Tag: routine

  • Why I Create…

    Sitting with myself this morning, coffee in hand, I asked, “Why do you create?” …and the reflection in the mug stared back, quiet, like it already knew the answer before I did. “Why do you create?” I asked again, slower this time, letting the words curl in the warmth of the coffee steam. And the…

  • 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 note carries tone and warmth. A social post might lean reflective or curated. Even timing…

  • 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 provide a little context. Like countless others, I’m susceptible to outside forces—things that can alter…

  • 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 monkeys recently escaped from the zoo, but for the most part, it’s a positive experience.…

  • The Bottle Brigade

    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 instruments. The grill lid opens with ceremony. Charcoal crackles. Flames rise. Somewhere in the distance,…

  • 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 same universe. Yet here I am, telling stories. Like most kids, my list was the…

  • 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 a referral isn’t just justified—it’s the only thing standing between order and complete chaos. Teachers…

  • 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 it got me thinking. The kind of thinking that stays with you. The kind that…

  • 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 my forward consciousness a few times since, despite me gently pushing it back. But when…

  • 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, gym bleachers, faculty meetings, and quiet moments after the bell — that perspective wasn’t taught.…

  • 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 breath.One rolls their eyes. And instead of stepping into the hallway for two minutes of…

  • Somewhere Between a Label and a Memory

    I was asked a curious question recently. It came without warning. No drumroll. No academic panel. Just a simple, almost casual inquiry that landed like a stone in still water: “Do you consider your book a piece of Chicano literature?” I smiled. I stalled. I probably said something halfway intelligent. But the truth? I didn’t…

  • Speaking Into Silence — That’s Faith with Wi-Fi

    There’s a specific type of crazy needed to be a content creator. And I mean that in the most loving way possible.  Think about it…. You sit there, just you and a camera (usually a phone) and talk to it about …stuff.  It’s one way dialogue.  Sometimes it’s live, otherwise you aren’t talking to anyone…

  • Internal Mayhem. External Excellence.

    I’ve been told — by a handful of my closest souls — that they’ve often wondered how my brain is wired. How it works. “It’s not normal,” they say. I’ve wondered the same thing. I’ve always known I’m different, though. Wired differently. So here it is — my attempt to explain what I suspect is…

  • A Conversation with That Guy in the Mirror

    There are some days — not often — when I need expert advice. Or at least someone intelligent enough to argue with me without filing a complaint. It doesn’t happen much. And I don’t usually tell anyone when it does.The last time I mentioned it out loud, I was one concerned look away from an…