I was talking to a friend of mine recently and he used the phrase, “single-tasking.” This term is meant to be the opposite of multi-taking. In a world where so many things are vying for our attention, the most rebellious, courageous, and human thing we can do is focus our time and attention on thatContinue reading “single tasking”
Category Archives: life
embracing the unknown
I was trying to write this morning and was suddenly seized by a question. My first instinct was to put down my pen, open my computer, and find the answer to said question. But I didn’t. I stayed with the writing and allowed the question to pass through me. I was content to not know.Continue reading “embracing the unknown”
cleaning house
It’s awfully hard to call yourself on your own shit if you’ve never had to scrub your own toilet.
what’s in the box?
I tried out for an improv team once. The first round of auditions were magic. I threw myself into each scene with abandon and had a blast. The second-round of auditions were terrible. I was nervous, I was anxious, I froze. There’s an old improve game where you’re given a box and told to lookContinue reading “what’s in the box?”
putting yourself on the hook
The night before I moved out of my college apartment, my roommate and I decided to write a song. The moment we agreed to this, my roommate stood up, walked out of the apartment, and went to visit our next-door-neighbors. “Hey, Josh and I are going to spend all night writing music,” he said. HeContinue reading “putting yourself on the hook”
my problem with YA
A few years ago, I pitched a book to an New York agency. It was a story about the first years after college and navigating the trials of early adulthood. “This will be great for the Young Adult market,” the agents said. I balked. “Isn’t the whole point of YA that it’s about adolescence? ThisContinue reading “my problem with YA”
lightning rod
It’s often said that certain kinds of success are comparable to getting struck by lightning. This might be true, but there are ways to attract lightning. Just ask Ben Franklin. When the storm rolls in over the golf course, the guy who packs up his cart and goes back to the clubhouse likely won’t getContinue reading “lightning rod”
give and take
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the nature of my relationships. It seems there’s often an implicit code that dictates a friendship should be transactional. I do something for you and you do something for me. It’s very apparent this is capitalism bleeding into intangibles that should transcend commodification. Ultimately, when you give someoneContinue reading “give and take”
drops in a bucket
We talk about productivity as if it’s a faucet that can be turned on and off. Not so. Most days, I sit down to write and I’m lucky to get a few drops. It may take forever, but you can fill the bucket one drop at a time.
magic feather syndrome
I spent most of my adolescence and early adulthood as a hopeless romantic. I wandered the halls of my high school and my college campus aimlessly, in search of a girl I thought would love me into completion. No such girl ever came my way. Every relationship I had buckled under the weight of myContinue reading “magic feather syndrome”