The following is a true lesson I learned and I sometimes forget it, which is why I needed to write this and rethink about my position as it stands now . . .
I once had a longhaired teacher with odd ideas about the world and deep views about music. He spoke often about guitarists, like Clapton, and talked about the meaning behind lyrics to songs like, “Almost Cut My Hair,” by Crosby, Stills, and Nash.
He was a teacher in name, yes, but he was also somewhat of a personal mentor that moved away from the norms of public school systems —and instead, he chose to teach the unteachable students like me that struggles with various social and chemical disorders.
After a short Continue reading →

The following is a short story about a brief period of life, which existed through the eyes and illustrated mind of a young man, high, in the figurative sense or perhaps this high was more literal in the metaphoric sense of being,  “Under the influence,” as they say. The story you are about to read is all true —or at least it is as true as my recollection can portray after the incident.

I was somewhere around my second time in 9th grade. This was not my first adventure with Continue reading →

Before going forward, it would helpful to remember your middle and high school days. Remember the lockers and the colors of the hallways.  Think about the locations of the bathrooms and where the library was in relation to the gym.  Remember the gathering places. Think about your experience and the divisions of popularity. Now, think about your circle of friends and where you sat in the cafeteria. Think about the people you sat with (or didn’t) and then think about the groups of people that always seemed to flock together. Think about the way the looked and how they dressed.
The following experience is Continue reading →

This is written for a friend of mine that mentioned The Farm idea last night. And for those of you who may or may not know what The Farm idea is, well, here’s my plan . . .

I want to build a farm. I want to build a place somewhere away from everything at the edge of a small town where people smile and say “Hello.” I want a piece of land that is uninterrupted by signs, billboards, and roads that are filled with traffic. It would have to be a place away from all the static and interference of social media nonsense. If I could place this somewhere, it would have to be somewhere peaceful, like say, somewhere in the center of a few mountains with an elevation that’s high enough that we could see the world Continue reading →

I’ve encountered a few conversations regarding stigma in the last few days. Some of which left me troubled and some of which left me hopeful. In response, I write down my thoughts in this journal entry ~

I go back to the idea of my “Us against them,” and the “Me against the world,” mentality. I think about the line we see between us and how we separate each other in different classes. I think about the distinction between the so-called righteous or the so-called fallen from grace and how they view each other. I go back to the ideas of our social separation and the Continue reading →

It was quiet . . .
I certainly remember that much. We were sitting in the mostly Continue reading →

After speaking to seventh and eighth grade kids in a small school, a young girl waited until everyone left the cafeteria before meeting with me. She was encouraged to approach by a comforting teacher that stood by her side. This was my favorite moment of the day. The young girl approached with a shy but very bright smile. Her eyes looked away is if to seem embarrassed by her question.

“Go ahead,” encouraged the teacher.
“Ask him.”

One of the things I mention in my Continue reading →