Deep Something

Embracing the Unforeseen

August 17, 2025 B. John 1451 Views 0 Comments Marcus Aurelius, Resilience, love, Acceptance, Family, Seneca, Dichotomy of Control, surprises, Stoicism, Epictetus

This entry is part 26 of 58 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

So I’ll drive north. I’ll carry with me a fortune cookie scrap of paper that turned out wiser than I expected. And I’ll try to remember that philosophy is not about lofty words on a page. It’s about how you hold yourself when the phone rings at 3 a.m., how you respond when plans dissolve, how you see both the bitter and the sweet.

Marcus and Seneca remind us: surprises are not intruders. They are part of the order of things. To embrace them is to live in step with nature itself.

And maybe that is the real fortune. Not that life will protect us from pain, but that it will give us endless chances to practice courage, patience, and love.

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The Graduation Gift

August 12, 2025August 15, 2025 B. John 2875 Views 1 Comment life transitions, personal growth, Epictetus, appalachian state university, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Stoic philosophy, high school graduation

This entry is part 23 of 58 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

A framed silhouette of my niece, standing before the mountains at sunset, carries a message for her high school graduation: “Behind you, all your memories. Before you, all your dreams. Around you, all who love you. Within you, all you need.” It is a blessing, but also a challenge — to live with gratitude for the past, purpose in the present, and trust in the strength we already carry. In its quiet way, it’s pure Stoic wisdom.

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Boone, Facebook, and Marcus Aurelius…Oh My

July 23, 2025July 24, 2025 B. John 1364 Views 0 Comments NC, Modern Wisdom, Healing Places, Reflection, Appalachian State, Stoicism, Boone, Marcus Aurelius, Inspiration, Seneca

This entry is part 18 of 58 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

I came across a meme that read, “There are two places you need to go often: The place that heals you. The place that inspires you.” It struck me deeply, because for me, one of those places is Boone, North Carolina, where I went to college. But as I reflected on that idea through the lens of Stoic philosophy, I realized the Stoics might offer a very different kind of guidance: to go inward. This essay explores the contrast, and surprising harmony, between modern healing and ancient inner retreat.

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My Take on Tampa’s No Kings Day Protest

June 16, 2025June 16, 2025 B. John 1078 Views 0 Comments Trump, Protest, Tampa, MAGA, No Kings, March

On June?14, 2025, Tampa’s “No Kings Day” protest unfolded under blue skies outside City Hall. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people participated, joined by coordinated protests across Tampa Bay—ranging from Largo to St.?Petersburg—where similar crowds gathered. And here is my take. I saw proof: when people stand together, young and old, across every background, authoritarian theatrics shrink. It gave me hope. Tampa spoke with its numbers and its unity. And for me, that was worth the energy, bearing the heat, being there with them. In short, I think we had a lot more energy than the Birthday Parade in D.C.

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No Kings Day: A Stand Against Power and Injustice

June 13, 2025 B. John 1000 Views 0 Comments methodist, Church, Trump, Authoritarianism, Protest, Wesley, Parade

This Saturday, people will rise across 2,000 U.S. cities, including Tampa, united in one unflinching message: “No Kings.” This is not a protest born of idle dissent. It is a fierce rebuke of President Donald Trump and a social order built on abuse of power. Flag Day plus Trump’s 79th birthday equals a military parade costing taxpayers $25–45?million. The implicit message? A cult of personality masquerading as patriotism. For United Methodists grounded in Wesleyan conviction, this is intolerable. John and Charles Wesley stood against social evil, not in quiet tones but with prophetic boldness, calling out power when it crushes the least among us. That same courage calls us now to confront policies that tear at the fabric of our communities.

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First Snows

November 22, 2024November 22, 2024 B. John 1195 Views 0 Comments Boone, Snow, Appalachian State

The Western North Carolina Mountains had their first snow day today. Watching the webcams from time to time during the day brought back many great memories. There’s a magic to the first snow that roots itself deep in memory, stretching across years and places. In Kings Mountain, NC, where the winters were mild and snow was a gift rather than a certainty, the first flakes meant the world was about to change. As a kid, waking up to a white-coated street was like waking up on Christmas morning. School would call it a day, and we’d pile out of the house, sleds in hand, to the steep street just beyond our driveway.

Photo of Andrew Warren, Hillsborough State Attorney

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The Case of Robert Dubois as Told by Andrew Warren

September 7, 2024 B. John 1273 Views 0 Comments Cafe Con Tampa, Andrew Warren, Robert DuBois

On Friday, September 6, 2024, former Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren gave a compelling speech at Café Con Tampa, recounting the case of Robert DuBoise, a man wrongfully convicted of murder. Warren’s speech highlighted the importance of justice, the flaws in the criminal justice system, and how his office worked tirelessly to correct an egregious mistake.

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Resuming Rants

September 26, 2023 B. John 1156 Views 0 Comments Idalia, Tampa, Cafe Con Tampa, Kings Mountain

There was a brief restaurant review posted earlier this year. The last post before that was a movie review (The Whale). A lot has transpired in my world over the past few months, and I think I am ready to get back to trying to post more or less regularly. The highlight reel looks a bit like this:

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Vino e Pasta – Restaurant Review

February 24, 2023 B. John 1026 Views 0 Comments Pasta, Italian, Food, restaurants

Well, this is another of the few 5-star ratings I’ve given. This small restaurant is only a few blocks from the house and has been there the entire time we lived here. We just never went, and frankly, we are both mad that it took so long. We kept saying we needed to try it, and a Groupon came up for it, so that was the incentive.

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2020 Election – Florida Constitutional Amendments

October 23, 2020 B. John 780 Views 0 Comments florida, Constitution, Citizens, Minimum Wage, Amendment, Taxes, voting

This entry is part 9 of 9 in the series 2020 Election

So there are six amendments for the Florida Constitution on this year’s ballot. I’m going to run through those pretty quickly. A couple of them are valid…a few are a waste of time or a political stunt.

2020 Candidates for Hillsborough County Commission District 6

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2020 Election – Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners District 6

October 18, 2020 B. John 1102 Views 0 Comments Hillsborough County, County Commission, Pat Kemp, Sandy Murman

This entry is part 8 of 9 in the series 2020 Election

This has Republican Sandy Murman seeking to unseat Democratic incumbent Pat Kemp. This is a tough one for me. Sandy Murman panders, moves from office to office as she’s termed out, and serves only developers. On the other hand, Kemp, who I contributed to, has refused to return calls and messages, so I won’t be voting for either candidate.