- Powered by
- WordPress
-
Instructions Not Included
Parenting might be the only job on the planet where they hand you a freshly hatched human being and say, “Good luck,” and then just… leave. No orientation. No handbook. No laminated troubleshooting card tucked into the diaper bag. You don’t get a user guide that says: If child begins lying, press reset. If child…
-
Like Therapy – No Appointment Required
Life is a journey—and what a messy, beautiful one it is. There are peaks that make you feel invincible, and valleys that make you question if you packed the right shoes. Triumphs feel like fireworks; failures feel like stepping on Legos in the dark. Each stumble, each victory, leaves a little mark, whether we notice…
-
Anxiety: The Ultimate Inside Job
When Worst-Case Scenarios Go Rogue… and Happen Only in Your Head I heard this today and it stuck….made me laugh a little if I’m being honest. Anxiety is a conspiracy theory against you… A self imposed conspiracy. That’s actually a pretty clever way to frame it! It’s like your brain is secretly running a shadow…
-
Factory Settings: Old Model — Advanced Operating System
I’ve mentioned my ADHD before. My over-caffeinated brain monkeys have made cameo appearances in more than a few of these pieces. For those who know me, you know I’m driven by a motor. My “slow” setting is probably illegal in at least twelve states and two Canadian provinces. To those who really know me, I’m…
-
Eight Days and Counting: The Monkeys Found the Wi-Fi Password
Is there such a thing as over-writing? We’ve all heard the term overeating. Some of us have lived it. No point in lying about it. Just accept it and move on. There’s over-drinking. Over-exercising. Overworking. Over-seasoning (no one asked for that much paprika, sir). Over-texting — because three question marks in a row is not…
-
Yeah, I Told You So
There’s a side of being an educator we don’t talk about much. At least not in staff meetings. Maybe over coffee. Definitely in therapy. It’s not just about caring. It’s about pattern recognition. It’s a very human thing. And God knows, the kiddos already think of me as anything but human. In my role as…
-
That Confident, Wet Bean
I don’t “drink coffee.” I experience origin stories. You see, most people think coffee is just… a beverage. A tool. A caffeine delivery system. A brown emergency. I find that reductive. Coffee is an agricultural narrative. These are not “beans.” They are seeds—hand-harvested at altitude, kissed by volcanic soil, slow-dried under ethically ambiguous sunshine. When…
-
Arbitration in Bright, Unreasonable Colors
When fistfuls of M&Ms are called upon to deal the world’s grievances,it is usually because the day has already tried us. Because the Wi-Fi faltered.Because the coffee betrayed us.Because someone replied all.Because the dog found the one square foot of carpet that mattered most. Because the password requires a symbol we cannot emotionally provide.Because the…
-
Using Words Like Paper Airplanes
Some people write books to tell a story.Others write to document a journey.Still others create fantastical worlds — giving us somewhere to go when we’ve had enough of our own. Me? I think something in me kept whispering, Don’t forget this. The laughter.The small-town summers.The kitchen-table conversations.The quiet lessons nobody applauded — but that shaped…
-
Halfway Is Dangerous
Every so often, I convince myself I am entering a new era. A healthier era.A more disciplined era.An era where I make wise choices and drink reasonable amounts of water. This was one of those eras. It began with walking. There’s something appealing about the idea of walking. Not the intense, power-walking-with-armbands kind. Just the…
-
Out of Office… Somehow Still Here
This past weekend, a group of us got caught up in one of those group texts that starts light — a string of funny memes, a few inside jokes — the kind that makes you laugh out loud in the middle of Saturday morning. But somehow, almost inevitably, work wormed its way into the conversation.…
-
The Never-Ending Battle (and Why It’s Worth It) – Coffee Not Included
Having spent years watching kids learn, play, and test boundaries, I’ve learned that patterns repeat—and so do opportunities for growth. I hold the unique perspective of having once been one of those kids: pushing limits, testing rules, and discovering boundaries firsthand—a vantage point that now shapes how I approach my work in schools. Every day…
-
Operational Necessity
As a kid, I had a huge appetite. Historically speaking, most teenage boys eat more than their apparent capacity would suggest. Me? That has always been true—at pretty much every age. Even now. Though I will admit, these days it makes me less aerodynamic and decidedly more sluggish. I’ve been asked how I can eat…
-
The Coffee Made Me Do It
I need to come clean. I didn’t mean to overindulge. Honest. No one ever wakes up and says,“Today feels like a ten–Reese’s kind of day.” And yet… here we are. It started with coffee. Because coffee is the gateway. Coffee whispers things like,“You deserve a little treat.”“It’s basically breakfast.”“Chocolate pairs beautifully with me.” And who…
INKBLOTZ 