Stories & podcast · on
topic 569082
Stories from the men who facilitate and attend these circles, on topic 569082.
73 stories
Father Stories
I’m about halfway through the audiobook version of Matthew Quick’s memoir titled ‘Dad, Love, Me.’ You may recognize the author as he wrote ‘ Silver Linings Playbook , which was made into a popular movie starring Bradley…
The Evolving Parent
As a parent of three kids in their late teens/early 20’s, I find myself trying to reinvent myself as a parent. I was VERY comfortable in my role as a parent of young kids and adolescents. But now, as strange as it may…
Loving My Third Chapter
For years I worried about what would happen next. I could never be happy where I was, it was always about the next promotion, the next big house, the next stage. As a guy who grew up with more than the normal amount of…
Note to Jeff: Sorry I Didn’t Write Sooner
Growing up in suburban Chicago, I watched my parents read the Chicago Tribune every day. That example informed a lot both in habit and curiosity. Mike Royko was a famous Tribune columnist, his unique style of grumpy,…
Finding Balance in Slippery Times
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” It’s one of those lines that risks becoming invisible from overuse, and yet there are moments in life when that line suddenly feels startlingly precise. This is one…
Fathering, Community, and the Journey to the Inn
I want to begin with a simple acknowledgment. In a season marked by prolonged stress, uncertainty, and high stakes, there have been moments when my words—whether in passing conversations, private exchanges, or quick…
As Visions of Sugar Plums and Buddhas, Danced in Their Heads
Monday was the first day of my daughter Emma’s winter break from second grade. I’ve been looking forward to the more casually paced mornings when we don’t have to rush out the door to get to school on time. At the same…
Naps
Hurley passed away a few weeks ago. I miss him, mostly coming down the stairs each morning and checking which of our two couches he chose to sleep on. “Be a good dog today, ok? I’ll be right back.” I’d say most days as…
My Dad
You’re 85 and you’re declining, and I don’t really know how to talk about it without stumbling over myself. Your breathing is heavy now. You need help getting dressed. You still want to do things independently, even…
On the Turning Away
Now, firmly in my middle age, I find myself sitting with that heaviness this morning. This is a note for the young people out there, the ones I hope will clean up the mess we inherited from our parents and, in many…
Do You Want to Be My Friend?
I love spending time with my daughter Emma at outdoor playgrounds. Over the years, we’ve given cute pet names to the various parks around our home. The fish park is the one right outside our back door that has two…
Planning your Emotions
Visiting Lake Garda in the north of Italy this week, we embarked on a 3-hour boat tour of the lake, greeted by the following sign: With full recognition that this corporate tagline was likely just the result of an…
Let’s Fix the Language of Fatherhood
If the best writing comes from what you know, no wonder some of my proudest pieces focus on my relationship with my son. What you never know is what readers will think. In this story, that includes my own Dad. Go back…
The Importance of “Continuing Bonds” To This Dad
It’s a milestone day for me. After a six-year journey in developing a smartphone app as a side hustle from my day jobas a passive house architect, I am thrilled to share my Love Notes app is now live on The App Store.…
Enlightened Masculinity’s Role in Fatherhood?
Enlightened Masculinity’s role in Fatherhood? Something shifted a year ago. After nearly 20 years of “men’s work” shepherded me through divorce, a career change and the dissolution of it, personal and financial tragedy,…
Gender Roles
I’ve been wanting to get involved with Men Living for some time now and have been receiving the newsletters for a couple of years. While I haven’t necessarily earned the “stripes” to offer my thoughts or opinions to the…
March Unmadness
I wanted to share something from my “march unmadness” series — simple strategies to bring more ease, connection, and clarity into your life and relationships. because when it comes to meaningful change, it’s often the…
My First Lesson in Fatherhood
Fatherhood has taught me many lessons in life, none of them bigger than the one I learned on my very first day of being a dad. I spent the first 53 years of my life celebrating my own amazing dad, my grandpas and all…
On Fatherhood and Dadhood
I am touched and honored by the invitation to shepherd MenLiving’s Fatherhood initiative, to co-facilitate the first month of meetings (Thursdays, noon Central Time starting March 6) with ML Executive Directorion Todd…
Building the Perfect Fire
I’m freshly returned from the MenLiving Midwest Advance and I am feeling all the feels. To say that the experience was profound would be an understatement of epic proportions. I had the honor of serving on the…
5 Realizations of Parenting
I have three daughters – 21, 20, and 17. I have been speaking to groups of parents since we began our podcast 15 years ago. Along the way, I have come to certain realizations that have helped me become a better dad.…
Restoring Our Girls: How the Men in Their Lives Can Make a Difference
Hey dads, grandpas, uncles, brothers, and anyone with a young woman aged 12 to 25 in your life… If that’s you, I’d like to offer a perspective on their experiences. Of course, young women are not a monolith, and there’s…
Are You Turning It Outward?
