What Are Your Fears Keeping Alive?
It was approaching 1:00 a.m., and I was working on my third 44oz Diet Dr. Pepper of the day. I’d lost track of how many times I’d written and rewritten the proposal in front of me. I should’ve stopped editing…
Essays
The Contagious Nature of Urgent Optimism
The rain had finally stopped, but the air still felt oppressive. Everything in the small Guatemalan village was waterlogged. The earth and trees couldn’t hold any more water. Tiny streams of water seemed to sprout from the ground to run…
You Can’t Beat Death, But You Can Still Live
Toni served grape juice to us in small glass cups, always at room temperature. She’d made it herself. It was a bit thick, sweet, and slightly tart. She always placed the jar (not a pitcher) on the table in front…
The Senseless Beauty We Chase
The late afternoon sun caught the tops of the cedar plank fence along the western edge of our yard, laying thin stripes of light across the overgrown grass. My oldest daughter, barefoot, was chasing a butterfly that kept just ahead…
Maybe the Point Wasn’t Winning
The only year I played baseball, my team was the Orioles. I was ten, kind of a weird kid if I’m being honest, and the only left-handed player on the roster. I threw left, batted left, and stood out just…
What Happens When the Applause Fades?
My first “big kid” job was in a warehouse. I’d been tasked with increasing storage space by 30 percent by organizing the place better. My boss was supposed to deliver reports from our old Tribute system to upper management, but…
Choose Today, or Keep Chasing Tomorrow
I opened my laptop like I have ten thousand times before, with my 44oz Diet Dr. Pepper bubbling quietly next to my “left-side” monitor, my ClickUp to-do list filling the entire screen. This time, I didn’t start typing. I just…
The Lie of Endless Potential
I opened the email and didn’t even have to read the full sentence before I felt like someone had sucker-punched me in the gut. “Hi Aaron, I wish it weren’t so but there are still issues with the report. Many…
Taking the Armor Off
“Hey! I know you’re really busy, but it’s been a few weeks since I checked in. I just wanted to see how you’re doing. How are things going?” It was a text message from one of my closest friends. It…
You Don’t Have to Carry Everything Forward
For years, I believed being indispensable made me valuable. It nearly destroyed me. Walking away from a toxic workplace was hard enough. Walking away from the identity I'd built around being needed was even harder.
The Space Between Childhood and Hero
When I was little, I used to tie my favorite blanket around my neck like a cape. My younger brother and I would fly around the house, arms outstretched, ready to save the day from invisible villains. We were fearless…
Are You Living or Just Coping?
I was sitting at the kitchen table in my in-laws home when my wife’s 8-year-old nephew climbed up into the chair next to me with his favorite toddler blanket clutched in his arms. He’s got bright blue eyes and is…
The Question I Keep Avoiding
I once pushed myself so hard chasing a personal record that I threw up on the sidewalk. Two years later, I'm learning that progress isn't always about going faster. Sometimes it's about having nothing left to prove.
When Progress Stops Looking Impressive
Real growth rarely announces itself. Sometimes it looks like closing the laptop, choosing rest over praise, and learning that progress without an audience is still progress worth honoring and protecting.
Trying to Let the Day Be Enough
I was standing at the kitchen sink, scraping cheese off a plate. I think my youngest made nachos or something. There’s a thought that runs through my head with all the craze of a streaker at a football game: I…
