Crocodile Fears

August 22nd, 2021 There was this game we used to play with a plastic crocodile when I was a kid. I’m not sure if our role was as dentist or some sadistic torturer (I mean, why would any animal need ALL its teeth removed?), but to take a turn would require you to choose andContinue reading “Crocodile Fears”

A Million Tiny Balls

August 19th, 2021 I’ve been seeing a lot of people lately sharing insights about how we should be gentle with ourselves. That the phrase “unprecedented times” has never applied to more unprecedented times. That the modern world has pushed, pulled, squished and smooshed us in every emotional and psychological way possible. I couldn’t agree more.Continue reading “A Million Tiny Balls”

The Universe Is Bigger Than God

August 16th, 2021 I get asked regularly about why I don’t believe in a capital-G God, mostly by people who are genuinely curious or just want a different point of view on things. I realize that there may be value in putting these words out into the world, to validate them and maybe other peopleContinue reading “The Universe Is Bigger Than God”

More Than I Deserve

August 10th, 2021 I’ve mostly learned the ways to curb, deal with or soothe those devastating feelings of crushing loneliness I get when I think about my mom. Mostly. Sometimes something said will stick in my ribs, or hurt like chewed tinfoil in my head. With those, too, I can usually use my tools toContinue reading “More Than I Deserve”

Words About Words

August 5th, 2021 I speak in metaphor. I know it’s normal for people to use things to talk about other things, but I sincerely can’t express myself without it. (Mild spoilers for Theia ahead so if you haven’t read it, like, what the heck are you even doing, get out of here and read it.)Continue reading “Words About Words”

A Query of Relativity

July 29th, 2021 To most people, a floor is a floor. It’s the bottom, the thing we stand on relative to the rest of the world, which rises above us. When we open our social media apps or just contemplate our place in the universe, we generally enter on the floor. We look up andContinue reading “A Query of Relativity”

Wake me up before you go go

July 23rd, 2021 I think that heaven can be a dangerous idea. Before I take you there, though, let’s talk about the benefits of believing in an everlasting life. At its base, the belief that life never truly ends helps appease what William James calls the “worm at the core of all our usual springsContinue reading “Wake me up before you go go”

I Want To Push You Around

July 19th, 2021 In just about 24 hours, Push comes to shove and will be released into the wild. I wanted to talk about my 7th book a little (and thank every single person who has been here since my 1st, too). I’ll see you soon at Issues Needed on July 21st starting at 5Continue reading “I Want To Push You Around”

Heartbreak Weather

July 15th, 2021 I’m still on the Old Chicago email list. For more than a few months, when I’d open one, I would feel heartbreak for what I lost. After a while, though, I would start to feel a new kind of heartbreak; I’d think of all the things I would have never experienced ifContinue reading “Heartbreak Weather”

Visible At Night

July 5th, 2021 Whenever I felt invisible, my mom used to remind me I wasn’t. That sounds stupid to say, but it’s true, and now on days when I feel invisible sometimes I worry I won’t be found by anybody. It is very easy to look up at the sky and be impressed by aContinue reading “Visible At Night”