When MenLiving started in 2012, the vision was simple but powerful: to create deeper, more genuine connections among men. Fast forward to 2024, and I’m proud to say that vision has become a reality for so many who…
“What do you not want to be in when it breaks down?”
You know what your problem is…No Ray to Steer You “What do you not want to be in when it breaks down?” This was one of the Family Feud questions during our Thanksgiving dinner in 2018. My father-in-law, Ray—88 years old…
When the Past Comes Back, Uninvited!
I should be angry, I think. Instead, I am experiencing a huge upwelling of grief. My younger brother and I had been estranged for some seven years. Two weeks ago, I suddenly had contact from him on Whatsapp. I decided…
Conflict Resolution and Corned Beef Sandwiches: Life Lessons Learned at a World Famous Deli
If you’ve seen the movie When Harry Met Sally , you will certainly recall the “I’ll have what she’s having” scene which was filmed at world-famous Katz’s Delicatessen in New York City. In that scene , Harry, played by…
Embracing the Hero Within
Every summer when I was a kid my mom, dad and I would make the long drive from Detroit to New York to visit my paternal grandparents who lived in a little village named Pelham, just north of the city. Since I had no…
Gravel, 68 mph, Bubblrs.
My advanced age brings much, some gray hair, regular prostate checks, the usual. It also brings a deeper well of memories and its edgy cousin nostalgia. Remember MTv? Of the many plusses as I advance is a deeper sense…
Hello, Friend.
This week, the featured post is authored by MenLiving facilitator, Mike Rosen. Mike is a father, a 4th grade teacher and has been the lead on our Tuesday night seperation / divorce meeting since its inception. As a kid,…
Feeling All the Feels and the Neighborhood of Make-Believe
Jim is passionate about life and he explores his individual hero’s journey with curiosity and zeal. Jim is a father, husband, yogi, mystic, storyteller, author, coach, teacher and student who sees himself as a spiritual…
Letter To My Son
Written by MenLiving Community Member, Dan Silberberg Dear Son: As I sit down to write this letter, I find myself reflecting on a journey that has shaped the person and leader I am today. It’s a journey I wish to share…
The Psychology of Love
Jim is passionate about life and he explores his individual hero’s journey with curiosity and zeal. Jim is a father, husband, yogi, mystic, storyteller, author, coach, teacher and student who sees himself as a spiritual…
Round and Round and Round It Goes
This week, the featured post is authored by Michael Eatmon. Michael’s a career educator. For over 30 years, he’s studied and taught language, philosophy, and theology. What feeds his embodied soul, though, are art,…
There Isn’t Always an Answer
A long-time Chicagoan, Jason now lives in a part of the country he’s always dreamed of living: near the mountains. Just outside of Boulder, CO, Jason now enjoys all that living in the West provides, although he will…
The Gate
Our dog Sadie died yesterday and I’m really sad. She was a big, strong, fast, clumsy, oaf of a black lab with a thick skull, a nearly insatiable desire to run, and a tail as powerful as a bullwhip. We had a complicated…
Three Alarms
This week, the featured post is authored by MenLiving facilitator, Mike Rosen. Mike is a father, a 4th grade teacher and has been the lead on our Tuesday night seperation / divorce meeting since its inception. I…
Kitchen Candor
This week, the featured post is authored by Michael Eatmon. Michael’s a career educator. For 30 years, he’s studied and taught language, philosophy, and theology. What feeds his embodied soul, though, are art, music,…
Not Wrong, Just Different
By Mike Rosen. Mike is a father, a 4th grade teacher and has been the lead on our Tuesday night seperation / divorce meeting since its inception. At the risk of appearing overly self-deprecating, I’m going to begin…
I’m the Pilot
‘Time flies over us and leaves its shadow behind.”–Nathaniel Hawthorne ‘ “It’s time for me to fly!” ’–REO Speedwagon ‘Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it.’–Ferris…
Happy Talk?
