In December of 2021, I penned and posted a piece titled “The Crossroads at Panic Street and Heartbreak Avenue.” I have no idea how I came up with that title. It was later published as a part of my short essay collection, Cloud Pieces. The state of the world has only gotten worse since then.…

When we are young, do we really know who our heroes are? Our innocence shields us from the truth of sin; we don’t yet fathom the subterfuge of what is today commonly called “adulting”. So much of what we learn as kids turns out to be hollow promises and flat out lies. I often lay…

Years ago, I was assigned an essay about what my superpower would be if I could have just one. I don’t recall if it was for a college scholarship or something, but interestingly enough, my answer remains the same as it did back in 2005. If I could have one superpower, it would be the…

Here’s a rather interesting excerpt from my journal from my later college years. It was a very miserable time in my life, and yet, many of these insights still ring true for me… I may be smarter than the average homosapien, but I don’t consider myself one with big ideas or especially rare insights into…

I’ve long had this epic struggle with 365-day challenges over the years, always starting at January 1st. Each time, I was lucky to make it to late January, and often not more than a few days. Obviously, I made a mistake forcing myself to start at the beginning of a new calendar. But that’s not…

It’s easy to assume that few days of our lives are noteworthy. Many days simply meld together in our minds without hesitation, and rarely do we regret when they’re over. Yet, I’ve learned that it’s helpful to give special attention to every day and find something in it, no matter how small, to find noteworthy.…

As a child, I often spoke out of turn and perhaps it was only because I had so much to say and a desperate need to be heard. I spent so many years speaking in circles, never able to turn off the roundabout in my mind, wondering which road was worth taking. Eventually I chose…

Too many nights, I find myself wide awake. Most of them are spent mindlessly mulling over pursuits that, on the surface, are the intellectual equivalent of scrolling through memes that fail to amuse me. Somewhere in the back of my mind, there’s a small, tired voice gently reminding me that maybe this isn’t the best…

When we think of qualifications, we should not think of pieces of paper. It’s not that these certificates, Diplomas, awards, and whatnot are bad. They are affirmations that represent the completion of particular tasks or goals. They are useful symbols but in my experience they can be greatly overrated. Like with anything else, not every…

I’ve been labeled a “genius” by various well-meaning folks over the years. Some of them even dared to slap on the more flattering “creative genius” tag. I suppose I should be flattered, but honestly, I’ve always found it a bit bewildering. Maybe it’s my tragic flaw, but I just don’t see it. Sure, I’ve got…