When I embarked on this Substack journey, I had no real plan for or direction. The idea was simple: “offer a pocket-sized pause each week (or-so), a place where your head and heart sit at the same table and remember that being alive (and human) matters more than anything else”. I didn’t necessarily plan for this to become a series. Much less expect to have completed 20 Notes. And, as everything, it all stats at the beginning, with the first Note (Note 0). Then another. And another.
Writing this into, I realized I have written about potatoes, quantum physics, horny cows, my grandmother, my knees, God, and the economy of cyclists. How the heck are these things connected?
It begins with a simple confession.
I do not know exactly what I am doing.
If these Notes have a single message, it might be this:
Feel the squeeze when the shell is too tight.
Water yourself so you can water others.
Trust that there is more going on than you can see.
Show up. Again and again.
Ahhh, and make sure to call your grandmother (or loved ones for that matter).
Because in the end, those might be the scenes that matter most.
You will not get a perfect map. Or even a map for that matter.
We get a body, some people a luck to get a handful of gifts, and most a short window of time on this floating rock in middle of no-where-universe.
Note 0: What is This? Life’s Weird, Let’s Talk About It
This opening note sets the stage for what Notes on Being is meant to be: a space where humor, intuition, and spiritual curiosity replace the pressure to be polished or profound. It’s an invitation to explore the strangeness of being human with honesty and low expectations.
Nugget of Wisdom:
Growth is less about finding perfect answers and more about trusting the small truths that rise when you finally stop overthinking.
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Note 1: Life’s Got Two Left Feet
This note uses dancing as a metaphor for living. I talk about being a terrible dancer, and explain that life has its own rhythm, full of subtle cues that we often stop noticing when ego takes the lead. Children move freely because they don’t care about being right or impressive. When we pay attention, life reveals its music.
Nugget of Wisdom:
Life flows when we let the Self lead and stop forcing the Ego to choreograph every step.
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Here we explore the danger of the “it’s not too bad” life, the warm and cozy zone where nothing is terrible enough to change, but nothing is alive either. Comfort is shown as a sneaky form of stagnation that prevents growth, just like a lobster staying in a shell that no longer fits.
Nugget of Wisdom:
“Not too bad” is often the quiet enemy of your best life.
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Note 3: Science Can’t Explain My Grandma’s Intuition
This post opens the door to a two-part reflection on the limits of scientific perception. Through stories of past scientific blind spots, we dive into how much of reality remains invisible to us. I argue that our senses capture only a tiny slice of existence, suggesting that intuition, faith, and unseen experiences might simply be unmeasured…not unreal. It’s a call to stay curious about what lies beyond our senses.
Nugget of Wisdom:
Reality is wider than what our senses can detect, so certainty should always make room for wonder.
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Note 4: Why Our Eyes are Basically Lying to Us
This note zooms in on the tiny fraction of the electromagnetic spectrum we can see and uses metaphors to show how limited our perception really is. We navigate life with senses built for survival, not truth, so confusing “visible” with “real” is a mistake.
Nugget of Wisdom:
If you’re only seeing 0.003% of reality, maybe it’s time to stop treating invisibility as impossibility.
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Note 5: The Empty Space That Isn’t Empty
Part two continues the exploration but dives into atoms, quantum weirdness, and the idea that everything is made of energy and possibility. The quantum world behaves in ways that defy logic, hinting that attention, vibration, and connection might play a deeper role in life than we admit. I suggest that science and spirit may not be opposites but two ways of describing the same mystery.
Nugget of Wisdom:
When we accept that the universe is mostly invisible and made of energy, the line between science and spirit becomes thin.
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Note 6: Families are Like Screenplays and The Script We Didn’t Write
I reflect on family dynamics after recent visits from my brother and parents. Families operate like long-running plays where everyone knows their role even if they didn’t choose it. Growth doesn’t mean abandoning the family narrative but editing it gently, with love and honesty.
Nugget of Wisdom:
You may not have written your family’s script, but you can choose which lines you keep saying.
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Note 7: Don’t Forget to Water Yourself
This is a story about burnout disguised as devotion. After years of watering everyone else’s “trees,” we realized the gardener (yourself) was wilting. We explore the shift from being externally driven to tuning into my own needs, learning that caring for your body, mind, and spirit is not selfish but essential. The scooter analogy reminds us that our body is the only vehicle we get, and treating it well is an act of service to everyone we love.
Nugget of Wisdom:
You cannot offer your best to others when you are running on an empty tank.
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Note 8: Beyond the Comfortable Trap
Here we talk about the story of leaving the “golden cage”, the prestigious job that was no longer aligned with an inner compass. We highlight the danger of drifting without passion and argue that excitement and curiosity are the paddle that steer life. Without them, even a beautiful boat becomes driftwood. Change requires listening to the voice beneath fear and ego.
