Some thoughts arrive in a voice so familiar that we never think to question who is speaking. You should be doing more. Don’t disappoint them. Keep the peace. Be useful. A good person wouldn’t feel this way. The voice sounds like us because it has lived inside us for a long time. It may have… Continue reading The Voice That Sounds Like You
The Pencil’s Edge
What a Pencil Can Do That a Phone Cannot
Most people do not think much about a pencil. It is too ordinary, too simple, too old, too slow. It does not light up. It does not connect to anything. It does not save your passwords, count your steps, send your messages, store your photographs, show you the weather, play your music, or tell you… Continue reading What a Pencil Can Do That a Phone Cannot
When Certainty Becomes Too Heavy
Certainty can feel like shelter. For a long time, it may give a person a place to stand. It can make the world feel ordered, explainable, and held together. It can tell us who we are, what matters, what is right, what is wrong, where we belong, and what story our life is supposed to… Continue reading When Certainty Becomes Too Heavy
The Cabin Where a Pencil-Driven Life Can Begin
There are times when a person does not need another vacation. A vacation can be good. A few days away can help. A change of scenery can give the mind a little breathing room. But sometimes the need is quieter than that. Sometimes a person does not need more entertainment, more scheduling, more scenery, more… Continue reading The Cabin Where a Pencil-Driven Life Can Begin
The Permission You Were Waiting For
Some lives are shaped by waiting. Not obvious waiting, maybe. Not sitting still. Not doing nothing. From the outside, the life may look responsible, busy, productive, even successful. But underneath the motion, something may still be waiting. Waiting to be told it is all right. Waiting for approval. Waiting for certainty. Waiting for a sign.… Continue reading The Permission You Were Waiting For
When the Day Refuses to Follow the Plan
Some days begin with a plan. Not necessarily a dramatic plan. Just a reasonable one. A few things to finish. A few errands to run. A call to make. A page to write. A repair to handle. A room to clean. A task that has waited too long and finally needs attention. The plan may… Continue reading When the Day Refuses to Follow the Plan
A Place Apart Is Not an Answer
A quiet place can be misunderstood. It is easy to imagine that if we could only get away, everything would become clear. If we could step out of the noise, leave the usual rooms, silence the phone, walk under trees, sit by a window, or spend a few days alone, then the answer might finally… Continue reading A Place Apart Is Not an Answer
When Thought Pretends to Be Truth
A thought can arrive with the force of a fact. It may say: You have failed. You are behind. They are disappointed in you. You should have known better. This will not work. You are too old to begin again. Nothing is really changing. The strange thing is not that thoughts appear. The strange thing… Continue reading When Thought Pretends to Be Truth
When Prayer Becomes Memory
For many people who leave religious certainty, prayer does not disappear all at once. Belief may change. Doctrine may loosen. The old answers may no longer hold. But the impulse to pray can remain. A difficult phone call comes. A child is in trouble. A medical test is scheduled. A storm moves across the map.… Continue reading When Prayer Becomes Memory
The Life You Were Praised Into
Not every inherited mark comes from criticism. Some come from praise. That may be harder to notice. Criticism often leaves a bruise we can remember. Praise arrives warmly. It gives us belonging. It tells us which version of ourselves receives approval. A child is praised for being responsible, mature, quiet, helpful, smart, strong, faithful, easy… Continue reading The Life You Were Praised Into
The Pencil-Driven Life 