friendship — Blog — love extremist

Over the last few days I’ve been building a new Love Extremist website. In this process I am challenged to introduce myself and share a recent photograph. Surely I could find no shortage of great shots to share having such talented photographer friends. However, when I began digging, I couldn’t find any photos of me smiling. There were plenty of amazing, ‘cool’ shots from recent journeys I’ve taken, but the joy was subtle, masked behind a pop of red on my car or a little flash of teal in my outfit, no clear Ethan ‘cheesin’ to be found.

healing, wellnessEthan LipsitzJune 13, 2018love, extremist love, wellness, ethan lipsitz, healing, friendship, manhoodComment

How Will You Play the Hand You’ve Been Dealt?

Sometimes life deals us a shitty deck of cards. In my case it was a seizure last summer that led to the diagnosis of a Stage III Anaplastic Astrocytoma in my brain, a malignant brain tumor…

We all have a life path that shows itself over time, some of the time it’s bumpy and ugly, some of the time it’s smooth and beautiful. In my view it’s not worth consistently focusing on the details of the bumps, obstacles and challenges but rather understanding how to grow through them.

Nobody Heals Alone

Yesterday I felt the familiar ‘aura’ as I turned my car into an alley down the street from my house. I have a habit of driving down the alleys of my neighborhood and feeling comfort in the tight single lanes, sandwiched between fences, dog barks, forgotten fruit trees, gang tags and crusted garage doors.

This time I wasn’t able to celebrate the special texture of the alley as my mind was focused on getting home, ‘don’t lose it, be strong Ethan’ I told myself, control could be lost at any moment.

healing, wellnessEthan LipsitzJune 6, 2018healing, health, ethan lipsitz, wellness, brain, medicine, friendship, relationships, deathComment

How to Talk To Someone Who’s Dying

The truth is, just about every statement or question about my personal well being seems to come around to my health, my brain tumor, my seizures, my treatment protocol, my prognosis. There’s a hidden reality behind all those details which is important to acknowledge. It’s the discomfort in that twitch, the realization of the deepest truth, that my expiration may come sooner than yours. I like to approach it with the euphoria and gusto of a mad scientific discovery, I’m gonna f**kin die!

healing, wellnessEthan LipsitzJune 4, 2018extremist love, ethan lipsitz, healing, health, death, dying, friendship, medicine, wellnessComment

You Are an Exotic Vacation

Our physical bodies can exist as our living rooms, private beaches, quiet stoops and vibrant, colorful studios. Every unique individual has many rooms. Every space can host their inner self and others. When I spend time with my friend Will I feel like I’m in a massive library or museum, full of art books, photographs and masks from other cultures. My experience of Audrey is a blend of a comfy, colorful living room from the 70s with the fireplace ablaze and the quiet calm of the woods. Maceo is a classically designed theater in the round with a freestyle cypher happening outside.

healing, music, wellnessEthan LipsitzMay 31, 2018monday musics, extremist love, ethan lipsitz, relationships, friendship, travel, music, healing, creativityComment