Two Prisoners

Sunset over an Australian Beach

I don’t get get. How can you smile in here?

Because smiling is better than frowning.

But we’re locked in this room all day and beaten and tortured at night. We’re fed the same rotten food every day. We are ridiculed and yelled at. We are forgotten.

This is all trueRead more...

The Message

Hazels Ceiling Fan

I’m reading a book in bed with my 8-year-old. It’s meant for 9-year-olds, but that’s not why I’m reading it to her. I’m reading it because it’s one of the only books my 18-year-old (the older one) liked. And I never read it with her. It was her… Read more...

Achievement of the Day

instagram: _juanmay

Ours is a species driven toward accomplishment. We often hinge good-feeling on getting things done, we push relaxation to come after something else. The beer tastes better after mowing the lawn. (Makes me want to mow the lawn lol).

This is a good way to live: a productive way to l… Read more...

The Check-In

“Hey, just checking in. How you doing?”

Man.

So few words, so much impact.

So much love around you in an instant.

Whether you’re good or not so good, you feel seen, remembered, and held.

And if you haven’t gotten one of these sweet sweet checkins in a while, th… Read more...

One Less of Us

Although I was hoping for it to happen all week, it sort of happened organically.

“Ow!” I heard Evaline say through the wall, which made me stop typing.

She came into my office.

“I stepped on a tack. Do you still have that cup of thumbtacks?”

I pointed to my c… Read more...

Good Neighbors

I was just about to sit down and look up the latest political nightmare when I got the text I’d been waiting for.

“Okay. We’re back.”

I threw on my shoes and ran down my steps. As I hit the sidewalk and saw their dusty car sticking halfway out of the garage … Read more...

My Pamphlet

I made a pamphlet.

It’s a trifold brochure that sits on my monitor stand between the paintbrush my art teacher gave me and the ticket stub to a giant human maze me and my daughter conquered in Montana.

On the cover is a picture of Molly, carefree and on a boat.

Inside are list… Read more...

What’s It All About?

Person standing on a rock in the sea

It’s hard to live.

Our brains are well-developed. We’re a thinking species; not always a good thing. We’re a long way from being content just sitting on a mossy rock. After 5 minutes of one thing, we feel an urge to move on, to find a reason to make us grow. And … Read more...