Looking Back at 59 Years

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Michael Kane

Don’t adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on the story. ~ JRR Tolkein

Looking back at 59 years

You know turning 40 didn’t bother me, turning 50 didn’t bother me, but I have to admit 60 is getting to me a little bit, but I had a good birthday for 59.

On Thursday, my assistant and a faculty member took me out to one of my favorite local places for lunch. It was a lovely day and a lovely lunch. Thursday night a friend asked me what I was doing for my birthday and in fact, I had no plans. So giving it some thought I decided that since the weather reports looked good, I’d do a whale watch out of Moss Landing on Monterey Bay with Sanctuary Cruises, I’ve been doing whale watches with them for over 20 years.

I definitely found some luck on my birthday weekend, pulled a $100 scratcher ticket and there were open seats on the whale watch. We had a gorgeous day on the bay, even got a little bit of a sunburn through my SPF 50. The temperatures were great, the seas were calm and a whole lot of marine friends decided to show up for my birthday. As we were cruising out we encountered a pod of over 2000 long-beaked common dolphins and we stayed on them for about an hour. We had dolphins everywhere, riding the bow, jumping and frolicking in every imaginable direction.

We then moved on to a couple of different groups of humpback whales and one group was particularly fun. They were obviously diving to feed and a full raft of about 200 sea lions were also chasing and feeding on the same bait ball. Both the whales and sea lions would dive at the same time, diving down and raiding the anchovy school. We’d know when and where the whales would come up as the sea lions would surface blowing and gasping for air right before the whales.

We would see a total of eleven humpback whales, several of them did full body breaches and one lovely tail lob. At one point the dolphin super pod, five whales, all of the sea lions and flocks of birds were all feeding in the exact same spot, it was an amazing display of nature.

I’ve spent this week eating very freely, not worrying about my various conditions or diet. Which meant I’ve been doing a lot of cooking, wrapping up the week this evening by making a big pot of gumbo, with some fry bed topped with maple syrup for dessert. Writing this made me just go and have another bowl.

I’ve also been reflecting this week on my life, a combination of approaching sixty and retirement (17 months, 4 days, but who’s counting). So tonight I want to revisit some of the amazing things I’ve done over my journey. Yes, I’ve been lucky to do these things, but it’s not all about luck, there’s a lot of planning and determination in making these things happen. And they don’t always work out, I’ve just failed at getting a trip to Antarctica set up for December.

I’ve always been a bucket lister, I make and keep a list of 100 things I want to do before I die. So tonight I want to reflect back on some of them and some other big things that have happened in my life.

My first adventure in life, due to the kindness of a work colleague of my mother’s was a trip to Disney World. It was my first plane flight, Eastern Airlines – Albany to Orlando. It was my first dinner at a fine restaurant, Limey Jim’s. I remember being fascinated by the sommelier. It kicked off well, our first day and night in Orlando was at a hotel outside Disney and happened to also be where the Junior Miss America pageant contestants were staying. Talk about heaven for a 14 year-old boy, still my favorite day ever at a pool, I was the only male within 20 years of their age. It was also an amazing time staying at a hotel within Disney, a fabulous experience.

Since then I’ve traveled a lot, I’ve done all 50 states and about 20 countries. I’ve done the Burning Man Festival 8 times, I’ve photographed Polar Bears in the Arctic, hiked in the high passes of the Himalayas in Nepal, had an anaconda swim through my legs in the Amazon, wandered the old city of Marakesh hiked across Scotland, literally fell in love with the woman of my dreams and had her fall in love with me, then had her break my heart and make me lose my mind, only to find out that I have one of the most amazing friends imaginable who helped me hold myself together. I’ve walked a thousand miles on the Appalachian Trail, I’ve published three books, written over 2000 blog posts and a number of scientific papers. I’ve spoken at conferences as a presenter and a keynote at one point speaking to an audience of over 1000 people. I’ve hugged an 80,000 pound Grey Whale!

I’ve met some of the most amazing people on my adventures, people who live full-time in the Amazon forest, former French Foreign Legion soldiers, deep ops special forces, an actual assassin. I’ve had the absolute honor of becoming friends with several Sherpa and the variety of weirdos and fantastic humans I’ve met on hiking trails and in the desert at Burning Man has truly been spectacular.

I’ve also had a series of experiences I honestly can’t talk about publicly, including things like accidentally becoming an international drug smuggler. More than anything else about my life, I can say I’ve rarely if ever been bored. I have eight nieces and nephews I dearly love and soon will be living closer to all of them.

