday black tea theme. 

The Republic of Tea Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas

Inspired by my friend Bryan McGrath’s enthusiasm for Hallmark Christmas movies, I wanted to try out this tea. The front of the tin proclaims in big letters, “Cardamom Cinnamon.” Opening the tin, the smell of cardamom came on strong and thick. A rich, earthy tone. After a few breaths, the cinnamon came through too – faint and distant, but present.

Again, after steeping, the tea smelled strongly of cardamom. The cinnamon did come through, if possible even fainter than before. Tasting the tea, the cardamom was very strong. The cinnamon seemed to have disappeared. 

Still, I found that earthen taste pleasant on my tongue. And while it did not contain caffeine, the heavy smell and taste of cardamom braced me as if it did have caffeine. I enjoyed the tough jolt of this cup, different from most caffeine free teas, which tend to favor a delicate, light and airy profile.

I wouldn’t drink the tea every day, and when I do drink it, it will probably be no more than a cup. But for a break from my normal teas, or on an especially frigid morning, this tea would be perfect. I think back to the frigid days we had throughout much of the United States before Christmas in 2022. Yeah, this would have made for a hearty, warming, soul-reinforcing tea on those days. 

The Republic of Tea Comfort and Joy Tea

This tea comes in little round sachets, like most of the teas from The Republic of Tea. Opening the tin, I caught a big whiff of orange, apple and cinnamon. So I felt excited to try this tea. I steeped it for about 4 minutes, and appreciated the sweet, orange aroma from my cup.

This tea did remind me of the Taylors Spiced Christmas Tea. It aimed at similar spice notes. Alas, the smell is the highlight of this tea. The tea itself fell flat for me; the flavors simply didn’t pop like the ones in the Taylors tea did. No taste notes lingered in my mouth after swallowing. The tea tasted bland, almost plastic-y, almost like a bottle of water had stayed out in the sun too long. 

My wife and I sometimes note that the spices included in Blue Apron meals don’t really add much flavor – yeah, we add them to the meats or shrimp or veggies – so the color changes but the taste of the food doesn’t. I felt the same way about this tea. The spices, so evident in the delightful aroma, didn’t come through in the tea itself. 

Elmwood Inn Christmas in a Cup

A lovely tea from Danville, Kentucky. The tea comes as loose tea or in sachets. I tried the loose leaf version. I opened the tin and peered down into gorgeous black dried tea leaves, along with specks of cinnamon and chunks of orange peel. What a sight!

To me, the tea smells almost like a nice bourbon ball. A dark flavor, yes, like chocolate. But then a hint of the sharp and yet sweet bourbon at the end of the inhale. I really enjoyed the aroma. 

It steeps into a rich, dark color, gorgeous to behold. In the tea, the cinnamon came through, but the orange did not. It tasted more like a straight up black tea. 

I sunk my nose deep into the cup, intent on reclaiming the glorious smell. Yep, it was there. But for some reason, that delightful smell didn’t translate into the cup. Disappointing.

Still, I enjoyed this tea. And as you can tell, the aroma – crisp, orange-y, with the cinnamon coming through on top of the orange – made my morning tea experience pleasant and full of winter smiles. 

Two Christmas Stars

Oliver Pluff & Co. Holiday Blend

I find it confusing when the smell of a tea does not match the look of the tea leaves. This tea contains: black tea leaves (check); orange peel (check); cinnamon chips (check); and “flavoring” (whatever that means). When I opened the tin and took in a whiff, I smelled….nothing. Well not exactly nothing, but no spices, no “flavorings.” Only, at best, a simple, unadorned black tea. 

Same after steeping the tea – no aroma to write home about. Same about the taste of the tea – it tasted like…nothing more than a plain, cheap black tea. I took a few more sips, wondering if the flavor would emerge gradually. A full cup drained and nothing changed. 

It was an odd experience. The sight of a lovely tea was there, but no smell and no taste. I’ll pass on this one in the future.

One Christmas Star

Celestial Seasonings Nutcracker Sweet

With a maker named Celestial Seasonings, I expected the sugary breath of the immortal gods to gently and lovingly sigh out from this tea. I expected little flakes of angelic gold to steep out, floating into a harmonious and calming pattern of divine invention. I expected a veritable experience. 

It smelled and tasted like something firmly ensconced in the soil. No, that’s not right. It tasted like soil. 

The listed ingredients: “Black Tea, Natural Vanilla Flavor with Other Natural Flavors and Cinnamon.” 

I got a touch of vanilla. No cinnamon. Almond, while not listed as an ingredient, shows up on the box. I did detect almond – burnt almond. “Other Natural Flavors”? Who knows what that includes? Maybe cow dung. That’s a natural flavor. Maybe soil. Again, a natural flavor.

Whatever was or wasn’t actually mixed in, this tea was easily my least favorite of this holiday tea tasting extravaganza. Skip this one – you have far better holiday tea selections in this big wide world. 

(This article contains Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Solvitur Ambulando Means "Solve It By Walking"

I first came across the phrase Solvitur Ambulando in Christopher McDougall's Natural Born Heroes. It has served as my life motto for over a decade. It points to an everyday, but profound, truism: in motion comes transformation.

Walking is the ultimate means of transformation. More than only thinking or feeling, through the movement of our two feet, we enable unstoppable shifts in our mind, body and heart.

I mean this as metaphor — and also a deeply practical urging. At every layer of our being, we yearn to echo the vibration of the universe by putting our bodies into motion.

Physical — Walking is simply good for your health. Your joints, ligaments and muscles require motion. Walking lowers your blood pressure and resting heart rate. It improves circulation. When I underwent my second open-heart surgery in 2014, the doctors wanted me to move out of bed and into the nearby chair — the next day. My healing began with those two steps. Our health begins with walking.

Professional — Through walking, we take time to mull over, turn around and seek creative paths in our work and vocations. Whenever I face a tough business issue, the first thing I do doesn't involve meetings or even writing about it. First, I walk.

Mental — Walking calms the mind. We relax in every fiber and cell. We gain control over our thoughts through unhurried contemplation. That little spark restores and refreshes our mental clarity, acuity and focus.

Emotional — One of my great teachers, Eknath Easwaran, recommends one strategy when facing anger, disturbance or frustration — take a fast walk and repeat your mantram or motto. Before long, the step-step-step-step empties our souls of those hard emotions, like a heavy, gray cloud releasing its burden. We regain peace and tranquility within our hearts. We can return to the hard emotional moments far better poised to interact from a posture of equanimity, respect and love.

Spiritual — With every step we encounter the beauty, diversity and, yes, hardness, of Creation. Even beyond an encounter, we become immersed — subsumed into the totality of this wondrous universe. It is no accident that Thomas Merton, the great Catholic mystic, felt his enormous epiphany of fathomless love for all people and all God's creation while walking.

Walking is thus a metaphor for life and a core activity of urgent commitment to life.

With every breath, life changes us. Cell walls dissolve, blood courses to every nook of our body; we expand and contract — and never in exactly the same way.

With each step, we alter ourselves. Usually imperceptibly — until the slowly unfolding moments accumulate over months, years or even decades — and we find our souls utterly transfigured. But sometimes, it doesn’t happen slowly: a bolt of inspiration smites us as we rove. Saul, blinded with the flash of lightning on the road to Damascus, rises from the dirt as the reborn Paul.

Solvitur Ambulando aims to reflect and proclaim this transformational power of walking. In these pages, as on the walks of life, you will encounter ideas, people and vistas that will irrevocably alter you. They may obliterate you.

As you walk or read, you will never be the same again.

The Cairn

The symbol for the walk you will take with Solvitur Ambulando is the cairn — stacked stones to confirm the path you walk. Solvitur Ambulando shows you a way to walk — and live — well.

The stones sit there, quiet and calm. "I find my patience in stones," sing the sisters of Rising Appalachia. In this frantic modern world of go-go-go and do-do-do, may we also retrieve some patience in these stones.

The bottom stone is green for the earth, what mythologist Josh Schrei calls "this green jewel in space." Every step we take will happen on this lovely planet. The earth offers itself as our life's foundation and support.

The middle stone is blue, for the skies and waters we behold and envision on our walks.

The top stone is orange for the sun — always higher than us, noble, the supreme incandescence. Without it, we would walk in cold and bitter darkness. Let us rejoice in the life-giving light and heat, strengthening our every stride.

Taken together they form a cairn — and a candle. I hope these pages brighten your life. And illuminate paths and moments of unforgettable beauty in your life.

I close with this encouragement, almost a blessing, bursting from my heart:

Enjoy a beautiful walk today!

Solvitur Ambulando has about 1,000 subscribers. I receive texts, emails and other messages nearly every day from readers. Here are a few offering the reasons they read these pages:

“Russell's writing injects my reading life with gratitude, wonder, and kindness. With all three in short supply, reading him is essential.”

– of The Conservative Wahoo

“Russell is one of the most thoughtful and heartfelt people I know. Those qualities shine through in his writing, too, whether he’s telling his own story or profiling another incredible human being.”

– of Just Enough to Get Me in Trouble

“Russell's writing and interviews are the perfect blend of head and heart. He engages in deep intellectual curiosity alongside gentle spiritual reflection. I appreciate his sincerity, introspection and rich breadth of subject matter. Russell is a thoughtful curator and explorer of many different views and interests. I am continually inspired by his meditations and conversations with others.”

– Rev. of Journeying Alongside

“Spending a little time reading Solvitur Ambulando is like joining Russell on one of the thoughtful, contemplative, eye-opening walks that animate his daily life. I am always richer for the moments spent in his company.”

– of Words for Birds

“Russell's newsletter is a gift of spirituality, trivia, history, interesting stories, and overall edification for the world.”

– of Big Quit Energy

On the home page, you can find the essays that have attracted the most reader attention. Before exploring them, I suggest you start your journey with Solvitur Ambulando with these walks:

Walking with Ideas

Become What We Are — a poem about transitions

The Body Issue — born with a serious heart defect, how I came to love my body

Lessons on Business and Partnership from A Christmas Carol — Poor Marley never walked beyond his counting-house

Walking with People

A Biography of Fox Conner — Dwight Eisenhower’s forgotten mentor

The Musical and Life Brilliance of June Carter Cash — wife of Johnny Cash

Lessons from People Who Succeed Late in Life — a conversation with on ‘late bloomers’

Walking Amidst the Scenes of Life

30 Walks in Nature — lovely summer walks around Louisville, Kentucky

Will Louisville Ever Have a Vibrant Downtown Again? — a question without a satisfying answer

6 Questions to Ask Yourself While Walking — I return to them again and again

With my Mom’s passing in September, I almost didn’t write the annual Solvitur Ambulando Holiday Gift Guide this year. Life seems different without her – now without either parent. The final vestiges of my childhood have shrivelled up and vanished, like the Ghost of Christmas Past in my beloved A Christmas Carol. Mom’s death has put me in a reflective mood – more somber, less cheerful than I usually feel this time of year.

Still, I recall how much Mom reveled in giving gifts. It was a way she showed her love. I will treasure the gifts she and Dad gave me through the years – maybe I will base next year’s Holiday Gift Guide on them. That memory reminds me that, yes, gift-giving can simply pile stuff onto our super-materialistic lives. But also — a thoughtful gift can convey affection, consideration and love – maybe when we don’t have the words to express the true emotions of our heart.

So, gentle readers, my annual Gift Guide is below. You can also read Guides from the past several years, with cumulatively over 100 ideas for kids, adults, kids at heart, and charities too.

Charities

If you are reading this august newsletter, the likelihood is that you have life’s basic necessities covered. You probably don’t need more “stuff.” Consider making a donation to one of these charities, supporting people who may not have those necessities or who have unfilled mental, emotional and spiritual yearnings. And if these don’t call out to you, your city or area undoubtedly has a charity that welcomes – and needs – your support this holiday season.

