For years, I felt stuck, wondering if change was ever really possible. I’m unstuck now. And surprisingly, it wasn’t that difficult. It just took a severe change of mental direction. I used to think that life was hard. The reason I came to that conclusion was because that’s what my eyes were trained on. All …
One aspect of being a chef that I secretly enjoyed was changing the mind of a guest. I relished the chance to go to a table and explain why they should order the beets despite the protest that they hate beets. Excuses usually involve a previous experience with beets that made them gag, but occasionally …
This was a question I started asking a long time ago after I began to wonder why it seemed that my better conversations with people happened in a bar than in a church-related setting. Was it just the booze that loosened people up or was there something more, something deeper? I came to this conclusion. …
Something is stirring in me, something very good, and the most natural way for me to pay attention to it is through writing. I don’t know what it is yet, but the Inner Voice says to start writing it down or else. The “or else” part is aptly described by Anne Lamott in her words: …
Misery indeed loves company and sometimes the only company I kept was within myself. When I was at the basin of depression, I did not want to be cheered up. I wanted to reinforce the narrative in my head, that I had failed miserably and that my best days were behind me. To aid this …
I think everyone has the natural tendency to see what they want to see. Objectivity is still tinged with a subjective strain, because rare is the person that is not biased in some fashion. Take the news, for example. We tend to favor the outlet that is skewed toward our point of view. I call …
On the corner There’s a strange little man Holding a handwritten sign Screaming at the top of his lungs “The End is Near!!!” I wrote this song about Preacher Jim, who was a perennial favorite form of street entertainment on campus in the early 80’s. He usually showed up in the springtime when it was …
My sister and her family showed up at my door around 5pm that day, with Christmas gifts and luggage in hand. It was the first time we would be together in Nebraska for the holiday. I was eager to host them on my turf. But there was a wrench in the works. The water heater …
The very thing that caused me to lose my faith was the path I found to return to it. Faith has that kind of effect. I felt my faith slipping away around 20 years ago. It felt shameful because I was a professional in it. I made my living describing to young people what a …
I have friends that groan all the time about how marriage is hard. And while I agree with the implied meaning behind that statement, I balk at it being a healthy focal point. My eyes will see what I focus on, especially with these new glasses. I prefer a different definition. Marriage is Courage. If …