I am a college philosophy instructor, and Buddhist meditation instructor, originally from Dublin, Ireland.

To introduce myself a little further, I could mention that my most recent field of work – based on the MA degree that I hold in Buddhist philosophy and religious studies, and a lifelong study of the writings and meditation practice of Shakyamuni Buddha; as well as extensive studies in western philosophy – has been in teaching philosophy, ethics, and logic to college students for most of the last decade. When I completed that classroom activity some years ago, I spent another year and a half on – so to speak – the other side of the classroom, completing some advanced studies in Western philosophy for my own further development.

Seven years ago, after an extended meditation retreat, I took up Pet Sitting and House Sitting work as an intermediate livelihood to pursue in the fall, winter and spring months – taking care of a variety of houses and pets - when I am not engaged in staffing Buddhist meditation retreats and conferences in the summer months.

I am good with both cats and dogs, get on very well with them, and enjoy their company. They, in turn, seem to thrive and flourish under my care. This may be, in part, because my initial professional training was in Zoology – the study of animals. Nonetheless, much like Dr. Doolittle, most of what I know about taking care of pets comes what the animals themselves have taught me.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

After an extended meditation retreat in 2014, from 2015 through 2017, I led a somewhat nomadic existence for two years, visiting Washington State in the U.S, and British Columbia in Canada, and organizing my time principally around the Buddhist meditation retreat programs and conferences that I staffed there at that time throughout the summer months.

In 2017, I settled down to a more sedentary life in an ultra-small apartment in Boulder, Colorado, and for much of the year, I also do house sitting and pet sitting while I work on research for a book and curriculum I am developing on Applied Contemplative Philosophy and Social Economic Enterprises, and sometimes attend classes in various courses at CU Boulder.

In the summer of 2018, I spent a month back in my birth land of Ireland, meeting with family living abroad who came home for the meetup, and I couch surfed at a Dublin meditation center for most of the month. In the summer of 2019, I again returned to Dublin, Ireland, where I gave mediation instruction to many members of the couch surfing community, and, in all, gave seven talks on mediation at multiple locations in Dublin throughout the month of August of that year.

Interests

Much of my time is devoted to the study and practice of Buddhadharma. I lead a very low-key existence. Most of my time is divided between study, meditation, cycling, yoga or weights, swimming, cooking and enjoying long walks – in nature when possible. I don’t smoke, generally don’t drink and I don’t indulge in other popular intoxicants. (Although I have no objection to others enjoying these presumably pleasant distractions, they’re just not my cup of tea personally).

Like all native born Irish, I do take great delight in enjoying a long chat with friends – what in Ireland is called The Craic. I greatly enjoy cooking, and I am a fair hand at it, having earned my living as a cook on several occasions – in households, restaurants and communities.

I enjoy theater, took some acting classes at one point, and produced and acted in a play, Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett.

• animals
• pets
• cats
• dogs
• arts
• writing
• books
• cooking
• yoga
• instructor
• meditation
• hiking
• buddhist
• swimming
• permaculture
• social justice
• chinese medicine
• ayurvedic medicine

Music, Movies, and Books

My favorite book for a long time was Naomi Klein's "This Changes Everything". If you are looking for a compelling read that is truly relevant to the age we are living through, I highly recommend this book.

Recently, however, another book captured my complete attention: The Dawn of Everything by David Gerber et Al. I highly recommend it.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Nothing remarkable that I can think of offhand... except possibly that I've managed to keep my feet more or less rooted in the soil of a little blue planet as it merrily spins on its way through the void of space.

I once observed the following remark written onto the door of a privy on the campus of Middlesex University in London, England:

"Life is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun".

My own retelling of this worthwhile consideration is:

"Life is expensive, but it does include many free trips around the sun.

So far, so good, and the trips get more interesting with every passing year."

Teach, Learn, Share

As I mentioned earlier, I enjoy chatting. If my hosts or guests have any interest in philosophy, Buddhism or meditation, I would enjoy sharing my own passion for these subjects. If, however, they are not of great interest, my hosts or guests should not worry that the subjects would be inflicted on them; sometimes the gift of silence is more valuable than the gift of speech.

What I Can Share with Hosts

On a more practical note, I would be pleased to share my cooking skills with hosts, by preparing nourishing meals made from fresh farm produce.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Myanmar, Scotland, Sri Lanka, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, France, Ireland, Netherlands, United States