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What My Friend and I Have Learned Writing a Haiku a Day for the Last Six Years

Six years ago, my friend and I started writing a haiku a day. We wanted to practice the muscle of writing, and a short poem like a haiku was something we could feasibly do once a day: it really only takes a minute or two to write out a haiku. Little did we know how much this would transform our writing and become one of the most useful meditative habits we did in our lives. We would recommend anyone interested do the same. 

We’ve done it for many years. I almost think of us as having different eras. Over the months and years, we each focused on different things or tried different styles. Looking back, it feels like looking through the photo album of different eras in our lives. Here are some the major lessons we learned writing a haiku a day: 

How to Write Succinctly

Writing haikus forced us to write succinctly. Haikus are short. They forced us to compress complex points and stories into only a few words and syllables. In the classic form, you have three lines and 19 syllables to get all my thoughts down. An idea or impression that might normally take me one or two paragraphs to describe, we must whittle down into only a few words. So the crucial question becomes, what about our message is most important and how to get that across as succinctly as possible? 

Notice the Simple Moments of Life

It also helped us see the world anew. It became a way to notice the little experiences in life that glide by during the day. We would have to pause to reflect on them long enough to form them into a coherent poem. Traditionally, Japanese haiku writers wrote about the subtleties of nature. We did not always do that, but writing haikus still forced us to reflect on the subtle, little moments in life that we normally regulate to the background. A quirky social moment that passed as quickly as it came, a short fleeting feeling that one has before getting up to do something else, etc. We both often live with our head in the clouds, so being in the moment had a meditative effect on us.

How to Be Disciplined about Writing

Writing is a discipline, and like any discipline, practice is the best way to get better. Practicing writing, even if only through a little haiku, we noticed our writing improving significantly over the years. We not only improved our ability to write haikus but also in other forms of poetry and in other forms of writing. Stories, essays, even emails at work, these all got easier and better. 

How to Build Other Habits

We wrote a haiku every single day. Our fun days, our awful days when some crisis happens, a day we’re busy at work, it doesn’t matter. We wrote a haiku on that day. This took discipline to do and taught us how to build other habits. I found the best way to build habits personally is to do it a little every day, and the best way to do something every day is to set aside a consistent time in the rhythm of my day to do it. New jobs, the pandemic, traveling the world, and other major life changes might completely change my daily rhythm, but no matter what schedule I had, I would make sure I found time to write a haiku. 

Creativity Is Contagious

I noticed that nothing inspired me to write haikus than writing haikus. Especially on a long walk or even a long flight, my mind would wander and think about a nice haiku. This would inspire me to think up even more haikus, sometimes on the same theme, sometimes completely different. This would spur me to write even more haikus, and in a few minutes, I might write several dozen haikus before my inspiration slowed back down. These led to some of my favorite pieces. 

Creativity energy is contagious like this. Creating catalyzes more creativity. When I had ideas, I would come up with more, or when I heard my friend’s creative ideas, it would spur more. Being in spaces full of creative energy is most important to creating. This includes being around other creatives but also open spaces where my mind can wander like a long walk, drive, or bike ride through the city. 

Helping Ensure People Have a Positive, Non-Judgmental Experience Is the Essential to Whether They Enjoy Creative Writing

I also introduced other haiku activities with many other friends, and I have learned how essential a positive, welcoming environment is to people’s relationship with writing haikus. How much someone enjoys writing a haiku is based pretty much entirely on how validated they feel that their haikus are. 

For example, I created a game called “Apples to Haiku”, a variant of the “Apples to Apples” but with haikus. A judge comes up with a topic for a haiku. Everyone else writes a haiku based on that topic, and the judge determines their favorite one. This game can be fun, but something about the game mechanic seems to lead to a few players’ haikus getting routinely chosen and others’ almost never chosen. The former people love the game and often grow to really enjoy writing haikus; whereas, the latter usually hate it and grow to dislike haiku writing. They will almost always be the first to give up on the idea of writing a haiku, internalizing the idea that they are “bad” at it. 

