Panic at the Distrust

January 23rd, 2023 I’ve had some real revelations this week on my issues with trust. Growing up, I was generally untrusting. I struggled to articulate why. I had clear reasons: bad things happened to me. Bad things happened to people I loved. People talked about bad things other people did to them or, still, otherContinue reading “Panic at the Distrust”

thx

January 12th, 2023 Hi. Marvel and I just wanted to thank everyone who reached out to us this week. It’s been a challenging one. I can’t even imagine going through something like this alone, because I was anything but: from all the family and friends who offered kind words and support, to co-workers who letContinue reading “thx”

One Last Thing

December 24th, 2022 Tomorrow is a last thing and this time of year brings up a lot of last things. The last time she made the thing you love. The last time she laughed at one of your jokes, and you laughed at her laugh. The last time you sat next to her at theContinue reading “One Last Thing”

R-E-S-SOBRIETY

December 11th, 2022 Okay, this is both an appreciation post for the best co-workers ever (look at this effing cake!) and a passive-aggressive reminder of what you, a normal person, can do for the sober people in your life. When people decide to get sober, it is often daunting and overwhelming. Every solid decision splintersContinue reading “R-E-S-SOBRIETY”

V

December 9th, 2022 You were this close to living in a Dennis-less world. That’s one of the parts of my past we don’t talk much about. I’m not saying it would have been a better place or worse place, but it definitely would have been a different one. Today marks five years since I tookContinue reading “V”

The Intentional Spirit of Human Compassion

November 28th, 2022 I always get sappy and emotional this time of year (“How is that different than usual?” you ask; “Shut up,” I reply) as an important anniversary in early December comes up. In business, you can make decisions based on common sense and objective financial goals, or you can make them based onContinue reading “The Intentional Spirit of Human Compassion”

The Language of Darkness

November 25th, 2022 There’s something you feel when someone ends their own life that feels either unnatural or completely understandable. It’s something I’ve explored a lot, in essays like these, and in fictional characters like Liam, in the book Push, and Axis in The Weirdos. I had the realization that I had said unnatural orContinue reading “The Language of Darkness”

I’m Becoming This

November 7th, 2022 “I don’t know if I’m strong; I think I’m just numb.” – Khloe Kardashian Today — and this week, and this year, and the past handful of years — I wonder how many of us have been embodying this Khloe Kardashian quote. I don’t know the difference between strong and numb someContinue reading “I’m Becoming This”

Could I BE More Grateful?

October 28th, 2022 Like the handful of other Americans who still sit down to watch broadcast TV live in the evening, we watched the Matthew Perry interview with Diane Sawyer tonight. I don’t think I can properly express my gratitude for him or my feelings over what he spoke about. It was mostly about addiction,Continue reading “Could I BE More Grateful?”

Trauma Like Candy

August 25th, 2022 When I was growing up, my dad took us camping a lot. That meant a lot of s’mores, mosquito bites, boat rides, sunburns, worms pierced with hooks, hammocks, and campfires. On one particular trip, during elementary school break, I had become fascinated with the fire pit on the grounds. It was madeContinue reading “Trauma Like Candy”