What’s next is really the big question and one I’ll no doubt be writing about here. I hope you’re having an amazing life my friends, but if not, find the will, make the plan, have that adventure, we only do this once. ~ Rev Kane

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Happiness is a Blustery Day

Posted on August 21, 2023 by Michael Kane

Don’t underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the thing you can’t hear, and not bothering. ~ AA Milne

Sorry to the desert folks who got drenched and those who have suffered in the flooding. But thank you Hurricane Hillary for giving me my favorite kind of day. What kind of day, a blustery day, if you’re not familiar with the term I refer you to my favorite meteorological text – Winnie the Pooh and The Blustery Day.

Gray skies, cool breezes with intermittent blasts of forceful wind, and the occasional light shower. Following the hottest day of the year here it’s a very welcome day.

And it’s on my work from home day, so I can sit on my balcony in the tiny garden and work out in the middle of it all.

This is simply one of those days where I’m able to identify and enjoy one of the simple pleasures in life, hope you’re having a similar day friends. ~ Rev Kane

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A Happy Sunday

Posted on August 20, 2023 by Michael Kane

Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you! ~ Dr. Suess

A Happy Sunday

My birthday is coming up and so I started celebrating a little bit early. I decided that the way I’d celebrate this year is with a series of really good meals. I started this weekend with stuffed shells and Italian Sausage then moved on to a baked ham with potatoes au gratin. I’ve been finishing off meals with a root beer float, a warm up for the fact that I’ll be brewing my own root beer for the first time this week.

This past week was the first week of our semester and it was madness top to bottom. During the week we had state inspector visits, a loss of course accreditation, I found out another program is two years late on completing their testing accreditation, I had the standard rash of incredibly stupid questions, and actions taken by folks with graduate degrees that blow my mind that they happen. Ended the week with a COVID exposure that included me and showing up to two classes, only to find the teachers gave them an outside assignment, so they were getting paid for not teaching, nice work if you can get it. Which of course means that I will have to deal with a lot on Monday.

But Monday is still next week until after I sleep tonight, so today the celebration continues on and what a lovely day it’s been so far. I woke up and grabbed a cup of tea out on my patio in the tiny garden, admiring my tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and sunflowers. Sipping a cup of mint tea (boosted with some fresh mint from the garden) while the hummingbirds buzz in and out of the newly filled feeder. Yesterday afternoon, the red-throated male that considers the feeder his, sat on a branch just off the patio and trilled at me incessantly because I’d let the feeder run out. So I refilled it, begged his forgiveness and it’s been a buzzing feeding station since.

Ham and potatoes au gratin leftovers with a root beer float chaser while watching the reply of the Steeler preseason game where they played exceedingly well. All in all a lazy happy Sunday, my biggest concern today, writing this post and figuring out what the next great meal is going to be tonight for dinner. At the moment it’s a contest between making chicken Tikka Masala or a homemade pizza. I think I’ll take a walk by the ocean and figure it out. So happy birthday to me a little bit early and here’s hoping you all have a lovely and happy day my friends. ~ Rev Kane

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Taking the pressure off

Posted on August 14, 2023 by Michael Kane

He who is of calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but to him who is of an opposite disposition youth and age are equally a burden. ~ Plato

Last week I wrote a bit about fun and play, it’s really been on my mind lately. Aging is hell, the problem with mortality is of course, mortality. As you age, you can start to feel like you’re running out of time to do all of the things you want to do, to experience, all of the time you want to spend with the people you love. If you let yourself dwell on this, and my friends I certainly do, it can create a tremendous amount of pressure as you ask yourself, am I making the best use of my limited time?

The problem with pressure, is sometimes, instead of pushing you harder to do more, it can become overwhelming and cause you to freeze. I’m someone who has always taken pride in the fact that I’m really good under pressure. From being good on exams as a student, to playing well in important games as an athlete or handling home life responsibilities at a way too young age, I’ve always been good under pressure. And I’ve been tested in other ways as well, I’ve had knives and guns pulled on me, been shot at twice and I was able to function incredibly well in those circumstance. I’ve also handled some medical emergencies in my time as a resident assistant.

Life has certainly thrown me a set of challenges, at one point I was an alcoholic and an addict, I’ve attempted suicide and suffered through years of deep depression, but I’ve fought through all of it. In fact, at this point in my life things are pretty good, there are no monumental problems to overcome, well except mortality and no one has pulled that one as far as we know.

Through the pandemic I fell into a state of languishing, I was really excited to find out there was a term for it. And honestly it took until about six months ago before I really had fully come out of that state of mind. However lately, even though I’ve been back to my normal, multi-tasking productive self, something has not been quite right. I’ve felt under incredible pressure and I think I finally figured it out. As I discussed in the first paragraph, I’m feeling the pressure of mortality at a level that has kind of locked me up and it’s coming from me. The answer is fun and play.

