Image coming soon
Cube Tea Studio
Great Tea. A ton of different flavors. This place is just outside the oriental grocery store.
An editorial field guide to living
Practicing a better life.
Connect.
Explore.
Create.
Be.
Give.
Better is a collection of ideas, experiences, reflections, and practical tools for living more fully — even when life is complicated, unfinished, or painful. Five practices, one ongoing conversation.
Begin somewhereFeatured
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The Five Practices
01 Connect Stay in people's lives longer than is convenient.
Build relationships with God, others, and your true self. Rooted in presence, love, belonging, and empathy.
- Host
- Listen
- Show up
- Keep in touch
02 Explore Follow curiosity beyond the familiar.
Say yes to curiosity, discovery, risk, and wonder. Rooted in openness, learning, awe, and movement.
- Travel
- Read
- Wander
- Experiment
03 Create Leave more behind than you consumed.
Shape the world through expression, invention, or effort. Rooted in beauty, purpose, risk, and contribution.
- Write
- Cook
- Build
- Repair
04 Be Be someone worth being when nobody is watching.
Live in the tension of existence and becoming. Rooted in truth, presence, mortality, mystery, and trust.
- Rest
- Pray
- Sit still
- Keep promises
05 Give Be useful to people who cannot repay you.
Offer your time, gifts, and love to others. Rooted in service, humility, justice, and legacy.
- Volunteer
- Donate
- Mentor
- Notice need
Connection can lead to exploration. Exploration can inspire creation. Creation can become a gift. Giving can deepen connection. Being makes space for all of them.
Recent Field Notes
Waffle House
Nearly 20 years since my last visit to this Waffle House, I walked in on a Tuesday morning around 10am and the place was packed. Clearly, I am the one who has been doing breakfast…
Sunrise Family Restaurant
Incredible. And I mean an *incredible* chile relleno omelette. The kind of breakfast that makes every regular omelette you’ve eaten feel like it lacked ambition. The giant satellite dish out front, complete with bacon and…
Route 66 Travel Center
Sometimes a road trip review isn’t about the food, the ambiance, or the service. Sometimes you just need a safe place to answer nature’s increasingly urgent call. Route 66 Travel Center delivered. Our panel conducted…
Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails
We ate here twice during our stay at the Kimpton. Once is trying a restaurant. Twice while traveling means Blue Hound earned it. Blue Hound is tucked away on the second floor, accessible from the…
You do not need to change your whole life today.
Choose one way to live it a little better.
Start Here