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Oh, Not Because Happiness Exists

Rainer Maria Rilke

Oh, not because happiness exists, that too-hasty profit snatched from approaching loss. But because truly being here is so much; because everything here apparently needs us, this fleeting world, which in some strange way keeps calling to us. Us, the most fleeting of all. …Ah, but what can we take along into that other realm? Not the art of looking, which is learned so slowly, and nothing that happened here. Nothing. The sufferings, then. And, above all, the heaviness, and the long experience of love,—just what is wholly unsayable.

— Rainer Maria Rilke, from The Ninth Duino Elegy


Nice to meet you! I'm a writer, reader, and aspiring hermit. I love books and food and plants and theater and I'm fascinated by the beauty and terror of being alive on this planet.

I invented a celebratory day called Post Day that happens from time to time. Anyone can celebrate! I also write letters to books I have loved.

I have a blog and a mailing list, where I share the occasional essay or update about new things I'm making/trying. If you're interested in digital gardening, I share what I'm reading in my public Roam. I am playing around with Mastodon, I'm sort of still on Twitter, or you can email me.

In my work life, I've been a founder at various times and a CEO at various times, and I'm now co-founder and chief of staff at a security-focused web3 startup. If you like reading about thoughtful business topics, you can read my first book, Gather the People, originally released in 2015 and updated in 2020. It was the book I needed as a bootstrapping business owner with the heart of an artist, and if that's you, I hope it helps.

Last updated: March 7, 2023