Why pausing matters when everything feels urgent Some days aren’t meant for fixing. They’re meant for staying upright. Today reminded me of a lesson I’ve learned more than once on the road: you don’t move furniture during an earthquake . When systems fail, information conflicts, and fear starts running ahead of facts, the instinct is to act immediately. Fix the account. Reset the password. Make a decision. Go somewhere. Do something. That instinct can be dangerous. I’ve exper

Midday lessons often arrive quietly — early enough to choose. It was still early in the day — early enough to choose rather than react. Heading west meant starting early and ending early, long before the sun dropped low and turned the windshield into a wall of glare. A resting spot had already been considered. Not chosen yet — just held in mind. She stopped for fuel before the tank was low. That mattered. The gas station wasn’t a travel center. Just a small place along the wa

The first night isn’t dramatic. It’s deliberate. Awareness sharpens. Stillness settles. And you learn the difference between fear and knowing. The first night isn’t dramatic. It’s deliberate. By the time I shut down for the evening, the decision had already been made. The spot was chosen intentionally—not out of exhaustion, not by accident. I arrived with daylight left, enough time to settle in without rushing. That matters. I moved through the routine slowly. Parking. Leveli

Every journey has a beginning—but rarely the one people expect. Starting Out  isn’t about the first mile or the final destination.It ’s about the moments that happen quietly, when no one is watching and nothing feels dramatic—yet everything has changed. This series begins after preparation, after planning, after intention has already been set. It starts with the first intentional overnight stop, the first morning behind the wheel, and the steady awareness that comes from know