Overall, when writing haikus, the external validation of one’s work seems to be the most significant factor in whether they like or dislike the activity. People seem to look to others, especially in the early stages of starting to write haikus, to determine whether they are “any good at them” and use that to construct their self-image of the activity. Thus, I stopped playing competitive haiku games like Apples to Haiku but would focus on cooperative or affirming haiku activities where everyone wrote haikus together, building off each other’s ideas. My cooperative  favorite haiku game of one where one person writes the first line of haiku, the next person creates the second line, and so on (hundreds of years ago, Japanese aristocrats may have played a much more specific version of this, but as far as I can tell, their version was competitive). This is positive and affirming, where “the game” is to figure out how to form an interesting haiku together. This leaves people feeling inspired rather than discouraged. 

Seeing the Contours of Our Lives

Finally, looking back at our haikus makes me reminisce about our lives over the last several years, kind of like looking through a photo album. Different major life events came and went: the highs of starting a new relationship, then the lows of the breakup, or the promise of a new job slowly turning into the slog we hate, etc. All reflected in the tone of our haikus. 

Our approach to writing haikus also fluctuated over time. We might have a few months where one of us really enjoyed a certain style of haiku. For example, my friend went through a phase where each day, he would pick a tarot card, look at the image drawn on it, and write a piece based on it. This gave him inspiration for a couple months. 

I  went through a phase where I would assemble interesting five and seven syllable phrases from articles, titles of books, or even advertisements I saw during my daily commute into a haiku. I went through another phase where I read poets from around the world (ranging from classical Chinese poets to Syrian modernists to traditional Japanese haikus) and took specific lines in these poems that stood out to me and wrote haikus based on them in my own perspective and style. I even had a programming phase where I wrote poems in a programming language like Python or Java. 

Conclusion

Writing daily haikus has been transformative for both of us, and I would recommend any reader try it. It’s not that hard once you get the hang of it. Now, after doing it for many years, we have realized how what we got out of it changed over the years. We made it our own in surprisingly different ways during different times in our lives and strongly recommend anyone develop their own ways to do it. You’ll never know where it will take you. 

(Interested in reading the haikus, many of them are here. In my next post, I also plan to go through a number of haiku examples over the years, so you can also stay on the lookout for that.) 

Ghosts at the Window (Short Story)

Photo Credit: Jonas Jaeken

As she was drifting off to sleep, she heard the tap on her window. It jolted her awake. At first she thought it was just a tree swaying against the glass, but then she realized, “No, someone was tapping on her window.”

She knew not to look. The ghost is looking for a soul. If she gets up to examine what it is, it’ll know she was there. The best thing to do is to lay still. Not to even open her eyes. If she could lie perfectly still, it would be able to tell there was a living person in this room. 

Tap tap tap. Why did it stay here so long? She remembered. The last resident of this home was fascinated with the world of the ghosts and would talk with them, until eventually getting sucked into their realm forever more. The ghost must have frequently come to visit her at night. 

The ghost let out a moan sounding just like the howling wind. It was calling for her friend. The ghost must have done this every night since she left. Did it not know that she was in her world now? Why was it looking for her here? Maybe it was returning to this familiar spot, hoping that she could find another participant there to hang out with. 

If so, what was the ghost like as a companion? Some learned a lot from the ghosts, reporting that the ghosts gave them a different perspective on the cosmos around them. Others grew paler and paler from the encounters until they too roamed the streets at night looking for new souls. 

She did not care to learn about these ghosts. It was too risky. Instead, she lied there with her eyes closed as other worlds knocked on her window, hoping it would all go away soon. 

The Rabbit amidst the Flood (A Short Story)

I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. (Genesis 6:17, NIV Translation)

“We aren’t enough,” the rabbit cried to the others. They all looked equally perplexed and hurt. 

“But why?” One stammered. 

“I don’t know. God wants to do us all over again. That’s what he said. I was there when he spoke to the human.” 

“But how would he expect to do that?” 

“A giant flood.” 

The statement washed over them. No one knew what to say. The rabbit sat there, but he could tell they couldn’t handle his presence anymore, so he left. 

He stared out into the great vast night thinking about what would happen. Was God really going to drown them all? Did he do something wrong to deserve this? Was he or those he loved really so bad to deserve this? 

God had said this newest species, the humans, had done something wrong, and he now regretted making them and all the other animals. But why single out all other animals as well? God couldn’t have been giving the whole story to this human. Maybe God only mentioned human wrongdoing to this human. The animals must have been something bad to get lumped in with the humans like this, and that was what he was going to find out. 

Over the next several days, the rabbits spread the message of doom among the other animals.

