life: the movie
I recently read a book by Donald Miller called A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It got me thinking. To paraphrase his preface, imagine going to a movie about a guy who goes to college and gets good grades so that he can get a good job. He graduates, gets the job, but wishes he had a better…
out of the box
In just a little while here, I'm heading out to celebrate my friend Jon's 30th birthday. I've been thinking about Jon a lot as his birthday approaches. Jon is a kindred spirit. He loves people for their uniqueness, and he does so creatively and often. He has been a major help and…
sketchy
Last night, on my way out the door to grab a late snack with my young friend Ben, I noticed that trash had accumulated in the kitchen. Two full bags sat beside the garbage can, along with a couple of empty cardboard boxes. Time for a dumpster run. So, using every one of my fingers, I held and…
what's in a name
Choosing a name for a baby is no mean feat. In fact, today it's got its own market. Considerations include the meaning of a name, its country of origin, how it sounds with a certain middle name, whether a beloved family member past or present held the name, which famous (or infamous) people may…
doorknobs
Doorknobs are funny. Have you ever looked into one? Long before computers stole hours of free time and Internet space by providing face-warping apps, doorknobs were doing it up. Innies. Outies. Dodecagons. It's like having mini fun-house mirrors right in your very own home. My friend Dib and…
the difference
In yesterday's post, I talked about not letting new experiences be weighed down with negative expectations caused by old experiences. That requires developing a knack for seeing the differences between two things. Two events. Two people. Noticing takes practice. But beyond noticing, it's about…
gun shy
Some of you will recall that, a little over two weeks ago, I took a trip from Boston to North Carolina. By way of quick summary, this involved driving down and flying back. The trip down, which would already have been long at 16 hours, turned into 27+ hours when the car's transmission overdrive…
pickles
A brother and sister I know had been having some issues with one another. They had found each other particularly irritating as of late. They argued more. They just weren't communicating. Each of them had dissolved to tears over it one day while I was there, having had yet another blow out the…
things that suck
Some time back, a roommate of mine came out of his bedroom early one morning, went into the bathroom and soon exited holding a wad of tissue paper to his mouth. He hadn't yet shaved for the day, so it wasn't a razor nick. Had he bitten his tongue in his sleep? I inquired. He wasn't sure what…
kermit
My seventeen-year friendship with Bud and Dib got off to a fast and furious start. The first day I met them, we had lunch. And for the next year or two, I was at their house nearly every night until 2:00 AM. Often, it was more like 3:30. And we had jobs! Bud would usually be the first to fade,…