St John Center

As you likely know, I have worked with St John Center for several years. The team provides desperately needed support for some of our most vulnerable neighbors. Please consider making a donation. Or, St John Center always needs supplies for its operations and the guests. Current items in high-need include:

• HotHands Hand Warmers

• Men’s boxers and briefs

• Wool hats

• Gloves

Holy Hills Hermitage

A small, beautiful retreat center about an hour outside Louisville. I’ve spent a few refreshing, clarifying days there over the past three years.

Angel City Zen Center

My dear friend serves as a lay Zen teacher at ACZC. I visited her there in October and sat zazen, which I had wanted to do for a long time. It turned into an uplifting, lovely evening. In case you hadn’t heard, rent in the City of Angels ain’t cheap, and I know they’d gratefully welcome your support to keep their little community strong, thriving and firmly in place.

Drepung Gomang Center for Engaging Compassion

As the North American Seat of Drepung Gomang Monastery, the DGCEC in Louisville “is a welcoming community that

• offers opportunities to study and practice Tibetan Buddhism

• raises awareness of the endangered Tibetan culture and associated human rights issues

• provides programs relating to the practice of universal human values, interfaith dialogue, and peacemaking as inspired by His Holiness the Dalai Lama”

I have visited many times and find it a lovely place of peace, reflection and healing.

Gilda’s Club Kentuckiana

My family and so many friends have suffered from cancer. Gilda’s does such special work in uplifting the spirits of cancer patients, survivors, families and caregivers. Please consider donating here.

Food and Drink

Sailor Ceramics

My friend Rachel Lutz makes the loveliest mugs and ceramics. Several years ago, she gifted me a mug and I still use it every day. As I write this, it sits less than an arm’s length away, holding my beloved Christmas Morning Tea, my daily restorative in this holiday season. Thank you, Rachel!

44 Farms Meats

Over the summer, I got into BBQ Brawl on the Food Network. Bobby Flay plus two more team captains select BBQ chefs to compete each week, with judges Rodney Scott, Brooke Williamson and Carson Kressley judging each team’s fare. On one episode, Brad Leighninger smoked “Dino Ribs” and Brooke called it “the best beef rib I’ve ever eaten.” Also over the summer, my friend Aaron got me into the Meat Church videos and rubs. So I looked into what the Church had to say about Dino Ribs. Let’s say they’re fans. I watched this video to learn how to smoke the Dino Ribs. In the video, they used beef plate ribs from 44 Farms. Now, the first time I do a recipe, I try to replicate it exactly as the recipe stipulates. I called to a couple local butchers and what they described to me did not seem like “Dino Ribs.” So I bit the bullet and ordered two plates from 44 Farms. And hey, they threw in a jar of Meat Church’s Holy Cow rub — a dynamite rub. I followed the instructions from the video to a T. The result: rave reviews when I served it at Book Club. Even better – my wife, who generally does not eat red meat, called it “the best thing you’ve ever smoked.” High praise indeed!

Silver Creek Specialty Meats Snack Sticks

My father in law used to give us an allotment of snack sticks from venison when he hunted. That goes back a few years, so my daughter and I found these – the best-tasting, and healthiest snack sticks since those yummy venison ones gifted by my father in law.

For the Home

Ewan Craig Artwork

Craig is a sculptor, printmaker and artist in the UK. Author Paul Kingsnorth writes a series on “Wild Saints.” For each saint, Craig creates a print. I really loved Kingsnorth’s story about St. Govan, and so reached out to Craig for his accompanying artwork. It now hangs in my office, a beloved reminder of St. Govan, Wild Saints and the potent beauty of storytelling.

Candles

For the ladies, a Jo Malone candle makes for a memorable gift. For the mens, I love the Mythologie candles that my friend Marci gave me a few years ago. That one is long gone, but I’ve reordered a couple times. My favorites: Book of Kells, Emerald Isle, and Library of Alexandria. I also enjoy Tobacco Bark from Himalayan Trading Post.

A Plant

Few things brighten a space like a plant. My bonsai and cacti have transformed my office space. I started with one bonsai: a Brazilian Rain Tree. Now I have, um, 21 cacti, succulents and air plants adorning my office window sill and other areas. They beautify the space and remind me that warm days shall return. Mostly, they make me smile. If you live near Louisville, reach out to Russ Stevens about a bonsai, and check out Mahonia for cacti, other plants and delightful gifts.

On the Go

GORUCK Rucksack or Weighted Training Vest

In the past year, I have discussed rucking more with friends and acquaintances than at any time since I began in 2019. Look, rucking makes for excellent cardio when you hate running, and great strength training when you hate the weights. Embrace the Suck in 2026.

Freewrite Traveler

My friend Charles gifted me this stellar writing companion for my 50th birthday. I was instantly hooked and I use it every single day. Zero distractions, even your own editing. Portable, easy to use, and fun. Freewrite sells other styles too if you are so inclined.

Books

The Gents Book Club read some wonderful books in 2025:

• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig;

• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury;

• Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse;

• The Brothers K by David James Duncan;

• Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima;

• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez;

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley;

• and The Secret History by Donna Tartt.
  

I’ve also interviewed some wonderful authors:

• , author of Feather Trails;

• Sarah Landenwich, author of The Fire Concerto;

• , author of Now I Lay Me Down to Fight;

• Steven Rabalais, author of General Fox Conner;

• , author of Second Act;

• and Sherry Shenoda, author of The Lightkeeper and Mummy Eaters.
  

Any and all of these books make for a wonderful gift for the reader in your life.

For Fun

Baseball Glove

Coming off a terrific World Series, keep the baseball fever pulsing until Spring Training delivers us from the NBA. Several makers allow you to customize gloves these days. Check out the spectacular leather from Nokona; Rawlings; 44 Pro; and Wilson. Throw around the ole ball with your son or daughter or nephew or friend, and feel like you, too, can be a hero on the diamond.

Roxa Kola

Kentucky-based Ale-8-One brought back their long-discontinued cola a couple of years ago. It became such a hit, they brought it back again. The best cola drink on the earth, period. Better than Coke, Diet Coke, Cheerwine, Dr. Pepper, RC Cola, or Pepsi (a distant last place). Get ‘em while you can!

May you, your family, and your friends revel in the joy of this holiday season! Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! And a wonderful New Year to you all!

(Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

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I love tea. I love the taste, the ritual, the somatic experience of drinking tea. My favorite teas – Keemun Mao Feng Imperial, Nandi Hills, Russian Caravan, and especially Christmas Morning (the greatest tea in the history of teas in this universe or any other universe) —  come from Louisville Tea Company. Two of the owners, Sophia and Sarah Boese, always greet me warmly and point out new teas I might enjoy. I wanted to learn more about tea, the tea business and what makes tea so special, so I asked them to sit down with me. We enjoyed a lovely conversation over a cup of tea. 

Throughout the transcript below, Sophia’s words are in italics; Sarah’s words are in plain text; and my words are in bold. 

This was a fun, spunky, engaging discussion. I loved it and I learned a great deal about one of my passions in life – tea. Enjoy!

Photographs by the amazing Megan Resch.

Let's hit the most important question first. Give me your honest view: can you really live a good, ethical, worthwhile, decent, law-abiding life without tea?

I mean, objectively, yes. I do think my life is better with tea in it, for a lot of reasons. I enjoy tea. I enjoy the way it affects me, caffeine-wise, and the rituals of making it.

I don't know, just the cultural experience of having tea. It's a really fun way to interact with other cultures too. I really like learning more about how the Japanese drink tea and how the Chinese drink tea and being able to integrate that into my day-to-day life. And then also bringing some of their practices into my life outside of tea, which is really nice.

There are so many different traditions. And there are even contradicting traditions within different countries. For example, if I recall correctly, with tea sets in China, having an odd number is considered good luck, whereas an even number of cups is bad luck. But you'll see different things in different places.

You mentioned incorporating tea and non-tea elements from different cultures into your life. Can you share a couple of them? 

My favorite one is actually the Japanese culture of preparing their tea. They sit down and have a full moment with their tea. And I like to integrate that into other parts of my life – I'm going to fully embrace this one thing for this time period and give it the respect that it deserves.

A lot of people who are getting into loose leaf tea for the first time think it's intimidating, so much work and a lot of steps. But that's part of why I like it – having multiple steps to it. You can take your time to breathe and only focus on it and nothing else.

I totally agree. Half the fun is the ritual of it. All the steps.

Waiting for the water.

Waiting for the water.

Actually measuring your tea.

That's exactly right. Are there any other instances you can point to? 

I'm not the biggest fan of meditation. I feel like drinking tea and the ritual is my version of meditation.

You can actually clear your mind and just focus on it.

Yeah, have a think moment of it.

I do love the feeling of having a warm cup of tea in your hands. It's very relaxing. Sipping that warm tea, feeling it in your belly before you go to bed. It's very comforting.

And I know this is a big thing in Chinese and Japanese culture – whenever you break a teacup, and then you're involved with repairing it, you’re involved with the glass, with the gold.

It's kintsugi.

An author I enjoy, Tom White, wrote about these sorts of repairs, kintsugi, recently. 

Mending ceramics with veins of gold. I've also seen it used in jewelry. The idea is that the repair makes the item even more beautiful than it was before.

The mentality that something broken can become so much more beautiful. It's a really nice mentality to carry throughout life.

But in Korean culture, drinking from a cracked or chipped cup is actually bad luck. It's letting bad spirits into your life and you're not supposed to do that. I've had people ask me before to make sure I don't use anything that might have a crack in it. And I'll say, “Yes, absolutely, we'll respect that. Whatever makes you more comfortable.”

Why do you drink tea?

It’s always been a big part of my life. My whole family drinks tea. So I was born into it. But why I still drink tea – first of all, the caffeine. It is amazing. I do love caffeine. But also it just gives me something to drink. I like having different drinks all around. Water gets boring sometimes. So having fun beverages around is really good.

I would call you a beverage girl.

Yeah, absolutely.

Growing up, my mom always liked unsweet iced tea with lemon, everywhere we went. As a teenager, Sophia was already into tea. Nicolette [Spears, Sophia’s sister and Sarah’s cousin, and another partial owner of the shop] was already very into tea. They're the ones that first got me to taste it and realize that tea doesn't need to have stuff added to it. Tea can be really tasty on its own. As a teenager, I also drank a lot of coffee and energy drinks. My caffeine tolerance was very different than it is now. Now, as a 25 year old, I cannot have caffeine after 6pm. And honestly, my black tea cut off is around 4pm. Also, I like the wide variety of tea. We normally have 160 to 200 different kinds of tea in the shop. So when people tell me they don’t like tea, with so many different types, I know there's going to be something you enjoy.

If you're open to it and willing to give it a try, you'll find something you enjoy, even if it is just a chai latte.

It's one thing to enjoy drinking tea, or even appreciate the ritual in making tea, and an entirely different thing  to own and run a tea shop. Tell me how Louisville Tea Company got started and why you are involved.

My sister Nicolette used to work at a tea shop in Arizona. When she moved to Louisville, she realized there was no tea shop in this area. And then I would come visit and we would be in desperate need of tea. And we're thinking, “there's no tea here!”

Sophia would come from Arizona and be tasked to bring tea from the tea shop Nicolette used to work at.

We needed tea here. So then Nicolette and Nick [Spears, Nicolette’s husband and a part owner of the shop] decided to open up a tea business. And I really liked that idea. So after I graduated high school, I decided to come and join them. Then Sarah followed suit soon thereafter.

The business has been open for 11 years now. Soph officially moved here seven years ago. I've been here for six years now. Now, all four of us own the shop. 

