Tonight is Plan B
When I started writing this portion of the newsletter a few hours ago, inspiration struck. I found myself making connections between models of change, and all sorts of fancy lingo crept into the rough draft. I felt like I was back in grad school, having lightbulb moment after lightbulb moment. Sharing it with you as […]
Something Led to This
When you are panicking, a set of physical symptoms will likely manifest. These can include accelerated heart rate, faster breathing, sweating, shaking and more. Some people report severe, illness-mimicking symptoms such as chest pains, tingling extremities, and tunnel vision. Fortunately, breathing is both voluntary and involuntary. Try to will your heart into slowing down, and […]
“It Takes All the Kung Fu I Have”
From my close friend, Whit McClendon: When my son, Connor, was nine or ten years old, I took him to a local bowling alley so we could have some fun together. He’d never bowled before and although I’d spent a huge part of my childhood in a bowling alley, I wasn’t a terribly good bowler either, […]
That Which I Loved Broke My Heart
As I sit here in the studio, I’m listening to Porcupine Tree, one of my favorite bands. It’s loud, but it’s not too loud. I have moderate hearing impairment, which I first noticed when I was about 13 years old. I wear hearing aids, and audiologists say the loss appears to have been the result […]
The Concept of Hope
How do you handle hope, estranged parents? I imagine stories of hope have been around for as long as we’ve had written language. Perhaps most frequently we think of Pandora’s Box from Greek mythology. After opening a box that releases evil into the world, Pandora closes it before hope can escape. If I’d been asked […]
Tribes
Not that long ago, my counselor challenged me to write down my tribes. I’d spent some time in a session talking about the loneliness that sometimes comes with being different. It’s not always sad or distressful. Nevertheless, if there is something that sets you apart, opportunities to be with similar people may be infrequent. Case […]
Transparency
Back in 2019, I was running a drug and alcohol treatment group in a rehab, and I made a mistake. Our group was about a dozen people who had completed the inpatient part of their treatment. My group, called Intensive Outpatient (IOP), was part of the process of stepping people down from the safe confines […]
Support Groups
I love support groups. As a counselor, of course, I do believe in the value of sitting with a professional and seeking input and guidance. I’ve had the good fortune to see a number of excellent counselors in my life (including my current one), and I certainly try to be that person for my own […]
A Foreign Pilgrimage
You are on a pilgrimage, whether you know it or not. My wife and I watched a documentary on religious artifacts a few nights ago. Since then, I’ve been thinking about the concept of a pilgrimage. In the show, they talked about an artifact in France and the visitors who pour in from across the […]
Riverbank
Imagine that you’re sitting on the bank of a river, observing the water rushing by. Maybe the water is clear and beautiful. Perhaps there is occasional trash or mud. Nevertheless, you remain aware that the river’s inherent beauty is unchanged. The river is forever, having been there since well before you were born, and will […]