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Farming

The dirt-under-the-fingernails reality of part-time farming in Japan, wrestling with the seasons, and the quiet satisfaction of working the soil.

What Does Your Ideal Reset Day Look Like?

Updated on December 2, 2025by OldDogZeroTricks
Watercolor illustration of older Asian woman doing Yoga

We often treat things that drain us as necessary, but things that restore us as optional. Here is how to identify your ideal “reset day” and protect it like a meeting.

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When You Get Good at Things You Never Felt Passionate About

Updated on December 9, 2025by OldDogZeroTricks
A pair of worn, muddy work boots representing consistent effort and hard work.

I used to think passion had to come first. But after 505 days of Japanese practice, I realized I had it backwards. Here is why competence creates passion, not the other way around.

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It’s All Relative (But Is That Comfort or Cop-Out?)

Updated on December 23, 2025by OldDogZeroTricks
Watercolor of a middle-aged guy cycling to his farming job in the pouring rain. He's wet but content. It's all relative.

Yesterday, I cycled to work in the pouring rain. At 56, it felt both liberating and slightly absurd. Part of me felt like a happy kid. Another part wondered if this is “failure to launch.”

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Finding Balance in Alone Time

Updated on November 30, 2025by OldDogZeroTricks
Rear view of a man sitting alone on a lookout point overlooking a forest landscape.

Even with friends, there is a hidden cost to constantly “adjusting” ourselves. Solitude is the only time we can stop performing. Here is why I crave the silence of the farm.

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How Do You Balance Your Time When A Passion Won’t Let Go?

Updated on December 23, 2025by OldDogZeroTricks
Hands covered in dirt next to hands on a keyboard

After five hours of digging sweet potatoes, I did not rest. I went straight to the computer. It is not discipline. It is a pull. Here is how I handle a passion that refuses to let go.

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