It’s time again for my annual birthday story. Writers sometimes talk of stories that write themselves. The older I get, the more elusive I find such stories to be. This one, however, did write itself. Channeling this tale brought me comfort; I hope it does the same for […]
“I get high and I get lowOh, but that’s the wayThese things go” Black Water, Reuben and the Dark I don’t get insomnia like I used to. That’s like an alcoholic saying he doesn’t drink like he used to. The miracle of AA might do for an alcoholic […]
“Churches and trains, they all look the same to me now.” Amsterdam, Gregory Alan Isakov A months old conversation I had with a friend keeps replaying in my mind. “Teenagers have this thing they like to say, ‘It’s all just movies.’” It was uttered with great concern, a […]
You turn ten today. I vividly recall last year when you turned nine, I suffered several days with anxiety over the fact that you were merely a year from hitting double digits. I have a visceral aversion to calendars and dates – systems that serve […]
Shawn shakes his head. “There seems to be a lack of understanding here,” he says. Over several days, my friend Shawn and I have become regulars in this neglected little corner of the cruise ship monikered Adventure of the Seas. The lounge has all the […]
If you want your dream to be Take your time, go slowly Do few things but do them well Heartfelt work grows purely If you want to live life free Take your time, go slowly Do few things but do them well Heartfelt work grows purely “The Little […]
“And as far as I can see the world is too old for us to talk about it with our new words ― We will pass just as quietly through life (passing through, passing through)” Jack Kerouac, Big Sur […]
I mentioned recently that I’ve found the practice of meditation to be a most powerful tool against the rigors of anxiety. I first considered meditation after reading a book called “How God Changes the Brain”. The authors write in depth about the benefits of various forms of meditation, […]
“Fish aren’t meant to be in a box, kid. It does things to them.” This quote from “Finding Nemo” wandered into my brain recently while I was outside, enjoying a cigar. It snowed here for the first time this season, so I decided to take in the beauty […]
It’s been written that the Great One Jesus would often withdraw to desolate places and pray. That sort of behavior appears odd in the light of our modern world, doesn’t it? I used to read those passages about Jesus praying and feel inadequate, because so often I’ve tended […]