February 12th, 2024 Am I going to comment on Travis Kelce today? You bet I am. Because if there’s one thing I love to do, it’s challenge the rotting hive mind of the rabid mob we know as the internet. I saw the moment last night. Travis comes in hot, taking his coach, 65-year-old AndyContinue reading “State of Grace”
Tag Archives: Compassion
Sunny Days of Rain
January 31st, 2024 What kind of psycho announces and then drops a new book on the same day? It’s me. I’m the psycho. Sunny Days of Rain, my twelfth book and second essay collection, is out now. This video gives you all the information (and affirmations) you need, but I did write a few quickContinue reading “Sunny Days of Rain”
Strange Love
January 9th, 2024 We have different definitions for what it is that makes us human, but mine is pretty simple. Humans have the ability to protect those who are the most vulnerable, and know how noble and sweet it is to care for, shelter, and serve those who need us most. There is a very,Continue reading “Strange Love”
Detach w/ Love
November 21st, 2023 It’s hard to keep loving someone who continually disappoints you and perpetually hurts you, no matter how deeply you love them. I wasn’t sure when to write this essay, but the holidays are here, and it’s that time of year so many of us are most disappointed and hurt. Early on inContinue reading “Detach w/ Love”
A History of Losing My Shirt
August 26th, 2023 “Hot like wasabi when I bust rhymesBig like LaAnn RimesBecause I’m all about value” – Ancient 1990’s proverb In recovery, I live by the mantra “Progress, not perfection”; as I study karate, I’ve learned that its true goal is “the perfection of character.” These are not mutually exclusive principles. I’m dealing withContinue reading “A History of Losing My Shirt”
The Weirdos, Part I: The Flying Squirrel
August 7th, 2023 It’s no secret that Ashley Maypole, the main character of my comic The Flying Squirrel, is the Weirdo most like me. He’s an alcoholic comic book writer with Imposter Syndrome and an unhealthy obsession with squirrels. He has a son and a Boston Terrier and a best friend who looks a lotContinue reading “The Weirdos, Part I: The Flying Squirrel”
The Words I Needed Then
July 31st, 2023 Today is the last day of Brushfire month, which means I can shut up about it for a little while now. I tell people that I don’t write for an audience, and that is generally true; I don’t sit down and think of a target person, their age or gender or preferencesContinue reading “The Words I Needed Then”
Bad Brains + Bad Hearts
July 1st, 2023 The world lately has me feeling a kind of sick, and I’ve been having to remind myself of a lesson I learned early in sobriety. When I got better, my first instinct was to help everyone else get better, too. It’s not a bad instinct, but it’s a naïve one, and itContinue reading “Bad Brains + Bad Hearts”
Cold World: Communication & Understanding
June 20th, 2023 I was working at my first adult serving job when a woman sat down in my section and radically changed my perspective on people. Applebee’s was the catalyst for this revelation. See, I worked at Chili’s. And this woman wanted — nay, was compelled — to tell me about a terrible restaurantContinue reading “Cold World: Communication & Understanding”
Cold World: Faith & Spirituality
June 16th, 2023 “It’s not that I don’t believe in anything. I just haven’t found the thing that makes sense to me yet.” That’s how I usually answer the question of whether I’m religious or believe in God. The formal term is agnostic; I learned that the difference between being agnostic or atheist is thatContinue reading “Cold World: Faith & Spirituality”
The Den 