[ In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the release of Penguins Can’t Fly this month, this is the second in a series of lessons we can learn from some historical rulebreakers, Wilbur and Orville Wright. ] Go big or go home. It's lionized as the recipe for success; to quit your job, cash in your life savings, and bet the farm. It's also terrible advice. Our movies, history books, and culture are filled with adventurous daredevils who risked it all and overcame long odds. They make for exciting stories that can be told in under two hours, but they are the …
Thou Shalt Always Trust the Experts
[ In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the release of Penguins Can't Fly this month, this is the first in a series of lessons we can learn from some historical rulebreakers, Wilbur and Orville Wright. ] Is it possible that one lesson we learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is to be wary of experts? I doubt it; it's a lesson humans seemed doomed to repeat. If the Wright Brothers had listened to experts over a century ago, they wouldn't have made history. It's not that experts are always wrong. It's just that they're not always right. Lord William Thomson Kelvin, …
Milkshake Moments
I would like to tell you the story of the greatest milkshake ever made. Although it happened in Wisconsin, the land of dairy cows, it could have been anywhere and it could have been concocted by anyone. It was made in January, a month not particularly ideal for milkshakes, at least in Wisconsin. The hourglass of my father-in-law's life was down to its last grains of sand. Gary suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis since being diagnosed as his marriage was just getting started, And he suffered heroically. I don't think there was a day he wasn't in pain, although most days, you …
I Got Another Rock
I recently spent time tracing the footsteps of Orville and Wilbur Wright. I had two speaking engagements in North Carolina, less than a week apart. Rather than fly back and forth, Kim and I decided to have me stay down there. She found me a cool place on the Outer Banks, near Kitty Hawk, where the Wright Brothers had their historic first flight. I used the time to think, pray, and make progress on my first-ever children's book about, of all things, a penguin with a dream of flying. It felt perfect, and you can be sure I will be sharing more about my experience in the weeks and months to …
The Trauma of Editing | “The Penguin Who Flew” Diary #9
The editing process is crucial for making a project as good as it can be. But that doesn’t mean it’s fun or easy. What do you do when it takes the wind out of your sails? This is part of a video diary to take you behind the scenes of the making of "The Penguin Who Flew" by artist, author, and speaker Jason Kotecki. 🐧Visit https://escapeadulthood.com/fly to learn more! #ThePenguinWhoFlew …
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You Can Just Do Things
Brdy is a mountain range located in the Czech Republic that's desperately in need of a vowel. It also contained an area that desperately needed to be restored to its original state as a natural wetland after it had been drained years ago to accommodate a military base. A revitalization project was drafted by environmentalists and funding was secured, but it was mired in red tape, land ownership disputes, and building permit delays. Then, practically overnight, a local beaver colony built the necessary dams in the perfect location without any project documentation and for …
Childhood Leaves Clues
What's she up to today? We've homeschooled our kids since day one. Our style is closer to "unschooling" than the "schooling at home" version that was predominant during the pandemic. As such there is no set curriculum, no set times, and no set workspaces. I love seeing where my youngest daughter Ginny sets up shop for the day and what fruit will come from her labor. Sometimes it's in the maker space downstairs with the band saw from Grandpa. Sometimes it's on the couch in our library. And more times than not, it's at the kitchen table, surrounded by scissors and markers and her trusty …
A Love Letter to My Failures
I was supposed to be the next Charles Schulz or Bill Watterson. Or so I thought. In my senior year in high school, I planned to go to art school and become a famous illustrator. I did go to art school, but along the way, I also fell in love with God, and very shortly thereafter, the girl I would marry. In a sappy attempt to win her heart, I gave her drawings featuring cartoon characters inspired by our childhood photos. Before long, they became stars of a comic strip called Kim & Jason. I was driven to follow in the footsteps of Schulz and Watterson, feeling called to develop it …
Festival of Shenanigans Awards Show | Escape Adulthood LIVE #118
On this show, on the Adultitis-ridden holiday known as Tax Day, we’re reviewing highlights and handing out awards for the first-ever Festival of Shenanigans! Hang out with Kim & Jason Kotecki as they inspire, entertain, and encourage you in your fight against Adultitis. If you attend live, you’ll be able to see and chat with fellow Adultitis Fighters, have the chance to ask questions, and win epic prizes! ☕️ 🍺 🍷 🎥 New episodes: https://www.escapeadulthood.me🚨Get notified when new shows go live & replays are available here.🔗 LINKS FROM THIS SHOW: …
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Checkmate: What to Do When Your Chessboard Gets Flipped
Candyland is the worst game ever. It's generous to even call it a game, for there is no strategy involved. I still cringe thinking about the times my kids begged to play it. Of course, although it may feel like a modern-day torture device to torment adults, it was designed for children. It introduces the basics of gameplay: following instructions, taking turns, and counting spaces. Eventually, we graduate to a game like checkers, which offers more strategy but is simple enough to pick up in a short amount of time. And then there are games like chess, which are infinitely more …
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