I don't know why your answers made me think of this, but tell me about the bubble or baba tea phenomenon.

Boba.

Boba, baba, bubble, whatever.

When you're reading this interview, I totally get you.

Do you like it?

I love boba.

Yeah. I think it's really good. We get boba together a lot. 

We don’t serve boba because we are not set up to make it here. But I'm a big fan., I was a big fan before I came here. As a little kid, my favorite pudding was tapioca. And it still is, which I realize is the old person pudding, but whatever. I always liked it.

Pudding is the old people's pudding.

Yeah. Boba is like a milk tea. You'll have a dark tea base with milk and sugar, and large tapioca pearls. Normally with brown sugar or something inside them.

My kids tell me, “take us to the boba tea place!”

Have you ever had it?

I have taken sips of theirs.

You’re not a fan of the texture?

I think it is the texture that bothers me.

Yeah. I know a lot of people who don’t like the texture.

It’s  funny because my boba drinks tend to not even contain tea. I get lemonades with fun things in them because they're tasty.

Mine tend to be closer to milkshakes.

We definitely love boba and like people who like it.

We get stuff that is so different from what we serve here.

That's a good point. Boba is really different from what you all serve here.

This is a bit of a tangent – but when we first opened, we didn’t have all of this retail. We only had a bunch of tables.

Oh, okay.

So it was more focused on being somewhere to sit and enjoy tea. We had scones and that was about it.

We had a couch here at one point.

This lower bar wasn't here, if I remember correctly. But it didn't bring in a whole lot of revenue. We were still new. We didn't have a known customer base. We shifted to carrying a lot more retail and teaware items. We realized no one was fulfilling that niche here. If people wanted those items, they had to buy them online. Today, half of what we are is essentially a gift shop. I will see a lot of regulars only around the holidays because they're buying gifts for people. They're not even tea people themselves.

What are your all's favorite teas?

I am a big traditional person. I used to be a lot more into flavored teas, but nowadays I feel like I'm mostly doing traditional teas.

When you say “traditional,” what does that mean? Black tea?

Black teas, white teas, any tea that doesn't have anything added into it.

So no fruit or flowers?

Traditional teas tend to be only the tea leaves from the plant.

The way our menu is organized – the first couple pages are traditional teas. These are the straight tea leaf, nothing else. The following pages are the flavored teas, which includes a wide array of teas. They can have spices added or orange peel, for example. 

Anything with flavor added into it is on the flavor pages. That's what most people get. Again, there's no wrong way to drink tea.

The very first tea from here that I dranks was Bourbon Cream, which is a very rich, cocoa heavy black tea. But nowadays it's a little sweet for my palate. I drink a lot of Peaches n’ Cream, which is a peach vanilla black tea, when it's hot, it tastes heavier on the vanilla. And when it's iced, it tastes more peachy; it’s a little more refreshing. I also like Black Pearl, which is a traditional dark oolong with undertones of apples and honey. I really like that one because it can be resteeped – you can use the leaves more than once. They're actually a rolled leaf. Each time you brew it, it unrolls a little bit more and you get a slightly different taste.

You mentioned oolong. Can you tell me a bit about the different types of tea? Black and oolong and green and so on?

So first things first, all tea comes from the exact same plant.

Do you want to be fancy? It's the camellia sinensis plant.

All tea comes from the exact same plant. What makes different types of tea is how it's processed after it's picked or when during the season it's picked. White teas are the lightest of the teas. They tend to be the first picked and the least processed of the teas. Black teas tend to be the last picked and go through more oxidation.

White tea is picked and almost immediately dried. Whereas black tea goes through almost 100% oxidation. Oxidation refers to its exposure to the air. It can mean roughing up the leaves a little bit. But with black tea, oxidation makes the tea much darker and much more caffeinated. It can also make it more bitter.

That's also where the color of the tea comes from. I'm drinking a white tea right now. You can see that it's very light in color when compared to this black tea. 

One of the easiest ways to explain it is looking on a scale. Black tea is your strongest, darkest and most caffeinated. Below that you have oolong tea. If black tea gets oxidized 100%, then oolong gets oxidized somewhere between 70% and 30%.  You can have dark oolongs with more oxidation versus light oolongs with less. Below oolong tea is green tea, which gets  oxidized at about 20% Finally, at the bottom of the scale, there is white tea, which doesn't get any oxidation.

Then Pu-erh tea is special. It’s fermented, which is a different process than what happens to other teas. The fermentation makes pu-erh earthy and dark. .

The fermentation also makes it really good for your digestive system. If you want something to help with gut health, we recommend pu-erh. It can be a bit of an acquired taste because it is so earthy and so dark, but it's not too heavy in caffeine.

What about matcha tea?

Matcha is a Japanese green tea that has been ground up into a fine powder. With  most teas, you brew the tea then you strain the leaves out. With matcha, the powder is dissolved into the water and you drink it whole. 

That's why it's so caffeinated.

You're getting all your green tea benefits, but at a higher level. Matcha gets mentioned in a lot of health articles.

Are there any other big categories of tea we haven't talked about?

Yeah, so there's a lot of different ones. There's like yellow tea, there's purple tea, there's dark tea.

But those ones get really niche. We tend not to have those in our shop. We have a purple tea. Most purple and yellow teas can be categorized as a type of green tea.

Yellow and purple teas tend to be very rare In our shop, we usually only carry yellow teas with our “Extraordinarily Rare Tea Sampler” around the holidays. Occasionally we’ll carry one in limited quantities. 

Dark tea is basically a fancy pu-erh. It goes through the fermentation process in a slightly different way than regular pu-erh. 

Talk to me about different tea growing regions. It’s grown in India, China and Japan, right?

Again, all tea comes from the same plant. But the ground, the soil, the climate in which it is grown makes a huge difference in how it tastes. Japanese tea doesn't taste anything like Chinese tea. 

The same tea grown in different regions is going to taste different. Here are interesting examples of this phenomenon: our Sencha High Grade, which is a Japanese green tea, and our Gyokuro, which is another Japanese green tea. They are exactly the same, except the Gyokuru is grown on the side of a mountain in the shade. So it has to fight a little harder to survive. Those different conditions make for different tastes. Also, the same tea can vary from year to year based on different weather experienced in that region.

One of the funny things we say about tea is the harder the plant has to work, the better the tea normally is.

Suffer for us!

Exactly. If it's struggling to grow in the shade, it develops a much greater depth of flavor.

We had one tea, a purple tea, Purple Wild Buds, named that because it was actually picked wild. It had a really unique nutty flavor. It even had differently shaped leaves, much larger than most tea leaves.

Tea is pretty picky about weather. It likes pretty damp weather, but not too damp. Normally if an area can grow rice, it can grow tea. There are a few places in America that grow tea – around Charleston, South Carolina, for instance.

We visited Charleston Tea Garden last July, which is their picking season. They have the oldest tea plants in the country – a crossbreed of Indian and Chinese plants. It was also abandoned at one point, so some random crossbreeding happened too.

Which actually makes the tea a lot more fun and interesting to taste.

It does.

If the tea's growing into too much of a controlled biome. You're like, this tastes weird.

The amount of harvest you get per year is normally going to be weather dependent. Really dependent on how many inches of rain you get.

So like most crops.

Yeah, exactly.

It is a plant after all.

The standard is what, three harvests per year?

I think so, yeah.

If you've ever heard the term “first flush,” it means the first pick of the season. It tends to have some of the most delicate, highest quality taste.

And is that in spring? 

Yes. Spring.

So spring, and there's one in summer, and then there's one in fall?

Basically. It’s in late summer rather than fall.

You all sell a really cool kind gift pack of teas around the holidays, the “Exceptionally Rare Tea Sampler.” How do you put that together and choose those teas? 

We mostly find those teas from a tea convention that’s a worldwide tea expo. It’s very big, there’s a lot of people there, it’s very fancy.

And I have not been invited!?

You cannot go because it's only a business thing. I'm so sorry. It is exclusive to people in the business.

I have an LLC and I'm interviewing people about tea right now! That is my tea business. I'm a writer in the business. How am I not in the business?

I don't know what their press stance is. 

You should look into it. It's the World Tea Expo and it happens in Las Vegas every year. It is very fun to go.

Yeah, go for it. 

And there's a really big showroom in the arena where you can walk around and taste a bunch of teas and interact with a lot of people.

But the expo is focused on getting new teas or new retail products to sellers. There are of course a lot of classes, which focus on topics like tea mixing or tasting notes. I took one class in which a wine sommelier talked about how tea and wine have a lot of the same tasting notes and use a lot of the same tasting language. I do find being here in Louisville, many people know a lot about alcohol and alcohol tasting. So I can say certain words to them and it makes sense to them. With traditional teas, since they are straight teas, you have to describe them based on their undertones. I can say “this tea has a cocoa note to it, there's no chocolate in it, but their undertone is cocoa.” That's how you differentiate it. Someone with experience with alcohol tasting, it’s normally a lot easier to get them on board with that description. One of the reasons we were actually working with a wine person is we were trying to get tea into restaurants. It can be hard to get a restaurant to commit to new teas, especially loose leaf teas, because they’re worried about the process and the time it takes. But if they have a wine sommelier, they normally advocate for good, loose leaf teas. They know the taste and smell and experience benefits of selling fine teas in the restaurant. We currently work with a few different restaurants, coffee shops and breweries in town. 

TEN20 Brewery is the new one carrying our teas. 

Okay, so I diverted us from the question about the “Exceptionally Rare Tea Sampler.”

Attending the World Tea Expo is normally how we find those teas.

Another way is by getting samples from our suppliers. Specifically for the Exceptionally Rare Tea Sampler, we want to get really rare, really high quality teas that we wouldn’t be able to sell otherwise. And putting six of them in one sampler means we can sell them at a more approachable price range than if we sold one of those teas by itself. Back to yellow teas, I think including them in the Sampler is the only way we’ve sold them. 

Because yellow tea tends to be a very high price point, and it's just not an approachable price point for most people. By putting it in the sampler, people who want to taste these super fancy teas have a way to do that.

Going back to the notion of having a wine sommelier – one year I hosted an afternoon tea for some of my Mom’s friends. I came here for the tea. A friend hosted with me. She keeps telling me, “Russell, you need to become a Japanese tea master.” Is there such a thing? Can I become one? 

No, you can't become one.

Technically you can be certified to do certain things, especially in Japan.

What does “certain things" mean?

We’ve talked about matcha a bit, right? With matcha in Japan, there are actually very particular ceremonies around it. There are different levels of particularity. You can get a certification to be able to perform them traditionally and officially. They can get very fancy. For instance, if you're going to be part of the ceremony, you're not supposed to eat or drink beforehand. You're not supposed to talk during the entire ceremony.

These ceremonies take at least an hour. Sometimes they can take seven hours, depending on how many people are participating. There’s no certification for “I know tea really well.”  It’s not like that. But you can be certified for certain practices of tea. It depends on the culture that you're talking about  too.

So I cannot become a tea master because I am not Japanese?

Non-Japanese people can become certified, but you have to live in Japan. 

If I remember correctly, I don't think there is an official title of tea master.

So you’re saying I can make it up? “I AM A TEA MASTER!”

You can absolutely lie to people about this.

I don't know how many people will respect that.

I've worked here for like seven, seven plus years, honestly, and I would not consider myself a tea master. I know so much about tea. It's a long road to learn about tea. You’d be studying for years and years. 

I have so much to learn. I have  confidence in saying that  because I'm of the mindset that there is always more to learn. And there is always new information coming out, such as the idea of matcha having all these health benefits. Now you are reading articles about it all the time, but in the West, that is a new thing. And news and insights about tea are constantly coming out.

But also, America is not, shall I say, an especially ritualistic society.

