Halloween 2021
Halloween is a major event around these parts. Fact. Living next to the Olympic Hills Haunt guarantees it. I've been putting off writing this for too long,...
Autumn
Autumn is our favorite season. It's why Amelia's middle name is autumn. And this autumn has been one of the best I can remember. It has been the most Autumn...
Guitar Lessons
Siddhartha Gautama, before he became the Buddha, spent many years as an ascetic, meditating in the forest. In one version of events, as Siddhartha sat...
Among the trees
Hello Friends, A few nights each week, when Amelia goes to bed early enough, I spend my time among the trees in our back yard. It has been such a dry summer...
The Other Side
Hello Everyone, If you're reading this, then like me, you made it to the other side of a day that was hotter than any other in the region’s recorded history....
This Old House
Before I forget, I’ve recently discovered a cache of blank post cards, some from places I’ve been and other not. If you’d like one (or two, or as many as I...
The fading scent of lilacs
Hey all, I’ve always loved the smell of lilacs in Spring. When I first set out to write this letter, the cool evenings in my neighborhood always smelled of...
Spring 2021
Hi Folks, It has been some time. Let’s get right into it. Everyone is still healthy and doing well. Amelia’s vocabulary feels boundless, and every day it...
2020 Christmas Letter
Dear Friends and Family, Reflecting back, it is hard not to feel in awe of the events of the last year. COVID-19 has reminded us that we’re on a little rock,...
The Sum of Our Parts
Last weekend, our house betrayed us. The drain for the washing machine became clogged, and during the rinse cycle waste water from our plumbing was dumped...
Playground
Today was Amelia's first time playing on a playground. We took her to the playground at Magnuson Park. We had pass by with her on the way to the dog park on...
Koan
Hi. I mentioned in my last letter (https://tinyletter.com/aleksrudzitis/letters/a-second-draft) that I had been stuck for some time on the contents of said...
A second draft
Hey. How’s it going? I’ve been putting off writing a letter because I wanted to say something more profound. There is a letter I’ve wanted to write for a few...
The smell of sunscreen
The smell of sunscreen Lawn damp from the garden hose Now it is summer As Yuling, Amelia, and I fully relax into the heat of the summer, certain familiar...
[Haiku] Motion/Stillness
Leaves dance in the wind. In motion, there is stillness; In stillness, motion.
When you try to see the world, beyond your front door
I have this thing where once I start a book I refuse to let it beat me. I don’t even remember when I started Manual of Insight by Mahasi Sayadaw, but it took...
The New Normal
I wrote a poem for Amelia: The sun still rises Applesauce all over your face This is where we are The new normal has started to feel...normal. We are all...
Life under self-isolation
There is a tree with pink blossoms outside our kitchen window. In the mornings, when I am cooking oatmeal and tidying up the kitchen, the rising sun is just...
[Haiku] Viruses and Blossoms
A virus outside Mingling with the pink blossoms We wait for the spring
Putting it in a box
(These stories will probably lag the events they're based off of for a bit longer.) December 20th, 2019 was my last day at Amazon. I had worked there for 9...