Deep Something

Stoic Practices: Negative Visualization

November 4, 2025November 4, 2025 B. John 222 Views 0 Comments Resilience, Premeditatio Malorum, grief, mindfulness, negative visualization, Preparation, Gratitude

This entry is part 48 of 50 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series Stoicism Practices

What if imagining loss could make life feel fuller, not darker? The Stoics called it premeditatio malorum—the quiet practice of picturing what could go wrong, not to suffer in advance, but to steady the heart for when it does.

In this new essay, I write about sitting beside my mother near the end of her life, and later facing my own health scare. Both moments taught me that rehearsing misfortune isn’t about fear. It’s about gratitude. The kind that comes from realizing how much you already have.

Weather Science Featured

Our Ian Experience

October 10, 2022October 11, 2022 B. John 1350 Views 0 Comments Preparation, Ian, Evacuation, hurricane

I’ve communicated directly with many folks, but I thought I would briefly summarize our Experience with Ian. This one was no fun (not that any of them are), and we avoided a major catastrophe here in the Tampa Bay area, but at the expense of Fort Myers, Port Charlotte, Sanibel, and points south of us. This is kind of my summary of our experience with Ian.

Environment Weather Science

Preparing for Matthew – Round 1

October 6, 2016September 29, 2018 B. John 592 Views 1 Comment hurricane, Matthew, Charley, Preparation, Flashlights

So, I’m pretty sure everyone knows Hurricane Matthew is bearing down on Florida, and then on to Georgia and South Carolina. The current forecast track kind of lets North Carolina off the hook. It’s been, and remains, a pretty devastating storm, having already wiped out Haiti, and now battering the Bahama’s.