Writer of essays, reflections, and cultural commentary. Exploring creativity, inner life, and what it means to grow wiser on purpose.
Mental Health
Once upon a time, I thought I wanted to be important (and simply assumed I would be one day). Not necessarily "red carpet important," but book deal important. Someone-mentions-you-in-an-essay important. I thought being seen meant being validated, and being validated would mean I'd finally feel real
Life
As you may have gathered, I've kind of been having a rough go of things lately. A lot's been going on — at home, at work, with my entire sense of self (for all sorts of reasons). I felt like I needed a reset today, and I
Life
There are moments in life when you really think you’ve finally got it. You’re managing your obligations, you’ve built coping mechanisms that work for you, and you’ve certainly been through worse, so surely, you can handle this, too. Until something makes you realize you've
Writing
Every writer goes through a certain process. Some days, you sit down to write and the words come relatively easily. The coffee (or tea) hits just right. The light is good. The air feels calm, and the atmosphere is on point. You actually feel clear, capable, and like your most
Belief Systems
"You're lazy." "You're difficult." "You're just trying to cause trouble." If I had a nickel for every time some adult told me any of the above (or similar) when I was growing up, I could buy the fancy
Life
As weird as I feel sometimes, I'm not that much different from any other content creator out there. I wouldn't say I'm doing all this to get famous or anything. I don't care about being an influencer, and at nearly 50 years
Readings
Today is kind of a weird day, spiritually speaking. If you know me well, you may be somewhat aware that I've recently rediscovered my one-time interest in divination. Only it's different now that I'm older. When I was younger, I would discover interests, sometimes
Internet
So, there's this massive AI art group on Facebook where I'm the primary moderator. This being the case, I've developed a daily habit of hopping on there in the mornings to see what's going on, remove anything that violates community standards, approve
Internet
There’s a specific kind of energy that comes from people who never interact with your posts and never cheer when you hit a milestone, but consider it important to keep tabs on you regardless. Sometimes it’s an ex-employer or old client lurking on your LinkedIn for no good
Readings
When I first came up with (and participated in) the first-ever cycle of my original Feast of the Wandering Pen challenge a month ago, I didn’t really know where it was going to take me. I just knew I needed something to get me back to writing for myself
Self Image
There’s a strange kind of grief that arrives when the story you once told about yourself — your guiding myth — no longer fits. Especially when it wasn’t just any story, but the story. The one you poured into poems or blogs or old journal entries by the bucketful. The
Music
I almost always listen to music in the mornings to help wake my mind up and get my blood flowing. But today’s soundtrack isn’t just background noise. It’s a living, breathing presence in the room with me. It's flowing into my ears through the Cali