I am someone who tends toward being solitary, and while that’s a comfortable state for me, human’s are social animals. The pandemic, the structure of my job, and my natural proclivity has led to me being a bit more socially isolated than I should be, and this has led to me having less fun. I’ve unfortunately stopped doing the things that bring me joy and that has to change, I’ve gotten locked into this idea that I need to be more productive, to use every minute better.

So what am I going to do about this? First, I have to take the pressure off, stop worrying about being productive every weekend. This weekend was a start, I allowed myself to skip a couple of workouts, I ate a few meals that I shouldn’t and I kicked back and watched some pre-season football and finally, a couple of good movies that were films I knew would fully encompass my mind so that I could be solely focused on the film. I’m pushing for less multi-tasking and distraction, more mindfulness. And overall, just to enjoy myself more, so this means more photography, more time at the ocean, more walking tours in San Francisco, more travel and anyone who knows me well knows, more pizza.

So my friends, we need to be productive, we need to focus on what and who is important in our lives. But we need to be childlike and have fun, it all leads to happier days my friends. ~ Rev Kane

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Embracing Fun and Play: The Path to Happiness

Posted on August 8, 2023 by Michael Kane

Even though you’re growing up, you should never stop having fun. ~ Nina Dobrev

Embracing Fun and Play: The Path to Happiness

I’ve been thinking a lot about fun and play recently, likely because I’m having very little of either.  But fun and play and important components in our happiness. 

We all seek joy and contentment in our lives, and one of the most powerful ways to unlock this elusive emotion is through play. Play is an inherent aspect of human nature, often associated with carefree laughter and exploration. However, it is the infusion of fun into play that becomes a catalyst for happiness.

As children, we are experts in the art of play. From imaginative games to carefree outdoor adventures, play comes naturally to us. Yet, as we grow older, the weight of responsibilities and societal expectations often suppresses the playful spirit within us. Rediscovering the essence of play entails embracing fun as a core element. It is through fun that we tap into our creativity, spontaneity, and child-like wonder, igniting a sense of happiness that is unparalleled.

Incorporating fun into play releases endorphins, commonly known as the “feel-good” hormones. These neurochemicals promote a sense of euphoria and pleasure, effectively reducing stress and anxiety. Engaging in playful activities, whether it be sports, board games, or simply goofing around with friends, allows us to escape the pressures of daily life and embrace mindfulness. In these moments, the mind shifts its focus from worries to the present, fostering a state of relaxation and emotional well-being.

Fun-filled play acts as a powerful social glue, connecting individuals and creating lasting bonds. Sharing laughter and joy with others reinforces positive emotions and fosters a sense of belonging. When we engage in playful activities with friends, family, or even strangers, we build camaraderie, trust, and empathy, all of which are essential components of happiness and social harmony.

Fun and play are gateways to creativity and imagination. Whether it’s playing make-believe, solving puzzles, or engaging in artistic endeavors, the element of fun encourages us to think outside the box and explore uncharted territories. This uninhibited exploration enhances problem-solving skills, broadens perspectives, and nurtures our innate creativity. As we tap into this boundless realm of imagination, a sense of fulfillment and happiness emerges.

Contrary to the belief that play is solely a frivolous activity, scientific research has shown that fun in play is instrumental in developing and maintaining cognitive abilities. Playful activities stimulate different parts of the brain, improving memory, attention span, and cognitive flexibility. In turn, this boosts mental acuity and fosters a sharper, more focused mind. A well-engaged mind is a happy mind, eager to embrace life’s challenges with enthusiasm.

In a world that often emphasizes productivity and seriousness, we must not overlook the significance of fun in play as a pathway to happiness. Embracing playfulness and infusing fun into our lives is not a luxury but a necessity for our well-being. By engaging in enjoyable activities, we unleash a wave of positive emotions, reduce stress, strengthen social connections, and enhance our cognitive capacities.

So, let’s make a conscious effort to incorporate play and fun into our daily routines. Whether it’s a game night with friends, dancing like no one’s watching, or indulging in a hobby we love, let’s remember that happiness resides in the moments when we allow ourselves to play and have fun. In these moments, we rediscover the joy of being alive and truly embrace the essence of what it means to be human and to have happy days my friends. ~ Rev Kane

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The Joy of Growing and Cooking Food

Posted on July 25, 2023 by Michael Kane

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. ~ Harriet Van Horne

It’s funny, because I’m a single guy and too many people have a sitcom level of understanding of the complexity of life, people are often shocked that I cook. As if I’ve spent the nearly forty years of my adult single life eating out every night. In fact, I cook nearly every night.