The rabbit tried to work with the other creatures to form an action plan, but at first, the other animals just freaked out. They tried to think of as many ways as they could to pacify the deity and to convince him that their lives were worth continuing. They built altars to self-conflagrate, hoping this would appease God. Some even offered themselves to be sacrificed on the hope that their deaths might save all the other creatures. 

Others turned to asceticism, convinced that we all must be too involved in the pleasures of the world. That must be why God is doing this. If they denied these to themselves, they thought they could save themselves or maybe even all the creatures of the world. Some predators even renounced eating their fellow animals entirely, until they withered nearly to the point of starvation. 

God remained silent, never seeming to budge or care about how these animals harmed themselves on his behalf, but the rabbit could not get them to sit down and listen. So, he decided he needed to move on. 

He went to the ocean, maybe the creatures of the sea had ideas on what to do. He sat at the edge of the water, striking up a conversation with a few sharks. As the rabbit asked for advice, they just laughed. 

“There’s nothing you can do,” one shouted back. “Whatever you did wrong; you must accept your fate. Soon enough we will feast on the bounty of your corpses.” 

He couldn’t get anything useful from them. The lucky freaks were immune, which they had come to see as a type of ordained privilege, as if they deserved to survive unlike these damned landed creatures.  The fish did not see their land as kin but simply as an upcoming harvest. 

These fish had given him an idea. They felt fine because they did not think they would be hurt by the danger. With proper hope for survival, his fellow landed creatures would be able to keep going. As a community, if they worked together, they might be able to influence the mind of God.  

When he returned to his neighborhood, things had changed drastically. Anger had swept the terrestrial creatures. How could this god smite them for the evil the humans had done? They had each found their own way to curse God and die. Some retreated to their own worlds, where they could be by themselves. Even creatures that usually lived in flocks turned on each other and left for their own wildness.

Others sought to destroy the world around them. It was all going to wash away anyways. Who cares? They attacked other animals without thought or concern, seeming to revel in destruction. A few channeled their anger at the human building the ark, attacking him, his family, and the ark itself. He and his family were always able to hunt down the creatures that went after them, though, like God was protecting them. 

Evidently, the other humans did not believe him about what God had said and criticized him for building the ark, but these animals strategically attacking him seemed to convince them that some unforeseen divine initiative was afoot. He thought some supernatural beings were sending him waves of animals to try to prevent him from fulfilling God’s command. This caused the humans to leave him alone and let him face his fate with the divine alone. For them, the gods must be having an argument, and they would wait to decide which side won. 

The rabbit developed the idea to try to build his own ark. He organized a group of creatures with different sizes and skills, and they started by watching the human see how to build one. But they were never able to replicate his tools. They had no thumbs to hammer or even form the hammers and nails in the first place. 

What they constructed never got off the ground. He could only compare his failure with the providential success of the man’s even more massive boat. He slowly realized all hope was lost. He was going to die. This God had decided to kill them, and there was nothing they could do about it. And for what? For the evils of some humans beyond their control. He really hated these humans. 

He sunk into his burrow refusing comfort. As his daughter, I tried to get food for him to keep him going, but there seemed little point. He had already accepted that he was going to die, and nothing would change his mind. 

In the process of finding food, the ark-building human found me. I had been chosen, as one of only two rabbits to survive on his boat. I desperately wanted to be with my father, but I guess I had another calling. God himself seemed to pick me, because no matter how much I tried to escape to see my father in his last moments, I could not. 

As the waters engulfed the earth and we remained in our protective kiln of ark, I looked at the darkening world. As the waters rose, I could see my father salvaging the last bits of his makeshift boat, trying to keep his raft together on top of the coming storm, only for one extra-large wave to sink him into the depths. 

This is the story I tell to you my children. Tell the story of your Great Rabbit Father. Remember the loss that God wrought onto us animals because of the humans. Trust no one. Humanity and their God least of all. Once we hopped in pride, but we must be vigilant. The world is dark and horrifying, and all we can do is try our best to survive. 

Seeing People’s Inner Child: De-escalating Adult Conflicts by Addressing Unmet Needs

Photo Credit: alanajordan

Many adults still act like children. Some routinely; others only on their bad days. When you see someone lashing out impulsively or defensively when they argue with you, it can be helpful to step back and see their inner child to put their behavior into perspective. 

