The First Time I Leapt for the Unknown

A friend recently told me my life is crazy. You know, this whole “driving around the continent and staying with strangers for nearly a year on end” deal. Ten years ago, he said he wouldn’t have believed I’d ever do something like this. I agreed with him; I wouldn’t have believed me either. I’ve taken a lot of […]

Road to Ridgecrest

Before hitting the road, I knew I’d be adding some vibrant new colors to my traveling palette. The Grand Canyon. Mount Rushmore. Vancouver. Before hitting the road, I knew I’d also be reuniting with some old familiar colors. Sweet Seattle. Old Milwaukee. A Pennsylvanian Eden. Among all the colorful locales on my #RunningTo itinerary, however, there probably wasn’t one as […]

I’m Not Growing Anymore

Tonight, I sit alone. It is a night not quite unlike many prior Tuesday nights, secure within my favorite coffee shop on Earth. I am sitting by the window, the only such seat in this confined space, and the view downtown is lovely tonight. Just like every other Tuesday night. Coming to this coffee shop […]

A New May Story: Staying in California

It’s May. These last two years, May has brought about a shift. A change. A drastic tide to the normal flow and current of my life. Leaving. I tutor in September. I tutor in October. I tutor in November. I tutor in December. I enjoy the holidays. I tutor in January. I tutor in February. […]

Growth Unexpected: When Brown Hills Turn Green

It’s winter. Well, technically, it’s still fall. But nobody associates December with colorful leaves and pumpkin-spice everything. Certainly not growth. December means snow. December is bleak; the days are short and the nights are long. The trees are bare and the bears are sleeping. December is winter. Except when it’s really not. When I first […]

My Letter to Me: From YouthWorks to Now

Last week I received one of the more unique letters the U.S. postal service will ever deliver to me. Yes, even more random than the birthday cards from my first grade teacher, received 15+ years after I presented my last show-and-tell. Last week I received a letter from none other than me, dated from August […]