When I was little, because my Dad commuted all the way to and from his office in Boston from the shore every day, he took on a second job as a bus driver. If he was going to spend all that time and do all that work driving himself such a long way, he might as well drive everyone. While for many of my growing up years he was not in the home, I love this about my Dad and have been pondering the idea that we should all aim to be willing to share or bring others along where we are doing work that could benefit them.

In my own small way, I believe such a desire is one reason I write many essays. While I do not travel in all of the ways my Dad has, as a runner I feel I go on a new journey every day, so inspired I feel every time I hit my stride (I incidentally have been noticing more and more when other runners, either through groans or other vocalizations, seem to indicate a strong dislike of the practice and hope every one finds a sport he or she actually loves. Running trails have become, for me, like a gym – only much more fun given the variety of opportunities each unique, hilly journey affords to do some thinking.) and, to the degree it’s helpful for others to come along, so to speak, they are most welcome.

In any case, and to the point of this blog, this is one reason I’ve often question the advisableness of NDAs to protect journalism corporations from journalism. While I definitely agree with protecting individuals, such organizations tend strongly to systemize corruption in ways that affect massive populations and, as essential as it is for each of us to learn our own lessons, there’s no need for every one to reinvent the wheel by learning to navigate broken and harmful systems in secret rather than contributing to quicker, more complete, and more fulfilling healing by helping effect the transformation of such systems. All of our well-being is arguably closely entangled with one another’s, rendering the joy and progress of one in the interest of every other one, after all.

In case you’d like to listen to part of my (80s nostalgia of particular interest to anyone who loved jumping around in preschool to dance music) workout playlist from today, here you go:

Let’s Hear it for the Boy/Deniece Williams

Ultra Violet/U2 (Who’s not willing to be strong for Bono?)

Girls Just Want to Have Fun/Cyndi Lauper

Heaven Is a Place on Earth/Belinda Carlisle

Have fun. Please 🙂