This is not the same as agreeing with them: they still may be wrong. But seeing their tantruming inner child can help you understand what needs they feel are not being met and are causing them to lash out. This can be something you address directly. Figuring out a workable way to acknowledge and maybe address that need within the bounds of your own goals can be a practical way to get through the moment, especially when they are in a position of authority over you. This usually slows them down and helps deescalate the situation. 

At the very least, it can help empathize with them. Empathizing is not the same as agreeing, nor is it the same as allowing or enabling any inappropriate behavior they may be doing. It is understanding their behavior enough to see the human inside, often a series of needs screaming to be heard, and confronting it directly. Even if your empathy is not safe to show in the moment or if they reject your empathy, empathetically acknowledging the feelings of another is about maintaining your own humanity and not allowing another’s behavior to curb your ability to acknowledge and address the humanity of others around you. 

So, how can this help you respond? Others have spoken at length about how to use understanding to negotiate and reduce conflict (see this for example). One can use empathy to diffuse a situation by acknowledging their side, to demonstrate mutual self-respect, or if necessary, to set proper boundaries for one’s own needs. 

Pausing to reflect on the needs the other has can help remove you from the intensity of the situation, which would help you form the nuanced response necessary. It can allow you to understand not only their needs, but your needs and develop an effective strategy for how to meet those needs in the moment. Often, when someone seems to come after us, our bodies move immediately into a reactive, defensive response. The perceived threat puts us into “go mode” and taking an extra second to understand empathetically gives us the space to pull back, assess the situation anew, and use both our emotions and reason to develop a better, strategic response. 

Instead of launching, you pause and force yourself to think about it from their perspective, sometimes you realize aspects of your behavior that you do need to address. Worst case scenario, after you reflect for a bit, you still conclude that you are wrong, and in that situation, taking a step back allows you to help confirm that, and you are now in a better mental space to respond appropriately. 

The Affluence Trap: Why More Money Doesn’t Always Mean More Freedom

Photo Credit: Anastase Maragos

You would think that those who make more money would have less financial troubles, but in many cases, you would be wrong. In surveys, people with higher income often report living from paycheck to paycheck. 

This is because many wealthier people succumb to income inflation. This is a common human phenomena where those who make more money spend more on more expensive items and thus feel the need to make even more money. The millionaire struggling to afford the payments to keep his private airplane fueled, if you will. 

Why does this happen? In short, because when many people make more money, they get a sense that they should live it up, buying more and more things. This can creep slowly and before you know it, one is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on simple payments. 

Whether you are wealthy or of modest means, these are three tricks to counteract this tendency: 

The first is to think about what you really want in your life. Too often people assume that because they are wealthier, they should want and do the things that other wealthier people seem to want to and do: to buy a big house in whatever neighborhood is considered “nice,” buy expensive clothes, eat out at fancy restaurants, etc. But are these things you actually want? 

It is reasonable to shell out more for better quality or for the things one truly desires in life, but most of the time, more expensive does not mean better quality. Many luxury brands are not better in quality; they are just more expensive, and to a point, many fancier restaurants similarly do not have a similar increase in quality. In situations where the more expensive product has a useful feature for you, it can be worth it to pay more for it, but most often, restaurants or stores that charge more do so because people think of more expensive products as better, not because they are actually better. 

Similarly, buy only the specifications that you need. This can include durability: paying a little more for something that will last a long time costs less money in the long run than having to replace it down the line. If you only need a normal computer with normal processing, shelling out thousands of dollars for the latest high-end portable “supercomputer” does not make sense. Some people (like software engineers) may need those specifications, but if you are not one of those people, don’t worry about it. Marketers often convince us to buy products beyond what they actually need.

Second, don’t buy on credit. People should not do this unless they absolutely have to, and those who are making higher incomes do not have to. (The less well-off often get trapped into buying on credit, crippling them with debt, but that is a topic for another article.) Spend the money you have, nothing more and nothing less. I am even hesitant to get out a loan and pay for expensive purchases: purchase what you can afford right now. If you are buying something that takes years to pay back, consider whether that thing is worth being overworked in a crappy yet well-paid job with an obnoxious boss to complete your payments, because that is in effect what you are doing. For example, would you rather have a cheaper used car that still gets you around but retire early? I have a friend who bought a second home in the countryside, which he never visits. Was it really worth it to him to have to work several decades to own a place he doesn’t do much with? No. It was self-defeating: to pay for his new home, he had to work a job that never gave him the free time to enjoy the home in the first place. Many major expenses like cars and a new home may not be worth sacrificing the majority of one’s life to. 

