Mariano Velez

INKBLOTZ

  • A Curious Observation…

    Messaging on multiple platforms… something a little different on each… but somehow threaded together. An interesting way to connect. It’s fascinating—and honestly, pretty human. Different platforms invite different versions of us. A text might be quick and practical. A voice… more ›

  • The Burden of Grief

    This comes not as a confession, but as a quiet observation—drawn from conversations with those who have known loss, who have carried grief quietly and persistently. Grief is both deeply personal and inherently human, connecting us even as we navigate… more ›

  • Fire and Grace

    There are things that will make you angry. You’re human. It’s inevitable. Something, somewhere, sometime is going to piss you off. It’s going to happen. What really matters is how you respond. I was faced with that today. Let me… more ›

  • The Ones Who Remain in the Landscape

    Life seems to follow its own quiet algorithm. The humans in our lives are much the same. The ebb and flow of everyday living moves so naturally that we rarely notice the subtle shifts—the people and places that slowly drift… more ›

  • Bring Me Back a Rock

    Being a teacher comes with certain perks. Among the best of them are the relationships you build with your students. Getting to know those little humans in progress can be a real blessing. Sure, some of them behave like crazed… more ›

  • The Bottle Brigade

    There’s an unwritten law about backyard grilling that no one ever explains, but everyone somehow understands: the beer bottles will eventually line up. It starts innocently enough. A man steps outside with purpose. He’s carrying tongs like a surgeon carries… more ›

  • Dichoso El Árbol

    Music. For most, it is simply entertainment. For some, it fills the silence. For others, it is just noise, or a distraction from what weighs on the mind. But for a smaller number, music is more—it is healing, it is… more ›

  • More Than a Story

    When I was a kid growing up, like any other kid, I had dreams about what I wanted to be when I grew up. A writer wasn’t one of them. It wasn’t even on the radar. Not even in the… more ›

  • NO SOUP FOR YOU!

    I understand referrals. I really do. Anyone who has spent more than ten minutes in a classroom understands that sometimes a line gets crossed. A kid pushes too far, the lesson derails, and documentation becomes necessary. There are days when… more ›

  • The Quiet Language of Making: Where Creators Speak

    I was contemplating something the other day. It came out of a very brief conversation with someone. Another writer. Just two sentences, really. Not much on the surface, but it was an exchange. More than just a quick chat. And… more ›

  • Holy Smokes

    Kids have a natural talent for doing risky things. Sometimes those things are brilliant.Sometimes they’re creative.Sometimes they’re hilarious. …and sometimes they are just plain stupid. Me? I had a special knack for doing things that somehow managed to be all… more ›

  • Big Willy

    Memory has a way of stretching summers, of making small yards feel like stadiums and ordinary bats feel like legend. Football is over, and spring baseball is here. Reliving last year’s fall classic through highlights is in the air. Talk… more ›

  • We Don’t Travel Alone

    Funny thing, that tradition of naming vessels… and now pieces of tech, pets, toys, nicknames for each other — even drinks. This thought seed was planted some time ago while taking my son to Starbucks. It’s crawled its way into… more ›

  • Earned Perspective 

    The calm that comes from having seen enough to know this moment isn’t the whole story. That’s a powerful phrase. Earned Perspective isn’t something you’re handed.It’s something you survive long enough to understand. After decades in classrooms, hallways, press boxes,… more ›

  • Not Just Here, But HERE

    It started as an observation. Not a complaint — at least I don’t think it was. Why do we write referrals for things that could be solved with a conversation? A student taps a pencil too long.Another mutters under their… more ›