Week 43, 2025 — late fall in Bavaria

I’m co-working at a friend’s outside of Munich for a few days. It’s peak foliage all around and early snow up in the peaks. We made apple strudel, watched Interstellar and hiked the Ammergau Alps which runs across Bavaria and Tyrol. I learned about the story of the Oberammergau Passion Play, where villagers perform the Passion Play once every 10 years to uphold their promise to God since 1634. I feel well-rested and grateful for the change in pace.

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I read Neal Allen’s “Better Days: Tame Your Inner Critic”, mostly spurred by this comment from Nadia Bolz-Weber, “If you’re ready to stop being an asshole to yourself and need more than fluffy affirmations, this book is for you.” It’s an accessible, psychiatric take on Buddhist enlightenment without religious or even spiritual undertones.

Less than 10 weeks before the end of the year.