Buying experiences like traveling to new parts of the world or having adventures can be a  fulfilling yet strategic use of one’s wealth. If you can afford a few thousand dollars, spending it on a trip to some new part of the world you have never been to is likely a far more spiritually enriching use of money than using it for the first month’s down payment on a bigger house in another part of town. If your circumstances change, you can always claw back on experiences, but a mortgage locks you in for decades. 

Finally, think for yourself about what is important for you and what you value. Many wealthier people simply enact the narratives of what it means to be wealthy they see around them consciously or subconsciously. They think, “Oh being wealthier means, I get a big house and a fancy car, eat fine foods,” and so on. This traps them into a certain lifestyle where they must work a very selective number of positions that can pay for such a lifestyle. What do you truly find meaningful? It may not be wearing fancy jewelry, and it may not be living in the standard place every other wealthy person lives in. 

Like many humans, many wealthy people live with a type of insecurity, as if they have to prove their value to others. This can lead to them showing off their wealth as a sign of their status. “Look at me; I made it.” For those like this, their problem is internal: they need to work on themselves and figure out why they don’t value who they are. If they did value who they are, they would realize how useless and fleeting the approval of others (especially strangers they don’t know) actually is. 

For others, they buy the things other wealthy people seem to buy rather than think through what they value and actually want in life. Unsurprisingly, these social expectations are ever expanding: companies will always present us with another thing we need to get until we stop listening to them. Pausing and thinking for yourself about what you actually want knocks us off of that treadmill. 

I hope this helps in thinking about how to deal with income inflation. Don’t follow others with means into this trap. Swim against the current of our society telling us to spend spend spend and figure out how to enjoy your life on your own terms. 

Fly Away from Work (A Short Story)

Photo Credit: Artem Balashevsky

A man sits in his office, bored at the task he has been given. As he types, he gazes out the window and notices a flying pink elephant looking at him. 

Confused, he walks over to the window to investigate, but as he approaches, the elephant disappears. But once he got to the window, he noticed her at the corner of the building across the street waving for him to come join her. 

He opened the window and left. He could fly. He flew far away from his job, never turning back.

The Adventurous Balloon (A Short Story)

A little girl was holding a handful of balloons, but let go. Excited to be free, they all flew into the sky. 

One, though, was even more excited than the others, and shot up within the pack. When a wind current knocked the rest down back to earth, it missed the current and soared high above them. 

“Where are you going?” The others asked. 

“I will ascend to the highest reaches of the heavens!” 

And ascend it did. It marveled at the view, rising higher and higher over the earth. Suddenly, its skin cranked in the colder air, and it shriveled up into a raison, falling harshly back down towards the earth. 

A Safety Guide for Travelers: Avoiding Petty Crime on the Streets

Photo Credit: TheOtherKev

Traveling the world, I have been to a lot of places. This is a basic guide to how to stay safe in a city environment considered “unsafe.” I will focus on how to avoid being targeted for a petty crime like muggings or other theft while physically on the street, not organized or systematic crime like gang violence or political unrest. Petty crime is what a traveler is most likely to encounter when visiting a new city. 

How to avoid being a target of petty crime: 

1) Listen to people who live there

In most places with safety issues, local residents will warn you and otherwise advise you on how to conduct yourself. For example, in some cities, multiple people have told me not to take your phone out on the street for fear that someone will nab it. If you make friends in the place, you can also ask them their opinion, but because some people may have unrealistic or false impressions, it’s often best to ask multiple people if possible, to cross-reference with multiple perspectives. People naturally want to help others. Their advice is golden, because they know far more about the specifics of the place than you do as a traveler.

In my experience, many outsiders to a city have stereotyped and otherwise false views of how dangerous a city or neighborhood is. Maybe, they hear tons of horror stories on the news, not realizing that is far from the daily life of someone living in or visiting that space. That said, the best way to determine whether a place has issues with safety is to talk to people who live there. It is not perfect; residents can also have a biased conception of the place they live, but given that this is their reality, their opinions are far better than yours. 

