Daniel Reese

This is why I stopped buying from Amazon whenever possible. After this change, I might reconsider.

@buridansridge This changed me. And brought back the wonder of the Internet. Learning more deeply about prayer from an unmet friend

Prayers are a peculiar thing. I have made countless in my life, yet it took some living to realise I did not know how to pray, how to ask for that which aligns. When I was young, I thought I knew better. I defined wishes with ritualistic precision, scaffolded them with rigidity in my prayers because I did not trust divinity. I took time to shape them carefully with words, shaded the corners carefully, dotted the i's, crossed the t's, and gave j's a curled cursive, squeezed my eyes tight and placed my forehead to the floor for a few seconds longer. My prayers were answered, yet when they were, I discovered that what I had prayed for was never what my soul needed. I would feel deep gratitude for their arrival, yet for some reason they tasted of ash in my mouth, lacked vibrancy, and did not ignite fervour in my soul. I would persist, yet struggled and felt deep harrowing shame and guilt, because I thought I should be more grateful, but what arrived always felt like it did not belong with me. It felt off, as though I were trying to resuscitate a corpse. Hadn't I wished for it? Hadn't I curated it with such tenderness? Then I realised the genius of prayer is a paradox, a playful little game, because the divine teaches us to see with more aperture. Like love, when you look, when you restrict, when you define - you receive mirages, detours, false idols, because rigid wishes often consist of constructs that were never yours to begin with. Thus the trick is to desire that which is yours with the purest of intentions, with full sincerity, yet hold and sit with the desire without needing to define it - knowing not to look. And in doing so, the divine looks for you, and brings answered prayers you could never have put into words, ones that unfurl unexpectedly and reveal themselves to meet the quiet whispers of inner truths that have not yet taken full conscious form, yet you've felt in your soul and kept to yourself, or reluctant resignations you'd secretly held onto with an inkling of hope. And you begin to comprehend what miracles mean. And now I pray with openness. I live with trust in God as I go forth in my life, so my once-tightened grip loosens with knowing. And because I have, I remember the beauty of blowing dandelions and the levity in moments of sharing a swing with a kindred soul. In childlike wonder, I have learnt to love the beauty of life in the present, because I trust that which resonates will join me, accept my energetic invitation, in service of the same.

Pray with openness and trust in God. Love this

One of my favorite successes as a parent is that my daughters love Ender’s Game

@buridansridge Heh. Adding instinct and intuition into what was formerly fully logical has been an eye opening experience. So much re-discovered in my life.

Many highly intelligent men will naturally gravitate towards logic due to their ability to rapidly process and dissect information, discern patterns, and understand intentions. They will often rely on this intellectual strength heavily, believing themselves to be akin to quantum computers of logical exploration. As they progress in life, they will come to realise that when they reject their gut instincts in favour of pure logic, logic does not always prevail - an unsettling revelation of the limits of reason, one that often remains wilfully buried. This marks the gradual build-up towards the discovery and formation of their own spiritual concept - regardless of whether or not it is grounded in religion. Unless a life-altering event, major achievement, or profound heartbreak occurs - leading to a spiritual awakening, this shift or "correction" towards spirituality often emerges in their 30s. Around this time, they begin to reflect on past experiences that have defied explanation and grow weary of analysing basic patterns. Their soul beckons them towards that which cannot be easily unravelled. They come to realise that no logical system alone can capture the full complexity of human experience or provide all the answers. Thus, they begin to craft their own robust spiritual manifesto - one in which no stone is left unturned - something they build, reflect upon, and carefully refine. The more intelligent and rational a person is, the more they demand a spirituality that makes sense - where it feels more logical to believe than to not - not in the sense of being provable, but in the sense of being necessary to acquire deeper understanding and meaning. The process of spiritual ascension often brings about a series of profound realisations, major shifts in their worldview, and a newfound ability to synthesise even greater mind-blowing revelations. Through this, they realise that their spirituality, or the belief in something greater, benefits them holistically. It is the "missing piece" that unites the scattered fragments of awareness within their mind. In many ways, it softens their souls, yet by doing so, it strengthens their spirit, making a fulfilling life more accessible.