It's fast-paced.

Right – it's not a ceremonial society. The idea of simply sitting down for an hour and only focusing on your tea –  that would blow people's minds. Americans wouldn't know what to do.

We noticed that since Covid, there has been a major uptick in people interested in tea sets. Maybe because people were at home more, they got more interested in making it more of a ceremony, more of a process, and taking their time with it.

Covid made people slow down and appreciate the small things in life.

That being said, at the Expo in 2019, we were looking at stats. Tea, in the U.S., is mostly about ready-made drinks. Bottled pre-made tea, even more than tea bags.

Honestly, that was a big trend in China and Japan too – buying your pre-made bottled tea at the convenience or grocery store.  

In Japan, villages that for generations grew and picked tea, the younger generations are no longer interested in it. They cared more about boba or fun pre-made drinks.

Like McDonald’s sweet tea or Lipton Brisk iced tea?

Not so much that. Still a little more Japanese. But there is a labor problem too. Villages where tea is grown – those people are starting to age and the younger generations aren’t as interested in that work.  

That’s a fascinating point. Craig Mod is a writer I enjoy a great deal. He's an American, but he lives in Japan. He wrote a book called Kissa by Kissa. A kissa is akin to a coffee house. They have limited menus – coffee and usually a few food items. They're all dying out. The owners are all elderly, usually well past retirement age – and none of their kids want to be involved in the kissa. These kissa tend to be on little country roads connecting different towns. Not Tokyo.

Yeah – that's the thing. You see it more with the smaller villages because the younger generation is just not staying there.

Younger generations always want to rebel against older generations. That's just a fact of life.

Speaking of coffee – how do people connect differently with tea than with coffee?

There are people who get really into coffee and I am not one of those people. But as a casual enjoyer of coffee, I feel like it's on the same level of how we partake of and enjoy tea. There are a lot of nuances to enjoying coffee.

There is an American culture connected to coffee, especially in workplaces. “I need my coffee to get going and to be able to function throughout the day.” Break rooms or cafeterias in office buildings are a lot more likely to have coffee in them than tea. If they do have tea stuff, it's usually only tea bags. I have a lot of regulars who come during their lunch breaks a few times a week. They work in offices which only supply coffee in the break room. In America, I think coffee is much more accessible in the workplace than tea. 

It's just one of those things that's always there. So it's easy to get into.

Whereas with tea, of course you have Southern sweet tea. Or you have people who see tea as something medicinal – “I only drink tea when I'm sick or when I want to fall asleep.”

Or – “I only drink matcha because it's super-healthy for me.”  And that is a good reason to drink matcha. One of our biggest clienteles is people looking to get healthier with tea. You should also be drinking matcha because it tastes good! I feel like having that health-only approach with tea can be negative sometimes. 

Or it can be limiting. People come in with a list of herbs and they say, “I want tea with these herbs because I read that they have health benefits.” You absolutely can do that – we have a medicinal section in our menu. But it’s a bit of a different view of tea, and I don't think people approach coffee in quite the same way.

Definitely.

I want to come back to the question of connecting with tea. How do you see people connect with tea?

A lot of people come in who do like the taste. They love exploring the different flavors. We have a lot of different teas for a reason, even if it can be intimidating. 

It's such a person-by-person, intimate experience. There are definitely people who only drink it for health benefits. Then there are some people who drink tea every day because it's part of their ritual and it's their favorite thing to drink.

I love the experience of people coming in to buy tea for other people. It’s an easy bonding point –” I know they like tea. It's the easiest thing I can get for them that I know they'll enjoy.” It's a safe move.

Exactly.

My sister-in-law and I – one of our closer bonding points was how much she loves tea and her getting  my brother to start drinking tea finally. For a long time he would only drink tea when he wasn't feeling well.She opened him up to enjoying it. And he's a big coffee drinker, – like four shots of espresso per drink. So that was a big thing. Now when I send her tea, he has requests too.

Tea also tends to be a community thing – sharing like a teapot with a friend, for example.

Even in that medicinal vein, I'll have people come in and say, “My daughter-in-law is having her first baby. So I want to get her the New Mother's Tea.”

My wife doesn't love tea, but she loves going to tea. That's one of our favorite things to do as a family over the holidays.

One of my favorite memories with family visiting us here – Sophia’s now sister-in-law and my mom were in town. We went to Sister’s Tea in Buckner, Kentucky. They had the three-tiered tea trays. We all dressed up. It was a whole experience and it was lovely. Unfortunately, that place has closed. 

How many people come in here asking for coffee?

A lot. Most are joking. When they’re serious, I will say there is a reason we don't carry coffee. We have some really delicate teas and if they were stored next to coffee, they would start tasting like coffee. So if the options were having a wide range of teas or having teas and coffee, we chose the wide range of teas. There are a lot of amazing local coffee businesses.

Tea and coffee, they are so similar. Many people view them as on the same plane. But they are also so vastly different because they involve vastly different brewing processes.

I'll enjoy a cup of coffee, but I could not tell you how to properly brew anything fancy.

I've never drank coffee in my life.

What are some good books or articles about tea?

I do have one off the top of my head – 19 Lessons on Tea. It’s an easy intro on all the basics, like the different types of tea, what makes them different. Uh, actually, I think Nicolette, my cousin, is quoted or thanked in it.

Away from the shop, could you tell me about some of your tea rituals? What does tea mean to you? How do you celebrate it? How do you drink it? 

On my perfect day off, if I have no obligations, I'm sitting at home and I love to make tea in the Gaiwan style. So it has a full little cup and a little lid. You make a bunch of brews of the same tea over and over again. I like to do this with the Tung Ting Oolong that you can steep multiple times. It goes all day. It's ridiculous. Something about the process of making the same cup of tea over and over again and noticing the small details in it and being able to appreciate this full tea for what it is. It's really good.

Tell me more about gaiwan. I have a gaiwan travel set, but I don’t use it much. I have this set.

Honestly not trying to push it, but I love carrying this set around. I mean, it’s  just so cute.

This is the one I use at my own house too. I love this set.

I really like the glaze on it. It's a very satisfying feel.

Yeah. It's amazing.

Not to be all product placement. It is wonderful.

I'm not endorsing it. I'm saying it's good. Gaiwan is a really great way to brew tea. It's the traditional Chinese way to make tea. It opens up the tea leaves for a much different experience than you would have with brewing the tea.

Now you're convincing me to take this on my trip.

With the Gaiwan, you put the tea directly in and then pour the water on top. Then you gently strain the tea. But most of the tea leaves remain, so you're drinking it with tea leaves still in the cup. That’s the best way to drink tea because you get the full body flavor of it and all the nuances of it.

If you ever order a sample cup in the shop, it's made in a Gaiwan. We brew it stronger than we normally recommend brewing tea and you'll get a little bit of the leaf in the cup. So you get the truest flavor.

Just hook them with the caffeine.

Exactly.

You're supposed to use a heaping teaspoon per every eight ounces of water. For our sample cups, we use a heaping teaspoon per every five ounces. So it's not an insane amount!

It's a little bit more than you generally would use. 

You can get the real depth of flavor that way.

Do you all drink the Global brands of tea, like Lipton and Bigelow?

I'm going to be real. I only drink our tea. The only time I don't drink our tea is if  I’m out at a restaurant and want a cup of tea with my meal. If I'm at a sushi restaurant, I'm going to drink tea. Or, when someone gives me a specialty tea, I will absolutely drink it. Or, when I'm traveling, I like to visit other tea shops and I will drink tea there. But day to day,  I only drink our tea.

It is rare that I drink other teas. One of the lovely things about working at a tea shop is people will say, “ I traveled to this country and I brought some tea back. Do you want to try it?” And that is awesome! We also get samples from our suppliers so we can taste a wide range of teas and that is always fun!

But it's not like you sit in the back of your shop and pound a McDonald's sweet tea.

No. We will have the occasional Arizona Ginseng Tea, but that’s almost more of a juice.

Besides here and Trader Nicks Tea in Florida, what are your favorite tea shops?

Sadly, we have not left America. That is something I want to do in my life –  travel and taste teas from outside of the country.

Being able to have freshly picked tea from a Japanese tea-growing area would be amazing. 

Literal dream stuff like that. Within America, if we happen to be traveling to a city, it’s fun to see what’s out there. We’re originally from Phoenix, and when we’re there, we go to the local tea shops to visit family or friends. 

In Phoenix and all of Arizona, I am a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf fan. They are obviously a coffee shop, but they also have a really nice selection of loose leaf teas. If I have a matcha craving it's my go-to, because  they'll give me something good.

One of the funny parts about going to different tea shops is that I am so intimately familiar with the wholesalers that sell loose tea. So I'll be looking at other places’s menus and I'm thinking, “I know exactly where you buy your tea from. And I know exactly what tea I'm getting here because I sell it.” Sometimes I go to tea shops, and it doesn't feel like a new experience because I already know all of their teas because we sell the same teas.

All right. We're done with the nice questions. Tell me about the tea mafia.

The sketchy stuff.

The sketchy side of the tea industry.

The backdoor deals. Yeah. Sadly, it's not that sketchy or anything.

Oh, come on.

I hate to disappoint you. I'm not secretly buying tea from someone at the back door.

The bricks of thousand dollar bills hidden in tea. I know they exist. Come on.

The sketchiest thing we have to do is wire money to people in Japan because we're getting a giant order of  fresh tea from Japan.

Generally speaking, we work with about a dozen main suppliers and a few specialty suppliers.

All of our Exceptionally Rare Tea Samplers, we only contact those suppliers for those special teas.

A lot of the exceptionally rare teas are small batch or they come from companies that only do hand picking. So, they have a limited quantity. That's why if a tea is in the Exceptionally Rare Tea Sampler, it's unlikely we will ever be able to get ahold of it again. One time I was at a tea expo and I had a Colombian white tea. It was the sweetest natural tea I've ever had while still being delicate and light. We can no longer find it.

I still think about that tea too, honestly. It's sweet. It was a really good tea.

That's awesome. That's great.

We had a 2007 Hunan dark tea that had natural buttery caramel notes. I would drink that as often as I felt comfortable doing for it being such an exceptionally special tea. We carried it the first two years I was here. We sold out and we can never get it again. And it is probably my favorite tea I've ever had.

Tea is definitely one of those things that gets better with age. Aged tea is a very big thing. If you get something that's aged from a specific year, you're never going to be able to get that tea again. It's aged from that specific year.

These logs over here are from 2012. I'll actually open this up for you.

I don't think you ever found a way to sell one of those to me.

Get out, people! Have you never seen this?

No, I’ve never seen it.

This is an aged tea from 2012. It's wrapped in bamboo. It gets more expensive with age because it is actively aging in there.

The price increases every year.

What's the price right now?

It's $65 for the little one. We sold a couple of the little ones. We had a customer who was drinking it on the regular and they said it lasted them about a year.

Right now, this large one is $285. If you're drinking tea daily, it will last you about three years.

If somebody buys that today, will it actually be better at the end, in three years, than it is today?

Sophia: Yeah. If you store it properly. Of course, if something happens to it.

Mostly, you need to make sure it doesn't get exposed to moisture.

We would recommend that you piece off a chunk of it and then seal it back up.

Let me ask a different question. One dirty secret in the restaurant business is – everyone says “sea bass” on the menu, but it’s really some much cheaper fish. You know, like bluegill from Kentucky lakes. What is the sea bass of the tea world?

It would technically be China Keemun, but it doesn't feel like a dirty secret, because we openly tell people about it.

We are pretty honest as a company about our dirty secrets.

We are pretty straightforward with people about this, but China Keemun is a very standard black tea. On it’s own, it doesn’t have much of a unique flavor. It's our cheapest black tea at the moment. It is the base of a lot of flavored black teas.

