life

This is where I write about life as I have actually lived it. Not life as a theory or a self-help formula, but the real thing: the decisions that turned out to matter, the ones that did not, the people who shaped me, and the slow business of figuring out what I actually believe as opposed to what I was handed.

The posts here range across decades. Some are reflective, written years after the events they describe. Some were written in the moment, when something was still raw or still funny. What they share is that they are honest. I have tried not to tidy up the parts of my life that resist tidying, because those are usually the parts worth reading about.

If you are looking for the throughline, it is probably this: I have spent a long time paying attention to how people work, including myself, and most of what I have learned came from getting things wrong before I got them right. These are the notes from that process.

Richard Lowe Jr is an author, photographer, and former IT director who writes about life, work, and the long process of changing your own mind.

Vices who needs vices featured
Posted inlife Vice

Vices? Who needs vices?

I lead an extraordinarily happy life. These days I am beyond happy. I am enthusiastic about everything to do with being alive. I love to feel the breeze, hear the crack…
No whining allowed featured
Posted inlife

No whining allowed

I used to have a sign over my desk at work which said, "No Whining allowed." It was effective, much of the time, but it sure didn't win me any…
A night of terror featured
Posted inlife

A night of terror

I've started writing a book on how to survive a disaster. Here's the first draft of the introduction. Let me know what you think. Introduction – A night of terror…
Friendship and distance featured
Posted inlife

Friendship and Distance

The internet is an interesting place. Using various social media and other systems, you can meet people from all over the planet, talk to people ten thousand miles away, without…
Credit featured
Posted inlife

Credit

Once a year I get all three of my free credit reports, as is my right under credit law. Today was the day I could get the newest reports, and…
Photoshoots featured
Posted inlife

Photoshoots

Photoshoots are one of the most difficult things I have ever had to confront in my life. I know that sounds odd, since I'm a photographer and I do a…
Social addictions featured
Posted inlife

Social addictions

Lately I've talked to a few people about giving up an addiction: a woman who smokes and another who drinks too much. While I was chatting with them about it,…