I love to cook, mostly because I love to eat, that’s something most people figure out about me in the first glance. I’ve been overweight since I was seven, not because I eat badly, but because I eat too damn much. But I love food, I love making it, I love eating it, it is definitely the place I find my comfort in this life. As a nomad, far too few of the people I care about are close to me, the price you pay as a nomad. But I can cook and eat where ever I am, and I do. There’s a line from a book or a movie, I can’t remember exactly where. The character says, I am a man of large appetites and this applies to me. I’m a man of limited appetites, but where they exist they are large and deep.

Like most cooks, I thoroughly enjoy cooking for people, but my solitary life leaves me few opportunities to do so. Part of the reason I’ll be moving east in a couple of years, will be to have more opportunities to cook for people I care about and like. The simple fact is, that if I have ever cooked for you, I dearly care about you.

As you are also quite aware if you read this blog regularly, I also love to garden. Eating food I have grown is a special things for me. When I can combine the two, the joy becomes exponential. My mother’s family is Italian and one of the many reasons I love growing tomatoes, is the opportunity to make tomato sauce from tomatoes I’ve grown. My time in California has also brought me to really enjoy making salsa from my own garden. When I owned my house in Loomis and had a quarter acre to grown on, I grew my own tomatoes, peppers, cilantro and so when I made salsa it was from everything I’d grown.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, I think because I’ve been a bit lonely. I’ve been cooking a lot, stews, curries, last night I made chili. Cooking makes me happy, I hope you have something to make you happy today my friends. ~ Rev Kane

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Miscellaneous Happiness

Posted on July 17, 2023 by Michael Kane
gratitude happiness

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude. ~ Denis Waitely

I’m wasted tired tonight, a bout of insomnia left me awake until 5AM this morning. I’m feeling sluggish and sick, I’ve got a bit of a sore throat and just generally feel out of it. So in terms of producing a new post tonight, there just isn’t much energy. So, a somewhat random array of things I’m grateful for and happy about tonight.

First, my niece and her fourteen and under softball team took third place in a national softball tournament. I’m so incredibly proud of her, she played well and her team had an amazing run!

My friend Marv, I’ll be interviewing him this week for a future post, recently turned 90, the same week he called me up looking for a job. Don’t tell me kids don’t want to work these days.

My new blog Alienbluebook.com is taking off, in just two months I’m seeing double to the hit rate of this blog that I’ve been writing for 13 years.

One of my closest friends did something amazingly altruistic this past week. He donated his kidney to his sister, while we all like to think we are that person, I wonder how many of us truly are that giving. Where kidneys are concerned I’m in good shape, a certain sibling to remain nameless actually has three, and I claimed the extra one decades ago.

Tonight for dinner I settled into what is becoming my Sunday night tradition in my new place. Having salad for dinner with all of the components coming from my little patio garden. Tonight along with the dill, basil, mint, cilantro and assorted lettuces I also had two small cucumbers. Very little makes me happier than eating food I grew.

This weekend I also started the full on planning process for leaving California in 18 months and moving east, as well as taking on the challenge of completing a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. My first attempt left me about 1200 miles short, but enough for a book, Appalachian Trail Happiness. Time to add those 1200 to the 1000 I’ve already done.

Finally tonight, I’m grateful for all the good books that exist. Currently reading Octavia Butler’s Oankali series, she’s a really amazing writer. Parable of the Sower and Fledgling are two other amazing books by her. I’ve also just read Hugh Howey’s Wool series, very good.

Take a minute tonight and think back on what you’re grateful for and what made you happy this week and have a happy day my friends. ~ Rev Kane

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Our Most Popular and Favorite Posts

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Michael Kane

rev kane, slower pace of life, relaxing
Rev Kane relaxing in the arctic snow flurries

Our Most Popular and Favorite Posts

After doing the anniversary post last week, although it turns out my friend Bryan who texted me was correct and the platform was incorrect, it was my thirteenth anniversary not the eleventh for the blog. I think the platform restarted the count when I bought the full domain name. So after that post, I started going back through the history of the site and tonight decided tonight to post the most popular posts by readership as well as my favorite posts, click away and enjoy! This is a great post to share with friends. I hope you enjoy this look back and have a happy day my friends. ~ Rev Kane

Some of my favorite posts

Appalachian trail, happiness, hiking
Me and my friend Jim on my first day on the Appalachian Trail

Appalachian Trail Happiness: Acceptance is the Way

Remember the Sweet Things

A Eulogy to Amuse the Penguins

Appalachian Trail Happiness and Three Important Questions

My Polar Bear Adventure

polar bear

Overcoming Demons to Find Happiness

What’s the Price for Being You?

