On The Fly

In this episode, I Was Already Me: Redefining What It Means to "Become Someone” . . .   "You're never a hero in your own home." It's a phrase that often rings true, a quiet acknowledgment that the very people who know us best are also the ones most intimately familiar with our quirks, our unedited selves, and the messy bits we rarely show the world. But what happens when that familiarity leads to disconnection, when our deepest thoughts are dismissed as "too much," and even our best efforts feel unheard? I've been talking with my friend Dr. Don Hanley, a former Catholic priest turned psychotherapist with a background in teaching and writing. Recently, he shared a vulnerability: some friends no longer want to meet because his conversations are too deep, and his family criticizes him for being too lost in thought or writing foolish blog posts. It's a stark reminder, even for a seasoned psychotherapist, that the "hero" outside often stru...

“Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure science.” Edwin Hubble, The Nature of Science, 1954 . “It’s cold out here, what are we looking for?” As an avid six-year old TV viewer my response was, “A space capsule.” No binoculars, no telescope, we naively looked to the sky thinking we would see a jet trail or something. We had watched Walter Cronkite, the anchor of CBS Evening News, broadcast the launch of Friendship 7 from Cape Canaveral on our black and white console television. It was 21 degrees Fahrenheit on February 20, 1962. The skies were clear blue as we stood outdoors in our back yard in West Central Illinois (Cuba). Shivering in the cold, my father and I were looking skyward for the Mercury capsule with John Hershel Glenn Jr. to pass overhead. The first American to orbit Earth. My Hero, America’s hero. He was a man destined to become a National Treasure.  How many other father and son duos do you suppose...