Life Is What Repeats
I was bent over in the yard with my shovel in my hands, prying a thistle out of the grass, when the thought came to me: Didn’t I just do this? The roots of thistles always run deep before the…
Essays
The Fear Hustle Won’t Fix
12:49 a.m. I could hardly focus my eyes. I’d been sitting at my desk since 4:45 the previous morning — more than twenty hours of nearly continuous coding. The last two hours had been spent staring at the same stubborn…
Rebuilding Without a Blueprint
One morning, I was waiting in the car for my youngest daughter — who, true to form, was running late — while she filled up her water bottle before school. It was the same ritual we’d been through a hundred…
To Mourn or Celebrate What Once Was
I was folding laundry next to my bed when it happened. It was a towel. I don’t know how my youngest daughter uses so many towels. It was pink, yellow, and white. I’ve never quite been able to figure out…
When Healing Doesn’t Feel Like Progress
I was seventeen, running around on a cracked concrete basketball court outside Ashton, Idaho. A large patch of grass had been removed decades earlier and a 4-inch slab of concrete poured on top of the ground. It was family reunion…
The Cost of Chasing Peace
I used to sit in the car outside my son’s karate practice with the windows rolled down and my laptop balanced on my knees. The smell of the pizza place on the corner and the sounds of cars passing by…
Monday GPT Reviews My Writing
I wrote the article that follows back in February 2025. It was a complete flop. I think 3 people read it. Ironic, in a way, because it was called “What Will You Do When You Achieve Failure?” Since this article…
The Churro Manifesto
Sometimes, you’ve got to approach life a bit unhinged. I hope you enjoy! It begins, as most Monday lunch breaks do, at the drive-up window of Del Taco. My ritual, as I step out of the office door, is to…
Stop Building Delis Just to Make a Sandwich
My longest-running client regularly asks me to build reports. Usually something simple: “We need to see X, Y, and Z. Can you do that?” And every time, I respond enthusiastically that I can. Then, the thinking starts. Wouldn’t it be…
Say What Only You Can Say
“I’m glad you remember the date.” There was sarcasm in his voice. It stung just a little. He was dodging the weight of what I’d said. I sat upright in my chair. “I remember May 18, 2021, because that was…
Some Things Aren’t Mine to Carry
It’s been years since that conversation, but I still remember how heavy I felt afterward. She was in her mid-twenties. I was serving as the leader of our church congregation. It was a responsibility I had for about five years…
The Brightness in the Darkest of Days
I used to believe that grief was a weight I would carry forever. That the more I loved, the heavier it ought to feel. In a way, that’s true. The deeper the love, the deeper the sorrow when that person’s…
When You’re the One Holding the Key
Not long ago, I was standing in the kitchen, leaning up against the counter talking to my youngest daughter, who’s fast approaching eighteen. We were talking about driving — we’re looking at buying her a car. I told her about…
Be There for Your Own Becoming
A few months ago, I found myself standing at the edge of something . It wasn’t a cliff or a grand revelation, just a subtle shift I didn’t have words for yet. It started early on October 30, 2024, when…
How to Be a Parent in 2025
Note from the author: This one’s a playful detour from my usual essays on meaning, margin, and the occasional existential unraveling. If you detect a “hint” of satire and sarcasm, congratulations — you’re still emotionally intact. Enjoy this tongue-in-cheek guide…