Some Thoughts on Happiness and a Why to my Walk

Adventure and Happiness

Appalachian Trail Happiness: Precious Moments

Angels Pay it Forward, We Should Too

fear happiness

Fear is Killing Your Happiness

Havasu Falls

How to be Happy

The World’s Most Dangerous Reverend

Happiness in a 2300 Year-old City

Life Lessons from Granny

Four Trolls on a Bridge

Happiness is Floating in the Dead Sea

A Really Amazing Hiking Story

The most popular posts by readership

The overwhelmingly most viewed post on the Ministry of Happiness blog:

Happiness is Blue Poop

books, happiness, poetry

Appalachian Trail Happiness: The Book

Happiness is Poetry: Langston Hughes

The Need and Beauty of Quiet and Silence

The Dalai Lama on Simplicity

Happiness is Art: Van Gogh

Believe in yourself and be happy

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The People Who Truly Like You and Bring You Joy

Posted on July 6, 2023 by Michael Kane

In our lives we have people who like us. People who enjoy our company, who enjoy doing certain activities with us or just enjoy an opportunity to chat with us. But there’s a small sub-set of people who no matter what, are always happy to see you. Now I know, a lot of you immediately thought of parents, but they don’t fit into this group. You see at some point parents have to direct and chastise you, keep you from doing something you don’t want to do, for your own good usually.

Grandparents often fall into this role, they get to spoil you, wind you up and go home. Uncle’s like me get to do that as well, most of the time. But there’s that handful of people who are just always happy to see you. Soon I’ll be doing a post about my 90 year-old friend Marv, he’s one of those people, a really amazing guy.

What’s even rarer is to have one of these people who have known you your whole life. My granny was one, no matter how shitty life was, or what she was going through, as soon as she saw me, she would break into a smile. Today I got a phone message from my mom, one of these people, her name was Martha, passed away on Monday. My earliest memories of her were when my granny worked as a custodian with her husband at the local junior high. But given she was close to my godmother, I’m quite sure she knew me from birth. In all of my nearly 59 years I never remember a time when her first reaction to me wasn’t a smile, a big hello and a hug. Our conversations were always easy and full of joy, that kindness and joy is contagious so my reaction to her was always the same.

I didn’t spend a lot of time with her ever, we would only see each other once a year or so when I visited my family in the East. But regardless of the time that had gone by, or the circumstances, there was always a smile, always joy in seeing each other.

As you get older, there are fewer and fewer of these type of people in your life and so the loss of each one is felt more and more, you will be missed, rest in peace my friend. ~ Michael

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Happy Anniversary – Ministry of Happiness

Posted on July 2, 2023 by Michael Kane

An Update

What’s the line, trust but verify, which is a way of saying don’t trust anybody. So in putting together my post for next week I went back over my post history and it’s not my 11th, but my 13th anniversary on the blog! My good friend Bryan had texted saying he thought it had been longer, and obviously he was right.

Happy Anniversary – Ministry of Happiness

So I got my notification this week from my blog platform that I’ve hit the 11th anniversary of the Ministry of Happiness blog. This reminder always catches me by surprise and makes me happy. A quick reminder for those of you who haven’t been along for the whole ride. I originally started writing this blog as a way of getting out the information I’d researched related to happiness as a way of overcoming my own depression. I figured at the time I’d get maybe a year out of the blog and then move on to doing something else. This effort however turned into a surprisingly wonderful experience. I got a lot of positive comments about what I was writing and some people were even helped by me relaying my ideas and experiences. So I went past a year, then another and another and here we are in beginning year twelve.

The blog has changed over time. It was initially more focused on happiness research and providing inspiring comments and memes. It morphed over time to talk more about what’s happening in my life and the happiness and quality of life lessons I can pull from what happens in my life. That, and whenever I get the chance a dose of notes and photos from my travels.

So thank you all for continuing to read the blog, to sign up up and subscribe and comment on the posts. You really don’t understand for blog writers how much we truly appreciate your comments on posts, thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I remember when I started I was talking with a friend about a blog he had, he had 40 subscribers, I was blown away and couldn’t ever imagine having that many. So a huge thank you to the 245 people who subscribe to this blog and are actually willing to have every one of these posts show up in their inbox.

It’s been a big week, there have been a lot of good things going on. I got the reminder of the anniversary, I got the largest paycheck of my life which included my annual raise, and I got to eat the first tomato from my garden this year, it was delicious.

So thank you all very much and I hope you have a great week and a happy day my friends. ~ Rev Kane

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