Author: Bill Chaney I grew up in a home where warm emotions were scarce. I know my parents did the best they could to meet the challenges they faced. Dad was busy as a carpenter trying to keep food on the table for four…
Two Emersons Reflect on Friendship
When I was a kid, it wouldn’t be unusual for some smart-ass to ask me if I was related to Ralph Waldo Emerson. I can tell you the ask was never real curiosity (note the smart-ass), but I suppose an attempt to be cute or…
Why Boys Stop Reading?
Writer, Matt Haig, posted this piece on his Instagram. I wanted to share his interesting data and perspective. Thoughts? At age 11, most boys enjoy reading. By 14 that drops from 65% to 32%. In other words, we lose half…
Meet Guy Fitzgerald
Starting today, we will be adding a Healthy Tip of The Week to our weekly email. Given our vision of a world of healthy, intentional, connected men, we thought it was appropriate to talk about health (physical and…
My One for the World Story
I’m a senior in college, living in Durango, Colorado, and grew up in a nice suburb of Chicago. I have a loving family, I’ve always had a warm bed to sleep, more food than I need, and have the privilege of pursuing…
Short King or Daddy Long Legs?
I recently read that the new UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is regarded as a Short King (he’s 5′ 7″). Short King? I had never heard the term before though I had a pretty good idea what it was all about when…
BEING
Last week, I took a few minutes to create a list of all the major things I’ve done professionally so far this year. While the list was relatively long and I felt a certain amount of pride in reflection, something was…
Reflections on Fatherhood
Being a father to a child can mean so many things to different people. As Father’s Day approaches, MenLiving wanted to highlight what fatherhood means to some of the dads in our community. Get ready to smile, feel…
How Processing Grief Can Lead to More Authentic Connections: Andrea Dorn on Writing About Loss for Children, The Power of Mindfulness and Embracing those Tough, Sad Feelings
Andrea Dorn never expected to become an author, let alone a non-fiction children’s books. But as someone who was always creative and had a career of experience as a clinical social worker, the pieces of the puzzle fell…
The Games Men Play
I love to play games – basketball, pickleball, golf, you name it. But when it comes to friendship with men, games become more challenging to play. Typically, games have rules to follow that make the game fun, but with…
Teaching Advocacy and Acceptance: Chris Tompkins on Talking to Your Kids, Not Making Assumptions and His Book Raising LGBTQ Allies
Author Patrick McKenna When Chris Tompkins realized there was a missing conversation happening with his own family, he felt the need to not just broaden their view on LGBTQ topics, but to do so with families everywhere.…
5:15
5:15 is story from Ryan Bayron’s first book, Gummy Bears for the Soul: A Collection of Life Lessons That Are Easy To Chew But Hard To Digest As Told Through A Cacophony of Stories About My Dad That Are Definitely All…
Zen Parenting: A Q&A with Cathy Cassani Adams
On February 1st, MenLiving “extended” family member, Cathy Cassani Adams (she is our ED’s wife 😉) wil release her latest book, Zen Parenting. By the title, you might think this book is just about parenting (because it…
Taking Off the Shield and Raising Boys to Be Emotionally Connected: Dr. Michael Reichert Speaks with MenLiving
Patrick McKenna Dr. Michael Reichert has made a lifelong career out of helping young boys get in touch with their emotions and unlearn harmful ideas around masculinity. He’s an author, psychologist and Executive…
The Incredible Shrinking Man (or part of the Man)
Growing up, I visited with both sets of grandparents often. Without fail, every time I would enter my Nana Emerson’s house, she would give me a big hug and exclaim, “Oh, Shaun, you are getting so big, and I am…
The Kingdom of the Royal Children
John Natoli Once upon a time, in an age before memory, there was a kingdom ruled by a greedy and suspicious king. His every moment was overpowered by fears of intrigue and betrayal. He held all his many possessions…
Just Say it
How are you as a communicator? Do you talk about the things that are hard to talk about? This question has been front and center for me lately. My thinking on the matter has been spurred by the last two MenLiving blog…
Being Not Right is Uneasily Done
It’s hard to not be right. In much of our lives, it’s quite important, if not imperative to be right. If your tax accountant, dentist, plumber or air traffic controller gets it wrong, there can be severe consequences.…
Peach Pie Party
As a student of Life and someone who’s passionate about learning how to more fully participate, engage and grow in my everyday existence, I have learned to seek out and “pool” my resources. Teacher resources that is. I…
Initiations
There are plenty of emotional moments in This is Us, one of the many reasons it’s my favorite show. But one scene in particular choked me up, when Randall, then a 9-year-old boy, was in his karate class with his father…
Speak to the hurt and locate it.
