When I was a younger man, we hung out a lot. The decision about where we hung out was pretty simple. It was often written on a chalkboard by the Continue Reading
Writing
Jake: My Liberator, My Tormentor
These words are always tormentingly liberating. I fear every phrase, wondering if some passing reader might one day recognize my same Continue Reading
Sell Me Softly
I hate self-promotion. I abhor the soul-crushing humility that asking for help requires of me. Yet, for the last several weeks, I found myself asking Continue Reading
Progress in a Crooked Line
Progress. What does that even mean? Moving forward for me always looks like a drunken shuffle—sidestepping ideas, passions, and near misses. One step Continue Reading
May These Words Help You Find Your Way Back
I once sought solace and comfort in pressed wood and graphite trails. Each stroke documented my own life. Each trail soon amounted to no more Continue Reading
When the Win Finally Counts
For years, it felt like I was running a hundred miles per hour in the wrong direction. I’d work twice as hard going the wrong way to somehow still end Continue Reading
Better Late Than Never
I’m writing the first lines of this article thirty minutes after it should have gone live. It likely won’t be finished until hours later. I’ve written Continue Reading
Stop Aspiring and Start Becoming Undeniable
For the last few weeks, I’ve been doing the rounds as a guest on podcasts and being interviewed by some traditional media outlets. Many of them have Continue Reading
Throwing Seeds Into Winter
Frost crystallizes on the tips of the windblown grass in my backyard. The temperature has dropped below freezing and has stayed frigid for weeks now. Continue Reading
Imposter Syndrome and Why My Editor is a Pimp
My Havok Journal editor is a pimp! There, I said it. And I love him dearly. Do I have your attention? Good! Now let me explain. In some ways, he Continue Reading
A Week That Felt Like a Yes
Things are happening. Finally. The culvert pipes were delivered on Monday afternoon, and they were digging in my backyard on Tuesday morning. So far, Continue Reading
What Rises from All My Failed Lives
Brick by brick, I’ve built a foundation. To an outsider, it must seem that I’ve lived a thousand lives with myriad failures. If you were to measure Continue Reading