This isn't a tea that you would want to drink by itself much. If you're a big fan of Kentucky Morning? This is what Kentucky Morning is made of. Then the other dirty secret – but again, we are very open about this – is the Milky Oolong controversy. Milky Oolong is a fake tea.

What is it?

Milky Oolong and Milk Oolong are two different things. This is a real Milk Oolong. It’s only oolong tea, nothing added. It gets its taste naturally. It has that creaminess. It tastes like milk. When you steep it several times, it gets milkier. It gets better. Milky Oolong is not that. It has things added to it.

It's artificial. Milky Oolong has been steamed with milk to give you that milky taste. The first couple steeps have the strongest milk taste, but it goes away with multiple steeps, basically the reverse of a Milky Oolong. People will come in asking for Milky Oolong. We can do that. But I tell them we have a true Milk Oolong too, which currently is our Jin Xuan Jade. 

And again, we are open about this. I want to tell people that we are not lying to you. We just have a Milky Oolong and a Milk Oolong.

Some last few questions. What’s your favorite thing about being involved in the tea world, having a tea shop and getting to interact with people in a retail environment, but a highly specialized, unique one? 

I might be reiterating this, but it’s the communal aspect. We get an immediate connection with people because we already have this shared interest.

Tea can be such a niche interest. When  you find someone who also really likes tea, you just want to talk about tea.

It's a strong connection immediately. Comparing it to coffee, coffee is so broad. You're not going to find similarities with people simply because you both like coffee.

Everybody's at Starbucks.

Yeah, like, “oh wow, you drank a cup of coffee this morning.” But if you say, “I drank a cup of tea this morning,” another tea lover reacts, “Ooh, a tea!”

I love when someone comes in, traveling from out of state and they're so excited to see new tea stuff. And they’re excited that someone cares about tea and is excited to talk about it. There's so much to tea. You could be excited about so many different aspects of it.

People come in a lot asking about the right way to brew tea. We have an answer for you. We can tell you how to brew tea.

We have our standard. I tell people the general rule of thumb – a heaping teaspoon per eight ounces of water.

But there's so many different ways to make tea. It depends on the tea. And it also depends on what culture you're interacting with. Someone born in India will brew their Indian chai in a different way from how I will recommend someone from here brew it. The person from India already knows how to do it. They've done it their whole life.

A classic, traditional Indian way of making masala chai is putting the spices and the black tea on the stove with milk and brewing it in milk and then straining it out. But we tell people – letting the black tea sit in hot liquid for that long will actually release a lot of tannins and make the tea really bitter. A lot of our Indian teas are on the much stronger side, because that's more of the palate. In fact, a lot of English tea drinking comes from Indian teas which has a really strong, dark tea base. That's why you'll see people in England putting a lot of milk and sugar in it, to balance out that strength. Then we have some black teas that I would not recommend putting milk and sugar in, because it's going to taste like watery milk and sugar.

You're drinking jasmine green tea? You put milk in it – that's not the right way.

That's a choice. But with Gongfu style, you brew tea for 10 to 30 seconds. And you do that six times or more. That's such a different method from what we normally tell people. That's why I don't like saying there's any hard or fast, right or wrong, ways of brewing tea. People ask what sweetener we would recommend with teas. And I really think that is personal preference. You're the one drinking it, you should enjoy it. You should make it and enjoy it how you like.

Another one people ask about a lot is when to end steep times. Like, don’t ever steep for longer than five minutes or the tea will taste bitter. But some people like bitter tea. If you want to steep it for seven minutes to pull out more astringency, go for it. 

I probably steep my tea less than three minutes.

And there's nothing wrong with that either.

Drink it how you enjoy it. I make my tea strong.

I make my tea so strong.

I'll use a 12 ounce cup and put two teaspoons in it.

When we make cups for regular customers, we add two teaspoons in these 16 oz. cups. Every time I make tea for myself, I add three teaspoons because I like my tea strong. I want the added flavor in there.

If I'm making a tea for a health benefit, it wouldn't be wild for me to put six teaspoons in there.

I have absolutely made a cup this size that has eight teaspoons of tea in it. But I've also made a cup this size that has one teaspoon of tea in it.

This is why you can be energetic at the end of the day.

Exactly. This is why we have so much energy.

When I brew our caffeine free teas, most of them don't over-brew.  Our labels say to steep five-plus minutes on them. But I'll just tie them off and leave the bag in the cup. I have people who come in and ask me to do that with their regular black teas, which I would never personally do for myself, but it's how they prefer it.

I'm not gonna tell you how to live your life if you're enjoying tea.

You’re the one drinking tea.

OK, so I am curious – what’s your favorite book? 

I'm actually a very big reader. I read books every day. And asking for my favorite book is like asking for my favorite tea. I do not have one. I will just ramble about 70 of them!

What's your favorite recent book then?

My favorite recent book is either Song of Achilles or Iron Widow, because I've read them in the past month. That will change next month. I will have a new favorite book, just like I'll have a new favorite tea next month. But I don't know. It also depends on my mood because my favorite fantasy book is nothing like my favorite romance book. My favorite romance book is nothing like my favorite sci-fi book.

Or ones with like childhood nostalgia. So I have a very different answer, because what I consider as my favorite book, I first read in sixth grade. I was about 12 years old. The Giver by Lois Lowry. I read a lot when I was younger, say fourth grade. Then I had a bit of a lull where I didn’t. Then in sixth grade, I picked up The Giver and I was so invested in it, it got me back into the habit of reading. I wrote a book report twice as long as it needed to be because I was so enthusiastic about it. I own a few copies of it because I have some special versions of it. I haven’t read it in years, but it still has a place in my heart. 

Multiple versions of books –  totally underrated. It’s amazing.

I do it too, honestly. I have fancy editions and then I have copies I actually read because I don't want to read my fancy editions.

That's exactly right.

If I have a signed copy of a book, I have a trash version of it too.

I'm not gonna read that signed version.

I've got about 10 versions of The Iliad and The Odyssey.

I have at least four versions of The Iliad.

I want to see different covers and read different translations. 

Sophia's brother, my cousin, Andrew does bookbinding, with his company Optics Binding. So we've received gifts that are very fancy versions of books.

That's awesome.

We both love to read. I think together we have over 600 books at our house. I like to read basically everything. I'll read comics, I'll read whatever I can get my hands on.

If we are talking about books, I have to give a shout out to Percy Jackson, the children’s series. 

I read it when I was 12 and I still love it. I have feelings about Percy Jackson the way that a lot of people have feelings about Harry Potter.  It was such a big part of my childhood, part of why I love reading.

It got me super into mythology – not only Greek mythology. Sixth grade was when we started studying world history and looking into different mythologies. I still love to look into them. 

I own mythology textbooks because they're really fun to read. Percy Jackson got me into that.

I'm not huge into non-fiction books. But mythology got me a lot more into world history and culture.

Well, Sarah and Sophia – this has been so much fun! It’s been awesome! 

Thank you! This was great –  I'm so happy we did this! This was very enjoyable!

(This article contains Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

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For the first time since college, I am reading a sizable number of books in community. Earlier this year, some friends put together a Gents Book Club. I read a book in concert with others in conjunction with Eknath Easwaran’s Blue Mountain Center of Meditation. And a friend gifted me a book that we read together over three months.

Overall, I enjoy this mix of private reading of my own choosing alongside a few books selected by others. It is worthwhile to self-direct your content consumption, and also be confronted with stories and ideas you would not have otherwise come across.

Also this year, I have slowed down my reading pace. I go back and re-read much more than I have before. Some books may take weeks or months to complete. I find the slower pace rewarding. I sense more enjoyment from my reading and also a lovely gift to myself to reflect more on each work. Slowing down contains great power.

My reflections on this quarter’s books are below. You can also see reviews of the books I read in the first and second quarters:

1. The Odyssey by Homer (translated by Emily Wilson; audiobook)

“‘Achilles, you should not
be bitter at your death.’

“But he replied,
‘Odysseus, you must not comfort me
for death. I would prefer to be a workman,
hired by a poor man on a peasant farm,
than rule as king of all the dead.’”

Zero days are made worse by listening to The Odyssey.

2. The Philosophy of Walking by Frederic Gros

“What I mean is that by walking you are not going to meet yourself. By walking, you escape from the very idea of identity, the temptation to be someone, to have a name and a history. Being someone is all very well for smart parties where everyone is telling their story, it’s all well for psychologists’ consulting rooms. But isn’t being someone also a social obligation which trails in its wake – for one has to be faithful to the self-portrait – a stupid and burdensome fiction? The freedom in walking lies in not being anyone; for the walking body has no history, it is just an eddy in the stream of immemorial life.”

My friend JG gave me this book for my birthday. We read it together, three essays per week for 11 weeks. Gros writes unevenly. Some essays touched me, almost taking my breath away with their language. Others are simply garbage. Gros does not have, or at least share, many original ideas about walking. I constantly felt that I had already read or heard everything before. Still, I loved reading the book with JG and lamented the arrival, and inevitable end, of essay 33.

3. Ka by Roberto Calasso

“Krishna hardly ever spoke about himself.”
“[I]mpatience is the only sin.”

Part of Calasso’s nine-part series on mythology, philosophy and modern life, he weaves together Vedic, Hindu and Buddhist story and lore. It made me want to read more of the Vedas, Upanishads and other beautiful Hindu and Buddhist scriptures. What higher praise can a book receive?

4. The Celestial Hunter by Roberto Calasso

“This is the premise of the Laws: to build a bastion so that the god can be seen and heard.”

Another book in Calasso’s series, this one focuses on the philosophy and mythology of the West, especially of ancient Egypt and Greece. He especially emphasizes Plato’s The Laws, written toward the end of his life and his main dialogue which does not include Socrates. As my political philosophy professor Fr. James Schall, S.J., said, “There is nothing in Plato which is not supposed to be in Plato.” Meaning – Plato left Socrates out for a reason. I’ve been pondering that reason ever since, and felt eager to read The Laws ever since. For the walkers out there, Calasso relates this tidbit:

“An inscription of 421/420 B.C.E suggests that a bridge there, probably destroyed in war, must have been rebuilt. The decree ordered that the bridge be wide enough to allow passage for the priestesses with “sacred objects” and future initiates, who were referred to as “the walkers.” Nothing else was needed to describe the candidates for initiation.”

As a side note, I bought this book at Shakespeare and Company, across from Notre Dame, in Paris. Pretty awesome place to purchase a book.

5. The Bhagavad Gita: Yoga of Contemplation and Action by Georg Feuerstein

“The most outstanding characteristic of the Bhagavad-Gita is its syncretic approach.”

In the first quarter and the second quarter, I read a few of Feuerstein’s books about Yoga and The Bhagavad Gita. Reading more of Feuerstein makes me want to, well, read more of Feuerstein.

6. The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living by Eknath Easwaran

“In these dark times, therefore, I would like every one of you to remember this: we are not alone. This is not a world of chance, with “neither joy, nor love, nor light, nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain.” We are surrounded by creative powers, as surrounded as we are by air and light and gravitation. It is only when we fail to ally ourselves with the forces of light that they are unable to support us. If we give our wholehearted support, love will triumph. This remembrance brings faith; it brings hope; it brings the certitude of victory.”

This concluded my second reading of Easwaran’s magisterial, verse by verse commentary on The Bhagavad Gita. I read a verse and its accompanying elucidation each evening before bedtime. It takes me about 18 months to finish the book. I believe I will read a verse and its analysis every evening for the rest of my life.

7. Take Your Time by Eknath Easwaran

“When concentration is deep, we may forget our body completely. In fact we may forget altogether about that dreariest of subjects, ourselves. This is the real secret of happiness.”

