Life is Puzzling…

Me and the Mrs. I do not know the exact science of mending a broken heart, and I am not sure why they feel so goddamned heavy. However, I do know that everyone has an emotional connection to something or someone, that if it were to leave them; or hurt them...they would feel that affliction. …

BULLFROG

When I checked my messages this past Saturday morning, I found this: "Hunting trip gone bad. Minivan, moving/appliance truck, stuffed animal gifts, hiding, big bird, police, Facebook community post. Lost job, QuikTrip, possible jail. Baby and wife at home. Write book from dream." I sent it to myself at 4:18 AM. I do this sometimes …

Starting Over…

A basic building block of society is the family unit. Some families are small, while others are large and diverse. What constitutes a family can vary, but most people would probably agree on a general definition that a family consists of two or more individuals who are related in some way (such as birth, adoption, …

Rainstorm…

When I woke up today, it was raining. Most mornings I need to drive somewhere. Today was no different. A soft sprinkle came down, just enough for me to leave my wipers on the slowest speed as I drove back home. At times, as I looked outside the windows, the rain hit softly on the …

CRASH LANDING – A REFLECTION

November 21st, 1998 will forever be etched into my memory. It was the Saturday before Thanksgiving and we had gone to Grandma's house in Knob Noster, MO to spend time with the family. As a kid, holidays with my family was the best. We had lost my Grandfather earlier that year though, and seeing as …

Twenty-One Years in the Making

Y’all. Today is Ashleigh’s 21st Birthday! Having birthdays isn’t just about turning another year older. Each year I think we have a couple of moments that we look back on to see how things are going so far. New Years Day is a pretty popular day for looking back on and setting some goals for …

Rolling With the Punches…

In boxing, rolling with the punches is more of a physical action; moving yourself away from the oncoming barrage of rapid-fire fisticuffs. In everyday life, it is more of an adaptive ploy one uses to help them overcome adverse circumstances. My last fist fight was in eighth grade, so the first definition employed above does …

2020, The Year my Parenting Sucked

For me, 2020 was supposed to be a year of healing. I was planning on fixing a life that had been roughed up a little. My garden-variety marriage was coming to a close that year. However, a new promotion at work had my spirits up, and I was learning to cope and manage being a …

The Best of Her

I have stared at the mirror a lot these last few months. A literal self-reflection, if you will, to go along with my innate desire to learn who I fundamentally am, who I was, and who I will become. Self-reflection has become all the new norm for me as I navigate losing a part of …

Distractions…

It is a dark and foggy morning. Cruise control is set at 74 mph. The speed limit here is 70, but I have driven this stretch of road five days a week for close to five years. I am more than confident if I maintain this speed I will not grab the attention of the …