When I was in high school, I couldn’t wait to graduate and move away to college. I grew up in a homogeneous community where most everyone else looked like me, thought like me, talked and acted like me. I wasn’t mature enough to explain what I was feeling, but I wanted to travel somewhere new, … More Learning how to really live!
My wife and I were counting pennies. We were a young married couple with our first child and a baby on the way. On one of our few date nights out, instead of enjoying some quality couples time, we were instead patrolling the aisles at Best Buy looking over the latest and greatest in VHS … More Keeping up with the times
To start the year off light, I wanted to do a list post. I think this beginning-of-the-year period always makes me a bit leery. Leery because my default is not, “I can’t wait to see what this year brings!!” Nope, I’m more like, “Oh God, what is this year going to bring?!” So, writing a cute little list post gives me a satisfying feeling of cozy comfort as I face all the uncertainty of 2024. … More 4 Changes That Don’t Freak Me Out
One year in elementary school, my class visited a local nursing home and sang Christmas carols for the residents. I wasn’t much of a singer — okay, let me be honest, I’m still not much of a singer — but I loved everything about the season and had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I wasn’t … More Ten lords a-leaping
Let’s talk about the idea of light versus dark. There are a great number of social, cultural and religious ideals that offer a stark juxtaposition between light and dark. The viewpoint is often that darkness offers a state to be wary of, or has a capacity to undermine, or to the extreme, gives embodiment to … More Within Darkness There is Light
I’ve been sharing a lot lately about hitting a wall creatively, because I’m in one of those uncomfortable places that all creative people reach at some point. I’ve actually reached this point many, many times in my creative career. This experience feels similar to wandering through desolate prairie lands (not that I’ve ever wandered through desolate prairie lands, but I can imagine) and finally reaching a lonely outpost, only to find that this outpost offers no real direction. At some point, one just has to decide whether to go back from whence they came, or pick a direction and move forward without any clear answers. As I’ve been dancing in front of this creative wall for several months now, I’ve been coming up with all kinds of ways to do things differently this time, because my default has always been to pack up shop, jump ship, and quit my practice, only to return again after several months of tortured guilt, uncertainty, and restlessness. But no, not this time. This time, I’m going to pick a direction and see what happens. I believe only good can come from this. But wow, it’s tough, and these bleak Lonesome Dove vibes are no joke! … More When In Doubt, Do What You Know
When my daughter was in high school, I would look over the essays that she submitted to her English class or for college admission applications. I would get out my red pen, it was really the “Track Changes” Tool within Microsoft Word, and highlight where I thought she should cut, use tighter language, or rephrase … More Role reversal: Learning from my kids
The thing I noticed first was his calmness. He wasn’t like the other teachers, coaches, or family friends in my life. He had a soft voice that you sometimes had to strain to hear and he rarely seemed to yell or scold. Within five minutes of his class starting on the first day, he gave … More An angel when I needed it most
In this episode, I’m with my co-host, Dr. Vicki Atkinson, and blogger, Deb Tecca. Deb is one of our colleagues on the Heart of the Matter blog and we’ve loved her take on growth, acceptance, and personal evolution. So we ask her about her courageous writing and she explains how she’s come to see it … More Episode 43: Reclaiming Oneself with Deb Tecca
I know I have the upper hand here when I say “everything is beautiful.” I’m an artist, and as a visual creator, we can’t help but take in, absorb, and process the world through our eyes first. Everything goes through our eyes, even before it hits our brains and our hearts, our senses and our guts. I suppose that’s true for everyone, so maybe I should say things differently. Artists notice more with our eyes, take in more with our eyes, and honor what we see a lot more than most. And I do believe that artists are the only people who have an excuse to be called superficial. Because we honestly can’t help it. However, I do think viewing the world through dialed-up eyesight can be learned and cultivated, if you’re interested in giving it a try. … More Everything Is Beautiful
The Heart of the Matter 