My kids are going through a phase where they seem to want MOM all the time. The fact is they don’t want her all of the time, but the percentage is pretty high and I did state it “seems” like all the time. Like when the…
“She did all the things”
I wrote this post today so you will see this one phrase. And if you decide to read this post, I hope this one phrase sticks to you: “She did all the things.” In yesterday’s episode of Zen Parenting Radio, Todd and Cathy…
“I’m right, you’re wrong”
On a recent Sunday, while engaging in some early morning contemplation time, humor and laughter came to mind. I was reminded of a couple recent experiences I had related to the topic. First, I watched comedian Russell…
The GOAT and The Kiss
I grew up outside of Boston, but I have now been in the Midwest for almost 20 years longer than I was in New England. And despite my move, I have maintained my allegiance to Boston’s sports franchises. A loyalty that…
The Trials of a Rule Follower
I continue to learn things about myself. At 47 yrs old, I’m sometimes surprised to find there’s more here to discover. This summer my family and I went to visit my parent home in Michigan. It just so happened that they…
Creatively Yours
There are at least as many ways in which parenting is wonderful as it is challenging. My kids teach me things almost daily (I’m guessing you can relate). Their wisdom catches me off guard sometimes and I’m stuck sitting…
The Most Important Work You Can Do Right Now.
A while back, I conducted an initial therapy session with a family: Mom, Dad and sixteen-year-old son. Let’s call him James. Mom and son sat on the couch, dad on an adjacent chair. The presenting issue was the son’s…
Everything is Possible
I’m lying in bed at 4 o’clock am thinking of how things could have gone better in our Sales and Customer Service Coordination meeting today – that’s never a good thing…OR, could it be? I’m reminded of what this meeting…
Life is Unfair
I had a rather unusual Friday night. It was unusual because I was home all by myself. I had worked from home and my wife had taken the kids to an early evening “play date” after picking my oldest up from preschool.…
Am I enough in this life?
It’s 8:15 PM and my day feels like it’s finally just wrapping up. Now, I can do whatever it is I want to do. Which, in tonight’s case is to go down the basement and veg out watching an episode of Peaky Blinders. A want…
Parental Amnesia
The following is a short list off the top of my head of some personal bad decision making from my adolescence. @ 5 years old I played “doctor” with a girl neighbor across the street engaging in a session of “you show me…
Don’t Be A Dick
I struggle with the writing process. My mind works in the form of bullet points as opposed to long-form which is what prohibits me from saying what I want to say. But I feel I have ideas of value to share. (My English…
Am I a Bad Dad? Am I a Bad Husband?
I have this vivid memory of being in the hospital room with my wife the night after our third daughter was born and how happy my wife was to wake up to nurse this kid at 3:00 AM and change her diaper while I was on the…
Silence Is Not Golden
I am a white straight male. I can wear a hoodie when I walk down the street. I feel safe because I live in an upper-middle class neighborhood. I don’t get judged because of my skin color. I don’t have to give any of my…
The conversation
Reading is free and needs no account. Replying happens in the community.
See all and engage in the community — opens in the MenLiving community
Where to go from here
Look around without an account — the calendar, the spaces, and the men themselves. A free profile takes about a minute, and it’s all an RSVP takes when you’re ready.