I can get a little bit in my head about things. Alright, I can get a lot in my head about things. It’s gotten better with age–I’ve learned to rouse myself out of my inward spiral, take a look around, notice that birds are singing, bees are buzzing, and life is occurring all around me. ... Continue Reading →
Maybe Knowing Thyself Isn’t All That Easy
Years ago, back in Florida, I spent hours sitting in community centers and church fellowship halls, drinking really bad coffee, and learning things that would keep me sober and sane. One of those ideas that I loop back to the most is that our self perception is slow to change. In fact, we're often the... Continue Reading →
I Made It Out of the Canyon! (1200 stairs later)
I ran 12 miles through the woods. And if that sentence gives you an image of me crashing through the forest footloose and fancy free, I can assure you that’s not what this particular run looked like. Trail running is half blind belief that you won’t slide off a mountain and half channeling your own... Continue Reading →
The Secret to Winning NaNoWriMo (spoiler: its just putting words on the page)
I am the kind of person who really loves a challenge. I am also the kind of person that likes to inform people what kind of person I am. I have to fight that impulse. I’ve found that those sort of declarations pigeonhole me. And I’m not overly fond of pigeons. I am the kind... Continue Reading →
When the Truth Gets Real Truth-y
Pick people who will reflect your true self back to you. They are guides. They are a pain in the ass, but they are guides.
Prayer (or something like it)
The awe of a new place, that’s prayer. Wonder-drenched wanderings, prayer too. Shaking off fretfulness to focus on just this one particular, precious moment: prayer. Laughter that shakes loose something long forgotten, a lightness of being, a freedom; that is also prayer. Standing in the presence of art, anything that you decide is art (there... Continue Reading →
I’m a Failure at Social Niceties.
I’ve forgotten how to shake hands. Which one? Left? Right? Something that used to be commonplace–I prided myself on the integrity of my handshake–feels alien. And, well, germy. I’ve also misplaced my ability to appear interested in a conversation I don’t care about. Make no mistake: I care about many, many things. Solidly on my... Continue Reading →
The Miracle of a Million Tiny Moments
I had an appointment at the oral surgeon on Monday. This is notable because I hate everything that has to do with dentistry. And when the conversation shifts to using lasers in my mouth for a “procedure,” well I suppose you can understand how that could make me a smidge anxious. So, like the good... Continue Reading →
Group Projects? Nah, I’m good.
I didn’t like group projects when I was in school. This is a surprise to exactly no one who knows me. I’m happy to be around a group of people. But working with people? Collaboratively? No, thank you. I can do this on my own. But owning a small business has disabused me of many... Continue Reading →
Falling (Leaves)
We were idling in the Starbucks line in a nearby Atlanta suburb, suspended in a pre-caffeination afternoon languor. The suburbs hold a tinge of the exotic now, like we’re somehow stealing away from our normal lives, hiding out in plain sight, ordering lattes in a drive-thru. Suburban life is a collision of the foreign and... Continue Reading →