2) Notice how others conduct themselves

You should also listen to (or look at) how others conduct themselves in that space. One of the most important ways to stay safe from petty crime like theft is to not stand out. There is little you can do if you physically look different (say you are a different race than most people there), but even in such situations, walking and otherwise moving your body like you are a person who lives there, casually going about their day. Registering as someone who lives there significantly decreases the likelihood of being targeted. In addition to giving you practical actions you can take to avoid being targeted, residents’ advice often implicitly helps you blend in and seem like you belong there. 

For example, while on the bus, subway, waiting at the bus stop, or walking down the street, etc., do most people around you (not counting any obvious tourists) have their phones out doing whatever? If so, you are probably safe doing the same. If not, however, then it’s probably best to keep your phone in your pocket as well. 

Do people walk fast like they know where they are going (common in big cities)? Do people keep their heads down? Do people say hello to everyone they see walking down the street? I have seen urban neighborhoods with high crime adapt both extremes as a way to cope. 

3) Learn to walk as if you know where you are going. 

In most big cities, people walk fast and intently, so in many city environments, the best way to avoid being targeted is to look like you know where you are going. It doesn’t matter whether you actually know where you are going; simply walk as if you do. Walking fast, with intent in your step, and not like you are deciding which way to go at each intersection helps with this. In large cities like New York City, this is the default way most people move. 

To walk with intent, the most important trick is to pretend like you know what you are doing and not to stop or gawk at the scenery for too long unless you absolutely need to (yes, you can still look at cool buildings and other scenery without stopping or gawking in an obvious manner). Even if you are just aimlessly wandering, set up checkpoints in your mind and walk to them. Decide you are going to walk to that corner or that store not too far away. Walk straight to it like that’s your goal, and then on your way over, pick a new one. Don’t stop and decide where to go; decide as you reach the destination, so you continue moving once you get there, even if it’s arbitrary. If you need to wait to see what is around the corner to decide, then continue moving while you are deciding what to do with the new information. 

What if you realize you have been going the wrong way and need to turn around? That is the hardest thing to do when you want to look like you know where you are going, but it happens all the time when you are new to a place (even when I have lived in a city for a long time, I still get lost there). If you need to turn around, do it assertively, not like you are indecisive. That’s key. In many places, you are fine just stopping where you are, turning around, and just walking the other way. Just do it quickly and decisively with intent in your body. Once you are walking the other direction, keep walking at a brisk speed like that was the direction you were walking all along. 

If you sense that you are in a significantly less safe place, you can cross the street and then start walking the opposite direction. Unless someone is specifically watching you during the couple seconds it takes to do that, then most people will not even notice that you turned around. In an extreme, worst-case scenario, the best bet would be to duck into some business, wait there for about 30 seconds to a minute (or longer if you are in real danger), and then walk out going the opposite direction. Then, anyone who saw you before will think of you as having gone into that business to buy something, and then when you come out, anyone who sees you now just sees you going about your business after visiting a store. Pretty normal. 

If you need to take out your phone to determine where you are going, I find it best to keep walking while checking your phone. Be aware of your surroundings when walking with your phone out to make it look like you know where you are going but are just checking a text or something, and then put it away once you are done. This is rare, and I only need to do this when my GPS is making some kind of error, which I can check for in under a few seconds. Be aware of your surroundings and do it when someone is not near you, on the sidewalk well away from the road where someone can nab your phone as they drive by. 

I wouldn’t do that for longer than a second or two, not only for fear of someone taking it, but also because it’s good to look in front of you when you walk. So, if you need more time to look at your phone’s map to reorient, it’s best to stop and go into a business where you can take your phone out for longer. Maybe a convenient store, cafe, or something like that. There, you can take the time you need to get your bearings. In an extreme scenario where you still feel threatened while in the story, I may go into a locked public restroom away from others entirely. If you walk with intent, most people will assume you were just going to that shop or cafe, not knowing you ducked into there to figure out where on earth you ended up and how to get to your destination. 

4) Keep precious items near to your body and minimize how often you need to take them out. 

If you can, keep precious items in one’s top pockets near one’s hips (not your butt pocket where someone can easily nap it without you noticing). If you are like me and often wear cargo shorts, in places where theft is a problem, you should not put your wallet, phone, or other valuables in the lower, cargo pockets because they are much more stealable. If you are carrying a backpack, keep it over your chest, and any purse or other bag over your shoulder or front waist, so you can keep an eye on it. Anything you are carrying behind you is easier for someone to stab open with a knife and make a run for it. 