“genuine noticing” <— Love this

The Martyrdom of Charlie Kirk My beloved niece telephoned her father, who came and told the news to my wife: Charlie Kirk has been shot, while speaking to students at UVU. My niece had been there to listen to his message. She needed to call her dad. My wife had to explain to me who Charlie Kirk was. I must have seen him on a talk show before, as his name sounded familiar, but I did not know what Turning Point USA was, or the kind of career — no, ministry — that Charlie Kirk had conducted. But I did know Utah Valley, and UVU. I’ve taught workshops on that campus, I’ve walked and run and cycled on those impossible hills. Orem, Utah became my home in 1967, and for many years my parents and my wife’s parents lived there. Even now, going there still feels like going home. So on Wednesday, as I left my house to teach a class of high school creative writing students, I found that I could hardly drive for weeping.  Because evil had come to my home.  I felt an immediate wave of grief that someone had brought a murderous heart onto that campus and struck down someone whose only crime was speaking of his beliefs and listening to the beliefs of others.

A while ago, probably in 2017, I appeared on Tucker Carlson's Fox show to talk about God knows what. Afterwards a name I barely knew sent me a DM on twitter and told me I did a great job. It was Charlie Kirk, and that moment of kindness began a friendship that lasted until today. Charlie was fascinated by ideas and always willing to learn and change his mind. Like me, he was skeptical of Donald Trump in 2016. Like me, he came to see President Trump as the only figure capable of moving American politics away from the globalism that had dominated for our entire lives. When others were right, he learned from them. When he was right--as he usually was--he was generous. With Charlie, the attitude was never, "I told you so." But: "welcome." Charlie was one of the first people I called when I thought about running for senate in early 2021. I was interested but skeptical there was a pathway. We talked through everything, from the strategy to the fundraising to the grassroots of the movement he knew so well. He introduced me to some of the people who would run my campaign and also to Donald Trump Jr. "Like his dad, he's misunderstood. He's extremely smart, and very much on our wavelength." Don took a call from me because Charlie asked him too. Long before I ever committed (even in my mind) to running, Charlie had me speak to his donors at a TPUSA event. He walked me around the room and introduced me. He gave me honest feedback on my remarks. He had no reason to do this, no expectation that I'd go anywhere. I was polling, at that point, well below 5 percent. He did it because we were friends, and because he was a good man. When I became the VP nominee--something Charlie advocated for both in public and private--Charlie was there for me. I was so glad to be part of the president's team, but candidly surprised by the effect it had on our family. Our kids, especially our oldest, struggled with the attention and the constant presence of the protective detail. I felt this acute sense of guilt, that I had conscripted my kids into this life without getting their permission. And Charlie was constantly calling and texting, checking on our family and offering guidance and prayers. Some of our most successful events were organized not by the campaign, but by TPUSA. He wasn't just a thinker, he was a doer, turning big ideas into bigger events with thousands of activists. And after every event, he would give me a big hug, tell me he was praying for me, and ask me what he could do. "You focus on Wisconsin," he'd tell me. "Arizona is in the bag." And it was. Charlie genuinely believed in and loved Jesus Christ. He had a profound faith. We used to argue about Catholicism and Protestantism and who was right about minor doctrinal questions. Because he loved God, he wanted to understand him. Someone else pointed out that Charlie died doing what he loved: discussing ideas. He would go into these hostile crowds and answer their questions. If it was a friendly crowd, and a progressive asked a question to jeers from the audience, he'd encourage his fans to calm down and let everyone speak. He exemplified a foundational virtue of our Republic: the willingness to speak openly and debate ideas. Charlie had an uncanny ability to know when to push the envelope and when to be more conventional. I've seen people attack him for years for being wrong on this or that issue publicly, never realizing that privately he was working to broaden the scope of acceptable debate. He was a great family man. I was talking to President Trump in the Oval Office today, and he said, "I know he was a very good friend of yours." I nodded silently, and President Trump observed that Charlie really loved his family. The president was right. Charlie was so proud of Erika and the two kids. He was so happy to be a father. And he felt such gratitude for having found a woman of God with whom he could build a family. Charlie Kirk was a true friend. The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him. I am on more than a few group chats with Charlie and people he introduced me to over the years. We celebrate weddings and babies, bust each other's chops, and mourn the loss of loved ones. We talk about politics and policy and sports and life. These group chats include people at the very highest level of our government. They trusted him, loved him, and knew he'd always have their backs. And because he was a true friend ,you could instinctively trust the people Charlie introduced you to. So much of the success we've had in this administration traces directly to Charlie's ability to organize and convene. He didn't just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government. I was in a meeting in the West Wing when those group chats started lighting up with people telling Charlie they were praying for him. And that's how I learned the news that my friend had been shot. I prayed a lot over the next hour, as first good news and then bad trickled in. God didn't answer those prayers, and that's OK. He had other plans. And now that Charlie is in heaven, I'll ask him to talk to big man directly on behalf of his family, his friends, and the country he loved so dearly. You ran a good race, my friend. We've got it from here.

