Interviewed in the local paper!

Yes, you heard right; I was interviewed for an upcoming article in my hometown paper.

And as Larry David would say, I feel pretty, pret-ty special about that.

Bloopers!

Could we BE more Awkward?!

See how hard it is to make a video…with your spouse.

Ah, the trials and tribulations of self-publishing and working with your life partner! After you get done laughing at us…

"For ancient heroes (like King Arthur and Monty Python and Indiana Jones), seeking for the Holy Grail was a worthy endeavor. For others, seeking Truth, or pursuing Beauty was the goal. For the Vayda Family, it is a different quest.

We have chosen The Crusade for Crap.

Wednesday’s trip to the hospital was all you could ask for in an adventure—and more. The screaming, the wailing, the panic and terror—oh, it was a wonderful experience. But it was only half of the adventure...."

We’re standing in an airport in Kazakhstan at midnight with thousands of dollars strapped to our bodies.

The men in the Customs office speak little English and ask lots of questions. Why are you here? Where are you going to adopt?

“I Quit.”

One Thursday, Bob Goff walked into his successful law firm—the one he founded—tossed the keys onto the conference table, smiled and said those two words: “I quit.”

Quitting gave him the freedom to pursue what he really wanted to do as he got older. Bob convinced me to quit things every week, and I love it. Here’s how you win by being a quitter too.

What Mister Rogers teaches us about this hard summer from a speech back in the Sixties.

We’ve all done it.

We’re with a good friend, a spouse, a relative. And suddenly, a crappy little thought pops up.

It could be envy. Or a feeling of competition. Or pouncing on a flaw. Maybe, you’re suddenly angry with them, but you have no idea why. We’d never admit it, but quite often our thoughts aren’t very nice. I have some good news, and then I’ll have a challenge for you. If you follow through, it’ll change your thoughts. And maybe your life.

I wrote this a few years ago during a trip to India. I had just witnessed our friend Wendy save a baby from dying. The little girl was not breathing…and Wendy saved her. I was there, filming it all as it happened. That experience prompted some thoughts, which are here. I think they are still appropriate for you today.

It’s 5:30am. My body is a sweaty pretzel.

It’s still dark outside, but I’ve already begun the day in pain. While my family is resting peacefully upstairs, I am silently debating whether life is worth living.

You see, I am exercising.

Your dad is an older white man (as I’m sure you are well aware!) I am very far from the experience of what is going on. And so, as this sad scene has played out, I’ve stayed on the sidelines. I don’t have any solutions, so I said nothing. Madonna blew it with her Tweet; I’m sure I might too. And then this morning, I thought of you. My children. And it became clear; I was making a statement. I was “saying” something by saying nothing.

And so, here’s what your dad thinks, for what it’s worth.

How a midnight prison break by cows helped me appreciate diversity and courage.

I went to church this morning and found people crying.

I left feeling determined to make sure I’m doing some Good in my life.

How a simple email about iCloud helped me realize a really hopeful fact about parenting adult children.

Today, I want to talk about the importance of where we decide to look. Here’s my thesis:

The more time we spend looking where we want to go, the better chance we have of actually getting there.

For those of us who are maintaining in crazy Corona-ville, it might actually be a very good time to have this discussion.

Because if we want a happy life, it’s important to be careful what we see with our little eyes. Where we cast our vision is likely where we will end up going.

Work—any work—has one fatal flaw, and it kills any chance to get things done. Well, I have the solution. Pretty bold statement, right? It’s true. And, I’ll teach you some Italian on the way. What is work’s biggest problem, and how have I found a solution?

Coming right up.

When my daughter Brynn was about eight, my days as a selfish, myopically-American businessman changed forever. That shaped her worldview. Now, all these years later, she’s returning the favor.

Frankly, it hasn’t been pleasant. In fact, I’m embarrassed that I had to learn it. Recently, I’m not growing old. I’ve just been getting old.

Here’s how I’m getting closer to what’s good.

Plant-Based & Me: Our relationship (so far).

On February 17, Heidi and I decided to try a PB (plant-based) 22 day challenge. Can it be only 2 months have passed? It feels like another lifetime. As we continue to navigate this pandemic, we’ve also continued navigating the world of PB. Here are the top surprises—things I never expected—after 2 months of PB.

Maybe it’s my age.

I'm finding it harder to watch other peoples’ train wrecks without it also wrecking me.

The Netflix show everyone’s talking about is Tiger King. I just finished it and it’s unleashed a pandora’s box of thoughts and emotions for me. I used to be able to watch shows like these, smile and shake my head at the sheer craziness of others’ lives. I can’t seem to do that anymore. Instead, I want to tell you, in my humble opinion, what it’s really about; why I think it’s so popular, and finally, what it says about us and the people we want to be.

Last week, a story about a Corona death caught my eye…and caused some soul searching for me. Maybe it will for you too.

Three little words. As much as the story of the man was moving, the first sentence jumped out at me:

“William Helmreich, a prominent sociologist perhaps best known for…”

James Tiberius Kirk, Captain of the Starship Enterprise. Watching him taught me many things about how to be a man…and a few were actually helpful. It’s amazing that, even this week, I’ve learned something about how to cope in these times of Corona.