In areas where theft is a concern, I minimize the amount of valuable goods I bring. I generally always need my phone and wallet throughout the day, but I don’t generally bring my laptop, an extra camera, or other goods unless I feel like I absolutely need them for a specific activity. In some neighborhoods, these are fine, but others not. This would also apply to expensive jewelry or other wearables if I owned any, but they are not my style personally. 

Further, I minimize how much I need to get out such items. For money, I often take out enough cash from my wallet to pay for things like lunch, snacks, or other daily items and keep it separately in my pocket. That way, I can pay for daily needs like public transit or food without getting out my wallet, especially in an open market or other public space. For any city that I need to swipe a special public transit card to ride the bus or subway, I also keep that card out, separate from my wallet for ease of use. Keep in your pockets other small items you may need while walking down the street, like a few tissues so that you can blow your nose without having to open your bag to find them. 

5) Pro-tip: Listen to directions on your headphones. 

Google Maps, for example, does walking directions. Put on headphones and turn its GPS on like you would driving directions. It will tell you when you need to turn, but to anyone else on the street, you look like you are listening to headphones. Listening to headphones actually helps you seem like someone who lives there simply going about your day. It will tell you when to turn as you walk, preventing you from having to constantly get out your phone to make sure you are going the correct direction or not miss a turn. Occasionally, you may need to double check the map if it is misfiring in some way, but that is rare, and in my experience, these checks are often brief; just checking to make sure I need to go left, right, or straight here. 

Most often, I will turn on directions to where I am going when I am in a safe place before I leave, put in my headphones, and then go onto the street ready to go. You can also listen to music, a podcast, or whatever else while you walk, or be in complete silence. That’s up to you. Just make sure you are still able to hear enough to not get sneaked up on. 

I hope this helps you stay safe in urban neighborhoods. Crime can be an issue in some cities around the world, but they are an overcomable one if you know what you are doing. Most cities are still worth visiting despite the low chance of crime. Most people who live there don’t experience any problems on most days, and these precautions help you make sure you are among the many there who have a wonderful day there. 

A New Angle on the World: How Photography Keeps Me Present


Photo Credit: Me. You can find it here.

I have discovered that I love photography, especially of taking pictures of the beautiful landscapes as I travel the world. I started to realize when I would get overexcited and bombard my poor friends with dozens of pictures of beautiful landscapes a day, obsessed with showing each new angle of the places I visit. 

I have heard many people complain about how taking pictures when they are traveling removes them from the moment. For them, it’s a type of addictive trap that ultimately worsens their vacation experience. They end up spending their time only thinking about the next photograph. 

I do not doubt that taking pictures can have that impact on them, but my experience has been the opposite: photography helps me stay in the moment and appreciate the environment in new ways. 

Photography forces me to slow down and experience new angles of the places I visit. When I walk around thinking about pictures, I notice the small things. The ways the trees curve in the wind or the shape the rocks form against the hillside. By trying to figure out new and interesting photographs, I experience the environment in a new way. Recently, I have been doing photography walks, where I walk around and try to find interesting photographs to take as I go, stopping every few meters or yards to take a picture. I notice the little quiet moments, whether in nature or in a city, that I would otherwise breeze right by. It helps keep me in the moment. 

I also find photography creatively exhilarating. I have aphantasia, which means that I cannot visualize images in my mind. Thus, I often struggled with most forms of visual art. With drawing, for example, I cannot see what I am creating until I start drawing it, in contrast to skilled drawers visualize in their minds what the piece will look like and then start drawing it step-by-step. 

With photography, I can bring a piece of aesthetically pleasing artwork by positioning the camera in innovative angles and other ways to tell a compelling visual story. For example, I may set up the lines created by rivers, mountains, and other scenery so that they move towards the corner of the shot because this lack of “conclusion” causes my mind to follow the lines passed the picture, often giving a feeling of curiosity and wonder. I am quite literally creating it right before my eyes. 

Maybe this is just me, but whether you do so with photography or something else, you should try to find new ways to explore the places you inhabit. Often all it takes is a little bit of ingenuity to imagine a new way to engage the world around you.