I read this book slowly, a few pages per week, in concert with Easwaran’s Blue Mountain Center of Meditation over six months. While I definitely don’t race through books, it felt uplifting – and challenging – to deliberately slow down…to re-read that week’s section….and re-read it again…and to not blaze ahead of the rest of the community reading the book. I reveled in that experience and have continued reading with the Center’s eSatsang since then.

8. The Ramayana by R.K. Narayan

“Rama watched him fall headlong from his chariot face down onto the earth, and that was the end of the great campaign. Now one noticed Ravana’s face aglow with a new quality. Rama’s arrows had burnt off layers of dross, the anger, conceit, cruelty, lust, and egotism which had encrusted his real self, and now his personality came through in its pristine form – of one who was devout and capable of tremendous attainments. His constant meditation on Rama, although as an adversary, now seemed to bear fruit, as his face shone with serenity and peace.”

Like Calasso, Narayan tells the ancient myths in modern language, which makes for an easy introduction to them. Lovely.

9. The Mahabharata by R.K. Narayan

“The Pandavas marched on in silence with a group of devoted followers trailing along, until they reached the banks of the Ganga. There they spent the night under a spreading tree. A few among Yudhistira’s followers lit a sacrificial fire and melodiously chanted the Vedas, to while away the time.”

Narayan relates the 1.8 million-word Mahabharata in about 180 pages. Again, like Calasso and Feuerstein, reading Narayan made me want to read more — the actual, whole, entire epic soon.

10. Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima

“Kiyoaki drew comfort from the peace of mind that comes with loss. In his heart, he always preferred the actuality of loss to the fear of it. He had lost Satoko. And with that he was content. For by now he had learned how to quiet even his subsequent re-sentment. Every show of feeling was now governed with a marvelous economy. If a candle has burned brilliantly but now stands alone in the dark with its flame extinguished, it need no longer fear that its substance will dissolve into hot wax. For the first time in his life, Kiyoaki came to realize the healing powers of solitude.”

I selected this book for our Gents Books Club. It had sat untouched on my bookshelf for years. Frequently, I heard the praises of Mishima and especially his tetralogy, The Sea of Fertility, of which this is the first novel. Spring Snow rehashes the doomed Romeo and Juliet story of love gone awry, this time amidst a backdrop of the uneven and unsettling Westernization of Japan. While the book read far more easily than anticipated, I did not love it. Only the Abbess stood out as a firm character, who knew herself and what she was about. Maybe that was, indeed, Mishima’s point. But I wanted to love this novel and Mishima, and didn’t. Unlike reading Feuerstein or Narayan, reading Mishima didn’t make me want to read more of Mishima.

11. The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron by Howard Bryant

“By the time the season was over, however, Henry Aaron had learned something far more valuable than a trophy. He had seen them all up close—Willie Mays, the rookie Ernie Banks, the great Stan Musial, and, as a player, even the great Jackie Robinson—and none had intimidated him. He would later say he had learned how deeply his pride ran, and how that pride, comparing his abilities with those of his contemporaries, was the ingredient that truly fueled his motivation.”

Look, I love Joe Posnanski and his book ranking the 100 greatest baseball players of all time. But he is dead wrong that Willie Mays was a better player than Aaron. Bryant paints a portrait of a dutiful and conflicted hero. I find Aaron all the more relatable and human because of his hesitancy about the role he played in American sports and history. By and large, I do not pay attention to or, shall we say, “feel”, celebrity deaths much. But when Aaron died on January 22, 2021, it ached as a sad loss for America.

12. Grant by Ron Chernow (audiobook)

“When he grew bored with playing cards on the boat, Julia inquired if he had ever read Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. “No,” he said. “I started to read it on the James River but was interrupted so frequently that I read only a few pages.” He began reading it so voraciously that he disappeared for days, only popping up for meals. “He read it very slowly,” said Young, “almost like a man who is studying rather than reading.” Then at eleven o’clock one night, Young was pacing the deck when Grant appeared, fresh from reading, and he asked him about Hugo’s presentation of the battle of Waterloo. “It is a very fine account,” Grant answered. Then he astounded Young with his fine-grained knowledge of the weapons, troops, and tactics employed by Napoleon and Wellington. Despite his contempt for Napoleon, Grant concluded that “it was the finest planned battle of Napoleon, the best conceived battle that I know of, and nothing but Providence being against him defeated him.” For those who thought Grant ignorant of military history, Young delivered a salutary corrective, describing how Grant spoke at length about the art of warfare. He wasn’t simply an intuitive general but a self-aware modernizer[.]”

My wife and I listened to this audiobook on our car trips for parts of three summers. Above all, Grant comes to the fore as a man of supreme goodwill, mourned deeply in the South he defeated as in the North he commanded on the fields of battle. Going back to The Ramayana, Grant emerges as a Rama-like figure, eliciting sentiments of “peace and serenity” the more the nation — and I — contemplated him. A man of supreme goodwill, even toward his enemies. Even to those human beings who were, for a time, his enemies. Can we ourselves aspire to any nobler or more needed ambition today?

13. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

“Those who pitied her fate were calmed with a smile. “Don’t worry,” she told them. “Queens run errands for me.””

Another book we read for the Gents Book Club. Look, when this book came out in 1967, sure, it rocked people’s world. No one had written anything like it before. That notion brought to mind what Anthony Bourdain said about visiting Tokyo for the first time:

“I often compare the experience of going to Japan for the first time, going to Tokyo for the first time, to what Eric Clapton and Pete Townsend must have gone through, the reigning guitar gods of England, what they must have gone through the week that Jimi Hendrix came to town.”

Today, to me, the book elicited feelings of indifference. I do believe if I discussed it with someone who lives in South America, I would come to have a different perspective. The best part was the discussion it prompted amongst the book club about Louisville. Has Louisville become Macondo? Has it been Macondo for decades? Does Louisville matter, even in a Daniel Webster-Dartmouth College, “It is, sir, as I have said, a small college, and yet there are those who love it” sort of way? How does our city not slip into irrelevance or oblivion?

Well, bring on the fourth quarter! Of course, I will be tackling my seasonal readings of Dracula and A Christmas Carol — my 30th reading of Dickens’s holiday wonder. Joining them, I will read Frankenstein with the Gents Books Club, and more from Ananda K. Coomaraswamy. Surely a delightful and uplifting quarter. Bring it on!

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Today I am joined by one of my favorite writers, one of my favorite people – Sara Campbell. How to describe Sara? Writer, coach, marketing executive, Zen Buddhist practitioner and now lay teacher, we met through the writing collective called Foster. Meeting her in person during a Foster retreat highlighted that experience.

I view Sara as one of the few people peering deep into the heart of modern society, facing it honestly, and reflecting back something worthy of our attention. Her Substack, Tiny Revolutions, is on my short list of must-reads as soon as a new issue comes out. To me, most importantly she is a friend.

Sara and I enjoyed a far-ranging conversation. We discussed community and whether a vibrant community can exist without some in-person contact; her Mount Rushmore of writers; the fast-evolving world of creative work; her attraction to Zen Buddhism; the passing of her mother and becoming buddies with her father; why we need to stay close to who we are in this hectic, sometimes crazy modern world; and much more.

We enjoyed a beautiful, heartfelt discourse. I keep returning to the themes we discussed:

• Sara has been a writer her entire life. She has coached and now has become a Zen teacher. The interplay between writing and teaching makes sense, and not only for research-intensive, university-level teachers. In some ways, both teachers and writers seek to leave something of themselves to posterity, to eternity.

• The mandate of the Oracle at Delphi to “Know Thyself” always struck me as an urgent calling into introspection. Perhaps. But Sara articulates another side — we know who we are, in part at least, by and through our lives in community. As she says, “I don’t think we can truly become ourselves without other people.”

• Sara urges us to keep our Why at the center of our work. As the former Hindu priest Dandapani writes, “Discovering your life’s purpose should be your sole focus if you don’t know it. Don’t stop until you discover it. Then you can spend the rest of your life living in alignment with that purpose.”

• We find ourselves under perpetual bombardment from people, companies and brands telling us who we should be, how we should spend our time, what we should buy, and what we should aspire to. Sara urges us to preserve time to reflect on and rediscover who we are, what we believe and what we stand for. Whether we engage in zazen, meditation, prayer or another such practice, it is a vital defense against that onslaught.

Thank you, Sara, for such a lovely conversation!

Episode Links

• Sara’s website

• Sara’s Substack, Tiny Revolutions

• Angel City Zen Center

There is a special, sacred bond between mothers and sons. Brooken and I certainly felt that.

In our family vacations to Nassau; in driving us on innumerable trips to comic book and baseball card shops; in supporting us at Odyssey of the Mind competitions; in taking us to the 1990 World Series; in schlepping Brooken around to basketball games and swim meets; in attending our debates at college; in cheering for our triumphs and crying at our defeats, Mom showed us her unwavering love every day.

What is a mother? We have a view of a mother as this soft, tender creature, always cradling and nurturing her child. That vision carries a side of the truth. And there is another side - the protective mother, perhaps even fierce when needed. The mama bear. The lioness. I’d like to share two stories where Mom revealed both those visions of motherhood.

To me, what epitomizes Mom’s love were the months following my open heart surgery in 1985. To regain my strength, she made me walk the length of the Mall or Oxmoor and back, every single day. Sometimes she had to encourage me, other times cajole, and a few times even threaten me. But she knew how crucial those walks were to my long-term recovery and health; she was caring passionately for me, even if there was an occasional prod to keep me going.

Around my 13th birthday, Dad was working late one night. Mom took us to the old sporting goods store near the old Hawley-Cooke Booksellers on Shelbyville Road. She got Brooken and me a new bat and baseball. We came home and started playing in the yard. Brooken pitched to me, and I whacked the ball right back, hitting his face and splitting open his lip. I freaked, and ran inside to get Mom. She ushered us into the car to head to the emergency room to get Brooken’s lip looked at. Brooken sat in the back seat, and in my panic, as he reached behind to get his seat belt, I slammed the door on his fingers. Woah boy! Brooken got the caring, nurturing Mom that night. I got the unhappy, upset lioness Mom that night.

Another story spotlights Mom’s quiet dignity. Our family enjoyed some of its best moments in Nassau. One time, Mom went down to the beach, perhaps her favorite place in the world. About 15 minutes later, we saw a small crowd of people head to the beach, and very soon, Mom walked back up to the cottage. I was puzzled, because Mom usually stayed longer at the beach, but I was reading and I didn’t think much of it. A short while later, I saw an elegant, red-headed woman walk up to the cottage. It was Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York – she’d had a photo shoot on the beach, and she had come to apologize to Mom for forcing her off the beach. I couldn’t see the exchange, but Mom was a big fan of the Royals. I can imagine the grace with which Mom greeted the Duchess, and the deep impression that moment made in her life.

I have one last story to share that, to me, highlights Mom’s sometimes impish sense of humor. It happened during her first bout of cancer in 2006. After surgery in Knoxville, she had some drainage and she asked her doctor, “Do you know why it’s orange?” He looked at her curiously, as if to give some complicated medical answer. Then she got a sparkling glint in her eye and said, “Because we’re in Tennessee. Everything is orange here.”

Brooken and I wish to offer our love and thanks to our wives, Katie and Kathleen, who have taken on many duties across these years so that he and I could be there for Mom. Brooken and I wish to offer our heartfelt gratitude to a veritable army of Mom’s friends and other family members, who drove her to medical appointments, visited her in the hospital or home, and have performed such generous acts on Mom’s behalf and on ours – too many people have given their time and energy to Mom to name here, but we treasure them all. We also want to sincerely thank Mom’s doctors, nurses and staff at: Norton Healthcare, Baptist Health, OneMD, Kindred Hospital, University of Louisville Hospital, University of Tennessee Medical Center, and Memorial Sloan Kettering, and her Malone Homecare nurses - so many of whom were devoted to Mom far beyond the bounds of a job. You have exhibited such beautiful acts of love and faithfulness again and again. Thank you.

I wish to close by speaking with Mom’s granddaughters, because if she enjoyed anything as much as being Mom to Brooken and me, it was in being Amama to Abby, Ellie, Beatrice, Lucy and Cordelia. I hope you will carry forth three teachings from Amama’s life:

First, your Amama loved you. She loved being with you five – in Nassau, Sea Island, taking you for mani-pedis, attending your musical and ballet shows or sports games, or simply having you spend the night at her house. Amama was a supremely singular woman. And she knows you are each growing into a special, unique young lady. Amama never felt ashamed about her life, her originality. Go be you.

Second, you have witnessed so many years and examples of Amama’s toughness. Even in the face of immense pain and struggle, she never lost her fighting will to live. Persistence, grit, determination – these are indispensable qualities in a world that accepts defeat too easily, and throws up its hands at the first obstacle. Be tenacious. And remember that some people love vague, grandiose ideas. Others love life. Amama loved life; she reveled in the warm waters of Nassau, the dazzling lights of Paris and the quiet comforts of home. Love life.

Third, a profound lesson about Amama’s life centers on her sister, Aunt Mary. Over the past 8 years especially, you have witnessed unparalleled selfless devotion and sisterly love from Aunt Mary. She sat and visited with Amama for hours every single day. She ran countless errands for Amama. She spent an enormous amount of her life dedicated to Amama’s care. There is an old saying: “our life is our message.” I hope you will absorb Aunt Mary’s message and example of sisterhood in your own lives.

I love you Mom. We love you. Brooken and I are very proud to be your sons.

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In this episode of “Walks of Life,” we have a great treat. Joining me is . Katy has written a book of poetry, Now I Lay Me Down to Fight, about her way through cancer. Now she is writing a book called Play Book, about how the notions of play and playfulness weave through Scripture. I recently got to meet Katy in Nashville, along with our amazingly creative friend Alice Smith. It was such a joy and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed following Katy’s progress on Play Book through her Substack, Katy Plays. And I cannot wait to read the book when it comes out.

As I’ve reflected on my discussion with Katy, a few points have struck me:

1. Katy mentions how Play Book “is the natural consequence of everything I’ve done in my life.” That comment reminded me of a recent “The Narrative” podcast epsiode with Ghost Agency CEO : “Don’t follow your passion; surrender to your destiny.” We hear so often, “follow your passion,” and I’ve found that unhelpful advice. Many of us have many passions, so which one do we follow? Or do we follow some or many or all of them? But the sense that Katy gives us is of a natural progression in life. That makes a of of sense to me.

2. We talk about play and seriousness — how they seem quite similar and also very different. It reminds me of Roger Federer. Yes, he had serious things at stake as he played tennis — money, rankings, prestige and so on. But he so clearly viewed it and felt tennis as a game, as play. Here we get into tricky advice — such as “you must be desireless.” Well, if I am desiring to be desireless, um, don’t I still have … a desire? True, and yet, the wisdom of the ages speaks clearly — it seems paradoxical and yet that is the aim. So perhaps with play and seriousness — we must run the narrow gamut that seems to separate them, and acknowledge that space is as but a shadow.

3. Katy tells us she is writing this book for adults. Kids innately intuit play — they are playful beings. As we age, life beats the play from us. In the modern, hyper-scheduled, everything’s rushed world, we adults must rekindle the fire of play inside us.

4. At one point, Katy says, “play is voluntary and self-forgetting.” At their best, so are prayer and meditation. Back to the relationship of play and seriousness.

5. As you’ll hear, in this process of writing Play Book, she is exploring ways to infuse play into her life. There is concordance between approach and output. It reminds me of Edward Tufte’s The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. If you’re going to write a book about displaying data, you might have a particular approach about … about showing data. I recall him telling us in one of his classes: “I couldn’t find a publisher who would print this book and the data the way they needed to be shown. So I created my own publishing house to show the data the way they need to be shown.” Again — concordance between approach and output matters.

I loved this talk with Katy! She is witty, fun, imaginative and supremely attuned to language. I hope you enjoy this conversation too!

Episode Notes

Katy’s Substack, “Katy Plays”

Katy’s personal site

Katy’s poetry book, Now I Lay Me Down to Fight

The Practice by Seth Godin

Troy Cady and Playfull

The God Who Plays by Brian Edgar

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugene Peterson

On the Unseriousness of Human Affairs by Fr. James V. Schall, SJ

Second Act by (and listen to my interview with him here)

“Kingfishers Catch Fire” by Gerard Manley Hopkins, contained in this edition of his works

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola

Fr. Pedro Arrupe

Blackwing pencils

Sailor fountain pens

Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks (Katy uses size A4 with blank pages)

Switchyards Neighborhood Work Club (Katy’s co-working space)

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On this episode of “Walks of Life,” I am delighted to be joined by Sarah Landenwich, whose debut novel The Fire Concerto was published earlier this summer. Sarah is a friend and fellow Louisvillian, and I was very excited to have the chance to discuss her novel with her.

In fact, here's what I wrote about it a few weeks ago:

“This will go down as one of my very favorite books this year. I stayed up past 1:00am three nights in a row to finish the book. And let me say, I am no night owl.

”The story, masterfully crafted by debut novelist Sarah Landenwich, kept me seeking more and my heart racing. What will happen next? And next? And next?

“My wife, also powerfully drawn into the story, sprinted through it too.

“The novel is about music, mastery, loss and renewal. Mostly, to me, it sang about love. Can we love who we were, and no longer are, and never will be again? And can we love who we are and who we might become? Can we reach out to something — or someone — to walk that tense tightrope, the weaving of past, present and future, with us? Can we love what we find inside of us, and also open our eyes in love to what we discover outside ourselves?

“Beyond beautiful, I cannot recommend it highly enough!”

Since our conversation, a few thoughts have kept returning to me:

1. In the episode, Sarah tells the story of her long journey to getting the book published. It was arduous, but Sarah used it to good effect, learning and improving the steps she was taking. I admire her persistence. It may seem like a simple point, but in the moment, keepin’ on keepin’ on does not always appear as the obvious or correct choice.

2. I love her sticking to her guns about where she saw her novel fitting in the market. She believed it had a broader appeal than upscale fem lit. She sought to work with an agent who also viewed it more expansively. And I agree — it is a book for a broad audience. Again, Sarah showed remarkable persistence.

3. In her writing, Sarah uses tools that work for her — a legal pad and pen. I did not take her point as "analog tools are better than digital ones for everyone." I took it as analog works for her — and the lesson is to experiment in finding the right tools that work for you in your specific workflow, with your unique proclivities.

4. We discuss some forgotten female composers and musicians, such as Tekla Bądarzewska-Baranowska. (Also read Sarah’s essay about some of them, “What If Your Biography Was Just a Footnote to Somebody Else’s?”) Like Sarah, I found it sad that so many stunningly talented female artists have been lost or nearly faded from history. I also took away another consideration — how beautiful that someone cares about them and their work — enough to write a beautiful story based on them — centuries later!

I can’t speaking highly enough about Sarah’s book and this conversation was a total blast for me! Enjoy!

Episode Links

• The Fire Concerto

• Sarah Landenwich’s website

• Other media coverage of The Fire Concerto

• A playlist of music that helped inspire The Fire Concerto

Information about some forgotten female musicians:

• Marie Moke Pleye

• Maria Szymanowska

• Tekla Bądarzewska-Baranowska

Lonesome Dove’s great message about leadership: It is far more about being than doing.

Thank you to all my readers and fans for 4 wonderful years! I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your comments, feedback and encouragement. And for the time you spend and invest in my writing. I don’t take a single minute for granted.

To my writing friends in Foster and across the world — Thank you for deep conversations about life and writing, and your constant inspiration.

If you are benefiting from these essays and podcasts, please consider sharing with a friend who you think would also enjoy them. Thank you!

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Here’s to enjoying a beautiful walk today, and every day!

My brother and his wife gave me the Lonesome Dove miniseries for Christmas. They love it, and knowing my enjoyment of Westerns, thought I would too. Their gift stirred my interest in reading the book, which I determined to do before watching the miniseries.

First, a few comments of comparison and contrast with other favorite Westerns. Despite my enjoyment of Louis L’Amour stories, Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove far surpasses L’Amour in storytelling nuance and power. (Here, I compare just L’Amour’s short stories and Lonesome Dove.) L’Amour writes about a moment of tension – Chick Bowdrie stares down a rustler in town. McMurtry writes about a grand adventure – driving the first cattle herd from Texas to Montana. L’Amour’s protagonists are uniformly good people, with little internal tension. Call and Gus possess manifold layers to their characters, some praiseworthy, others less so. My uncle loves the dialogue of the novel, and he’s right – the internal and spoken dialogue far surpasses L’Amour in complexity, self-awareness and exposition of moral quandaries.

Cormac McCarthy’s books, especially Blood Meridian, offer starker language and darker themes. He brings readers into the awfulness of his books through the abandonment of conventions like punctuation, as if to say, “There is nothing to help you in this scene, just as there is nothing in the desert to help these men.” But Lonesome Dove contains some terrible, horrifying scenes, even as McMurtry uses understated language. Indeed, the juxtaposition between the words used and the terrors described somehow makes the events more shocking.

The women – particularly Lorena and Clara – provide the drama of the book, while the men – usually Gus, Call or Jake Spoon – generate the action. Both the action and the drama compel the reader forward page-by-page. I loved this aspect of the book the most – I couldn’t wait to see what happened to the characters, especially Call, Gus and Newt.

Through the actions of Call and Gus, Lonesome Dove also contains lessons on leadership. Call and Gus have the esteem of the Hat Creek men in part through their reputations as outstanding Texas Rangers years before the novel takes place. Interestingly, during the drive, they seem to do little and often ride and sleep physically away from the herd. This distance appears to augment both the perception by others of their leadership qualities, and perhaps also, actually improves those qualities themselves. (Ryan Berg addressed how distance and solitude may be the exact things needed by leaders in this Capitolism post.)

Again, as you read the story of the drive, you note Gus and Call do remarkably little day-to-day. But they do two critical things: make decisions, and prepare for emergencies. As the book goes on, Gus and Call grow as leaders because they do the tough things no one else will do. They grow frustrated when other men in the Hat Creek team do not step up as leaders, and their vexation stems from the men’s inabilities (or unwillingness) to make decisions and act in the face of emergencies. Only Deets among those men possesses some of these leadership traits; Gus and Call clearly trust him the most among the men. And, as the scout, he often ranges far ahead of the herd, distancing himself from it and the other men, reinforcing the sense that leaders require some space, some separation, from those who follow.

Curiously, Gus and Call make few efforts to develop their men into leaders, despite their exasperation. As it turned out, only Newt made growth as a leader, although McMurtry gives the reader few clues as to how that internal evolution occurred. McMurtry suggests innate ability plays a disproportionately large role in leadership, followed by experience and either self-awareness or frequent solitude.

A word about motivation. What motivates the men? The trip begins almost on a lark, at Jake Spoon’s urging. Call appears slightly motivated by money, but that hardly explains a 3,000-mile trip to a strange and untamed land. The men generally seem unenthusiastic about the trip, except that it provides work to a number of them who did not have it.

At times, women, money and the urge for survival impel the men forward. Comradeship, much less friendship, plays hardly any role in motivating them, or in the drama of the book. One of the great questions of the book is why Gus and Call are friends in the first place. They’ve worked together a long time, which undoubtedly comprises part of the answer. But duration alone rarely explains friendship – there must have been another unifying factor.

McMurtry asserts adventure quite definitively as that factor. The challenge and the risk of tasks undone and perhaps never done prodded them early in their lives as Texas Rangers. After lying dormant for years, they reasserted themselves in the trek north to Montana. The Hat Creek men possess this sense of adventure to a lesser degree than Call and Gus, but again, they were just following where Call and Gus led.

A version of this essay was originally published on June 24, 2011 on Capitolism. Revised July 13, 2021 for Solvitur Ambulando.

I reveled in three wonderful months of reading. As I wrote these reviews, I kept reflecting about how many of the books I want to, and will, read again. A sure sign of a book well-chosen. My reflections for the quarter are below. Enjoy!

You can also see reviews of my first quarter reads here:

1. The Fire Concerto by Sarah Landenwich

This will go down as one of my very favorite books this year. I stayed up past 1:00am three nights in a row to finish the book. And let me say, I am no night owl.

The story, masterfully crafted by debut novelist Sarah Landenwich, kept me seeking more and my heart racing. What will happen next? And next? And next?

My wife, also powerfully drawn into the story, sprinted through it too.

The novel is about music, mastery, loss and renewal. Mostly, to me, it sang about love. Can we love who we were, and no longer are, and never will be again? And can we love who we are and who we might become? Can we reach out to something — or someone — to walk that tense tightrope, the weaving of past, present and future, with us? Can we love what we find inside of us, and also open our eyes in love to what we discover outside ourselves?

Beyond beautiful, I cannot recommend it highly enough!

2. 1984 by George Orwell

In 1948, sure, this book kicked you in the teeth. By 2025, it has all come to pass, or very near. So the book has not retained its shock value. It tells far more than shows. I understand why so many people love it. But it didn’t speak to me with the same force as it did when I first read it in high school.

3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

We read this for our book club. It’s funny how books affect us. The line, “But most of all…I like to watch people” reminded me of my Dad. When he visited my brother and me in Washington, DC, he and Mom would stay at the Georgetown Inn. It had a restaurant inside. Dad would spend hours in the window of that restaurant, sipping a Coke, and watching people walk by on Wisconsin Avenue.

A friend mentioned that the reference to a garden brought up remembrances of his recently-deceased father, who was from Britain, and grew up amidst beautiful gardens and tended a lovely garden in his retirement too. Our friend shared a quote, from his father or grandfather, that “if you had a happy childhood, you would love retirement.” Meaning — if you had passions and hobbies and ideas and places to explore as a child, in retirement you could return to your primal loves, and find abundant happiness and contentment.

I’d never thought about life that way. For me, that comment opened up the joy in reading with others. A similar thing happened in chaplaincy. In reviewing with my colleagues a pastoral conversation from the prior week, I received insights that, had I spent 1,000 years ruminating on my experience, I never would have lighted upon. And that opened a world of inner exploration to me.

4. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

My favorite of the “Dystopian Trio.” Far less sketchy than 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 — a more properly full novel. All sweetness and light, all air, all pleasure and ease, and good feelings — brought to you by the brave new world.

Sometimes in books, I wonder, Where am I in this story? Who am I?

I hope to God I would have been the Savage:

“But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness, I want sin.”

Even at the terrible end, only he — the so-called Savage — keeps his head and his heart. Only he is human.

5. Peaks and Lamas by Marco Pallis

The book relates two of Pallis's trips to Tibet, in 1933 and 1936. He had also previously visited in 1923. We have to remember what that means — the days before the Communist takeover and amalgamation of Tibet into Greater China. Truly, one of the terrible calamities of the 20th century, an age full of atrocities.

Pallis went to Tibet not for a touristy-show. He went to understand, and to live as much as possible as a Tibetan, so that he might know.

Written in 1939 and revised in the late 1940s, Pallis writes extensively on Tibetan art, nutrition, architecture, language (which he strove mightily to learn — again, living as much as he could so that he might know their life), dress, culture, and Traditions.

I can't recall the last book in which I underlined so much, took so many margin notes and flagged so many pages. Since I read it in March, I have returned to it often for reflection and distilled wisdom. It is certainly one of my top books of the first half of 2025.

Pallis spends a great deal of writing on enumerating the key points and construct of the universe in Tibetan Buddhism. It's a marvel of clear writing about so complex a topic. He also offers incisive comparisons and points of contrast between the Traditions of Tibet and the Christianity of Europe. For instance:

"I do not believe that this compassion, said by some to be special to Buddhism, really differs in essence from its Christian counterpart; but it is....more consciously linked with a certain intellectual concept, of which it is the corollary -- a recognition of the relations that exist between all creatures, including men, based on an insight into the true nature of the universe, and not dependent on a vague emotional appeal."

Again, Pallis wanted to live in the ways of his setting:

"We had been waiting for this moment to put into execution the long-cherished plan of adopting, as far as possible, the Tibetan way of living, in regard to both food, dress, and personal habits. We wanted to absorb the spirit of the Tradition by direct experience, subjecting ourselves to its laws to the greatest possible extent; for there comes a time when it is difficult to rest satisfied with the part of the observer....I regard this living of the Tibetan life as an extension of the study of language. There is speech in gesture, even in the way a cup is lifted to the lips, in a bow, in a thousand light touches that go to reinforce the spoken word and lend it additional point. Without them, language remains a foreign thing to the last. Externals, such as clothes, count for a great deal. The actor who wishes to live the part must first convince himself."

Pallis, who wrote the Forward to Whitall Perry's Treasury of Traditional Wisdom, gives great respect to his adopted way of life and to the spiritual underpinnings of it. One that comes through is the respect shown to foreigners and to the Other: "One young lama told me that they were taught from childhood not to speak ill of other religions, but on the contrary to treat them with every respect." And about another lama he encountered: "the parables of the Gospel, in particular, appealed to our lama, nor did it ever occur to him to treat them as less authoritative because they belonged to a foreign religion."

For all the distance he traveled, across space and time and elevation, he clearly undertook an even more profound journey to the interior. He treated that journey no less carefully or seriously. He finds in this dual sojourn not merely the antidote to the sickness of his home continent, gone mad in fury and destruction then decadence, and about to do it all over again. He found the anchor of life, the real rock of grounding for people wishing to know what they might become, wondering what truly is in store for them in life. The rock he found was Tradition, and it became the bedrock of his life no less than of the Himalayas he traversed.

"One can but repeat it: a personal reintegration in an authentically traditional form, as well as "normal" participation in its attendant institutions, is an indispensable prelude to any adventure into the path of non-formal knowledge; by this means the individuality is conditioned, "tamed" as the Tibetans would say, in preparation for the supreme task that lies ahead. To those aspirants after the spiritual life who...have come to reject the modern world and its profanity, but who, as far as any positive action is concerned, waver on the threshold perplexed by doubts as to the next step to be taken, to such as these the only advice that can be offered is the traditional one: namely, that they should first put themselves to rights as regards the formal order....by regular adherence to a tradition; after which they should make use of the fullest extent of the means provided within the framework of that tradition....Lastly, if and when a call to the beyond becomes irresistible, they should place themselves under the guidance of a spiritual master, the guru....A popular proverb says: "Without the Lama you cannot obtain Deliverance."....In a literal sense this refers to a man's own spiritual director, "his Lama," who is the visible "support" of Tradition....But there is also an inner and more universal meaning inherent in "the Lama"; for behind every support there is the thing supported, which the symbol both veils and reveals. Here it indicates the divine guide whose hand sustains the climber as he strives to reach the summit of Enlightenment. Taken in this sense, the Lama, the Universal Teacher, is TRADITION ITSELF."

6. Hinduism and Buddhism by Ananda Coomaraswamy

Pallis, Perry and other writers in the Traditionalist school reference Coomaraswamy often. I had read about him earlier this year in The Essential Whitall Perry, but the time had come to read the man himself.

This is a short, densely-packed book. In 28 pages on Hinduism, he offers 158 footnotes, referencing sources as divergent as Plato, the Bible, the Rig Veda, the Bhagavad Gita, poetry and more. In 29 pages on Buddhism, he references 307 footnotes, similarly varied.

While I came away with a deep appreciation for Coomaraswamy's erudition and concision of expression, I feel like I barely skimmed the surface in my own understanding of his argumentation. I'd like to return to this book after another year or two of readings in Hinduism, Buddhism and Traditionalism.

7. The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham

An outstanding tale of friends in the years after World War I: what they seek, and what they find, in life and death.

8. Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse

We read this for Book Club and it spurred a fascinating discussion. We are all in or approaching (cough, very early) middle age and we agreed those are good years to read this book profitably.

There were some translation issues. The Penguin Modern Classics version and this edition seemed the most readable. Other translations were tough to slog through, although no one read the new Penguin Classics translation that came out earlier in 2025.

Hesse himself believed this book to be the most misunderstood of his novels. Readers, he perceived, focused too much on the background of malaise prevalent in the 1920s and 1930s, when Hesse published it. Of course – World War I, the destruction of the German Empire and old order, the raging economic hardships across the world. In a short postscript, Hesse writes,

"I would nevertheless be pleased if many readers could recognize that although Steppenwolf's story is one of sickness and crisis, these do not end in death or destruction. On the contrary: they result in a cure."

Our ills and malaise appear quite different in the 20s of the 21st century. Nevertheless, I also believe the tale of the Steppenwolf offers us a cure to these troubles as well.

9. The Sword of Gnosis edited by Jacob Needleman

A book of essays in the Traditionalist metaphysical vein, from the pages of the now-defunct magazine Studies in Comparative Religion. Essays by Marco Pallis on "The Veil of the Temple" and "Is There Room for "Grace" in Buddhism?" highlight the collection, along with others by Frithjof Schuon, Rene Guenon, and others.

10. Introduction to the Bhagavad Gita by Georg Feuerstein

I am pretty much trying to read everything I can get my hands on by Feuerstein about The Bhagavad Gita. This volume focuses on the cultural backdrop of the Gita, and its underlying philosophy as a piece of the massive Mahabharata, one of the great scriptures of Hinduism and the world.

11. Reveries of a Solitary Walker by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

I began reading these musings in Paris. I could only get to Walk Four before Rousseau's moaning and complaining about the backstabbing world prompted me close its pages and move on with my life.

12. The Brothers K by David James Duncan

While I read more fiction than usual this quarter, observers of these lists of the books I have read have probably noticed that I mostly read non-fiction. Our book club doesn’t have any rules about books selected, but we’ve usually picked books of fiction. I like that. It’s good to have a gentle nudge every few weeks to put down the exegeses of theology, the what and how of history, the lessons of biography, and witness my imagination and empathy come far more alive through reading works of fiction.

Our book club read it for our June get-together. It took me about 200 pages to get into it, but staying with it was well worth it. The last 400+ pages zipped by.

The tale of four brothers, their young twin sisters, and Mom and Dad, growing up in Washington State in the 1950s and 1960s. Can the ex-rising baseball star of a Dad with a ruined thumb get another crack at the Bigs? How will the three brothers who rebel against their Mom’s rock-steady adherence to Seventh-day Adventism turn out? How will the one brother who remained, with his Mom, a believer? How will the turmoil of the 60s affect this family? Will they survive intact? Or will that hard era break them — as individuals and a family — like twigs in a tornado?

And you, you, gentle reader, how will this tale impact you? I know how it wrenched me, racing through pages, days, years, begging that this family of broken, yet good, people be spared from themselves and from their times. It was useless, I know, to pray over fictional characters. But that’s what I found myself doing. Praying for these broken, yet good, men and women.

13, 14, 15. Things Become Other Things (Fine Arts), Things Become Other Things (Random House) and Other Thing by Craig Mod

Read my reviews here:

On to Q3. Bring it!