Nugget of Wisdom:
A stable life without passion may feel safe, but it has no direction.
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Note 9: Relationships and the Multiplier Effect
We explore relationships through humor, early heartbreak, and a simple distinction: energy givers versus energy takers. Connection is less about compatibility on paper and more about emotional chemistry and psychological stability. The best relationships (romantic or not), multiply what each person brings. They make life richer without effort.
Nugget of Wisdom:
Healthy relationships should multiply your life, not merely add to it.
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Note 10: So… What’s Up With the Potato Cartoon?
This note introduces Being Potato, the playful character that carries humor and warmth through Notes on Being writing. The mustache symbolizes flavor, the glasses symbolize support, and the potato symbolizes resilience and universality. I share how art has always lived in me and how this character lets me merge creativity with reflection. Being Potato is a reminder not to take life so seriously and to trust the unseen growth happening in the dark.
Nugget of Wisdom:
A simple cartoon can carry more truth than a polished explanation.
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Note 11: Lycra, Cafesitos and Other Lessons from the Saddle
Cycling becomes a metaphor for freedom, connection, suffering, and growth. From childhood bikes to 300-kilometer rides, the sport has mirrored my life: sometimes solitary, sometimes communal, always humbling. Drafting teaches the value of support; athlete’s heart teaches adaptation; barriers fall once they’re broken. The bike shows that what once seemed impossible becomes routine with time, courage, and consistency.
Nugget of Wisdom:
The limits you fear usually shrink the moment you ride straight into them.
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Note 12: Spoil Your Future Self, Without Spending a Cent
On this Note I share a simple habit, leaving a full water bottle for the next morning, and expand it into a philosophy of self-care through tiny acts of kindness. These micro-gifts make the future version of oneself feel seen. They build a quiet form of self-compassion that becomes momentum.
Nugget of Wisdom:
A small act done today can make tomorrow’s day exponentially better.
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Note 13: The Inheritance Lesson
This note honors my grandmother’s decision to spend inheritance money on family trips instead of dividing it. Through decades of gatherings, chaos, laughter, and memories, she taught the family that connection is the true currency of a full life. These trips became living proof that meaning grows between people. Loving relationships require tending and reciprocity, not assumption.
Nugget of Wisdom:
The greatest inheritance is time spent together, not money saved apart.
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Note 14: Birthday Cake and Compass Checks
A birthday in Crete prompts a deep reflection on purpose, alignment, and the use of time. The central question, what would you do if money wasn’t the excuse? becomes a compass reset. The aim is a life where achievement and alignment meet.
Nugget of Wisdom:
A full life is not the same as an aligned life; the real work is bringing them together.
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Note 15: The Gardener and the Forest
This note bridges the gap between personal growth and collective responsibility. After revisiting past lessons on discomfort and self-care, I argue that the point of individual strength is to contribute to something larger. Communities thrive through microclimates of kindness, shared routines, and small consistent acts. Me matters, but We transforms. The goal is simple: water yourself, then carry water to others.
Nugget of Wisdom:
Strength means little if it is not used in service of the collective.
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I reflect on the creative chaos that comes with choosing a vocation rather than a traditional career path. It’s a short note about finding flow in the unknown.
Nugget of Wisdom:
You know you’re on your path when you keep walking even when the next step is invisible.
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Note 17: Flying Low and Noticing the Horny Cows Gossip
This note uses the metaphor of flight hours to describe the importance of showing up. I reflect on starting small, flying low, and paying attention to the details. The lesson is to embrace the humble early stages, trust the process, and keep accumulating hours until the next aircraft arrives.
Nugget of Wisdom:
Mastery comes from showing up on all days, not just the inspired ones.
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Note 18: Rated PG for Poor Judgment
I imagine watching my entire life on an IMAX screen, including the impact you’ve had on others. The idea, inspired by NDE accounts, becomes a moral mirror: how would you behave if you knew you’d watch it all again from everyone’s perspective?
Nugget of Wisdom:
Live like you’ll watch every moment again, not from ego, but from truth.
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Note 19: Toast the Small Things
Here we celebrate the power of noticing small wins, inspired by my mother’s habit of turning everyday moments into events. Life is filled with quiet victories that shape joy, resilience, and connection. I contrast the fragility of life’s “glass balls” with the sturdiness of work and argue that celebration is a way to reinforce what matters. In honoring the little things, we strengthen the big ones.
Nugget of Wisdom:
Celebrate the unremarkable; it quietly sustains the life you hope to build.
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