@datingbyblaine He has a box he hasn’t told you about, or perhaps isn’t aware of himself Or perhaps there’s someone in his past that no one in the present measures up to

What happens when a man who’s never had a girlfriend decides he’s ready to settle down? 🤔💭 One of my clients is 30, handsome, amazing career, never had trouble getting dates... The twist: in his own words, he’s never had a relationship last more than 2 months 😕 Over the past 4 months, I’ve made introductions to beautiful, accomplished women who check every one of his boxes… Every time, after 2-3 dates, he has a reason to end things: Not enough spark. Too this. Too that. He says he’s ready for love. I believe he wants to be… but after 30 years of living fully on his own terms, I’m unsure if he’s chasing true love, or if he’s just in love with the chase 😬 Wdyt? He’s my number one project right now ♥️

Dating tips for women 1. Give attention. Ask, listen, engage. The men nearby will notice 2. Touch his forearm briefly while smiling. Shows interest 3. After a date, he’s really asking, “Do you want to see me again?” Use yes or no Works on boyfriends and husbands too. Try it!

@TheEcho13 I think the confusion is because “no-fault” and “just changed his mind” are used here as synonyms Not all no-fault divorces are without fault I agree with your point about changing your mind but we can’t measure that by a choice to do a no-fault divorce

I think that if a man walks out on his wife who’s a stay-at-home mother in a no-fault divorce, she should get everything. All of it. 100%. Why should it be her that has to start from scratch after she gave her life to their family, sacrificed everything she had before him and let him gain the life and career benefits of having a wife at home just because he decided to change his mind? If he wants to rip their family apart, he can be the one who has to start over.

“80 summers” is easily the most insane way to describe how short life is.

@the_wildwoman We’re either winning or learning :)

False alarm. It was just another lesson.

Tonight is closing night. 24 songs from 24 musicals. Sword fighting, handstands, lifts, and sultry dancing. Come and see! cur8.com/projects/PCT

@TheEcho13 What if you plan a birthday dinner for him at his favorite restaurant? I’m curious because this happened to me, and she wanted to pay

Even inside of a relationship I don’t pay on dates. I’ll pick up take out, I’ll cook him countless delicious meals, but I don’t touch a dinner check. A man who would let me reach for the check is emasculating himself just to save a few dollars. How am I supposed to respect that guy?

I’m up to 5 identity monitoring services, all at the same time Seems like there ought to be something better

Saving for retirement is easy!

So cool!

This past week, I turned 43!   Reflecting on life’s lessons, here are some truths I’ve learned along the way: