John Wood I’m standing at my desk in Peru.. looking around my office. It’s gorgeous. White walls with exposed eucalyptus wood everywhere. Shipibo “telas” on the wall (beautiful colourful mats some of the Peruvian “ayahuasca tribes” make). A fountain in the corner. Big windows that look straight into mountains and trees. The room wasn’t always like this … Continue reading
If you were an ice cube, what shape would you be? Square? Oblong? Round? Would you be an itty bitty ice cube? Or one of those giant ice blocks the size of a small dog? If I could be any ice cube, I’d be one of those ice cubes that gets carved and sculpted into … Continue reading
The fight or flight response is an amazing thing. It keeps us safe in so many ways. A threat appears and we either run away to safety and fight the threat off. However, it’s meant to be short-lived. We meant to go into it and then back out of it. We’re not meant to get … Continue reading
The other day, we had a snowball fight. In Peru. Where it’s hot, dry and never snows. I know, right. Crazy. But yeah… It happened 🤷 Here’s how the snowball fight went down: Ellie bought some rice from the local tienda on the main road (“tienda” is Spanish for “store”). She brought it home. Cooked … Continue reading
When I was a kid, I’d sometimes have a problem with my Dad. He wasn’t violent or anything like that… but he could be a massive pain in the ass. So I’d be honest with him and tell him how I felt. Like a lot of parents, he hated it. Instead of taking my feedback … Continue reading
The other day, my sister Ellie and I were talking about spiritual gurus. Specifically: All the fancy names they give themselves: Ram Dass. Adyashanti. Mukti. Mooji. Baba this and Baba that. It all gets a bit ridiculous if you ask me. I mean, I get it… Something profound happened to them and they want a … Continue reading
I remember it like it was yesterday. The corner room of my childhood house. Upstairs. 7 years old. Buried beneath a pile of blankets. Hearing the wild party going on all around me. The chinking of wine glasses. Singing of songs. Dancing. Laughing. Talking. Flirting. Except… …there was no party. I was alone in my … Continue reading
I love the internet. There’s so much funny shit out there. For example, take this piece of advice from someone’s “no-nonsense grandfather”: “If you see a bear and don’t have time to run away, hug it. Bears cannot scratch their stomachs.” — My no-nonsense grandfather (Twitter @roseveleth) Hmmm. I don’t think I’ll test that one … Continue reading
When I was a scrawny little kid with a big head, I loved lego. I’d play with it for hours. Sometimes I’d follow the instructions… …but often I didn’t. When I didn’t follow the instructions, it usually didn’t turn out so great. Sure, it was cute and everything. I was young kid having fun and … Continue reading
Yesterday, I told a story about Bob the gazelle. He gets chased (and captured!) by Mary the cheetah and almost becomes her lunch. But then… Baz the hungry hyena appears. Baz wants Mary’s lunch and he’s going to do whatever he can to get it. Luckily for Bob the gazelle, when Baz appears, Mary has … Continue reading