I feel tired and groggy and a little nauseous today. I drank a little too much last night. This is my last day of Christmas vacation before starting my next travel nurse contract. It feels gloomy today, like a typical Sunday after a long weekend. It feels a little like being trapped, like I am... Continue Reading →
Our Mediterranean Adventure Part Three: On the Acropolis, the Parthenon, and an Endless Sea of Wonder
After our most memorable lunch in the village, we followed the coastal rode back north to Athens, to a special place at the heart of the city. Passing through the crowded streets and tight-packed buildings, we emerged at an opening in the middle of the city, where all else gave way and the dazzling blue... Continue Reading →
Our Mediterranean Adventure Part Two: On Athens, the Temple of Poseidon, and the Art of Enjoying a Meal
Athens is a place that almost doesn’t seem real, like the lost city of Atlantis or Mount Olympus’s home of the gods. Its reputation as a mecca in the Western political, social, cultural, and spiritual ethos makes it seem from another dimension. It is transcended by myth in the minds of all who read about... Continue Reading →
Our Mediterranean Adventure Part One: Departure and the Sea
It was finally time for our honeymoon! Our wedding had been a month prior in the springing beauty of April. The lingering emotions of that day played in our minds for weeks, slowly transforming into an exuberance for our trip that was increasing overwhelming. A 10-day Mediterranean cruise in the temperate month of May was... Continue Reading →
I Started A New Medication and Today Was a Good Day
Today has been a good day. It’s a day I dream about when thinking about improving my mental health. Even though I went to work at a job I ultimately am not passionate about nor want to continue for much longer, my mindset was totally different. I don’t know if it’s the new medication but... Continue Reading →
Working Through Shattered Illusions and Finding Your Spark Again
I have this looming sense that I am bound for something greater than what life is providing right now. I feel like I’m sitting in a cold, dark waiting room, waiting for my turn on stage. Am I being pretentious? Is this entitlement? I don’t know, but I feel that there is so much inside... Continue Reading →
Feeling Lost and Choosing a New Path
I feel like this past month has really tried my dignity, my sanity, and my overall strength to endure. It has felt spiraling and hopeless so much of the time, like I am being continuously buried in ash, unable to catch a glimpse of the sun. I just want to see the light. I just... Continue Reading →
Danger and Serenity in a Frozen World: Thoughts from Linville Falls and Gorge
Walking alone through a silent, frozen forest only to emerge at the precipice of a frigid gorge with cascading waterfalls and biting winds is all at once unsettling and entrancing to my mind. I arrived to the trailhead of Linville Falls and Gorge just at sunrise. The uncleared snowy field that was the parking lot... Continue Reading →
Reflections on the Love of My Life This Holiday Season
Love is a Garden, And We Have the Exceptional Privilege of Being the Caretakers and Stewards of It. To My Love Bonnie, It was a somber, overcast sky in the early Seattle morning of April 10th, 2020. It was my birthday. I was 32 years old and driving back to my hometown of Chattanooga after... Continue Reading →
We Will Never Be “Ready” To Start Something New, and That Is Okay. Do It Anyways!
If we wait around to do something new until we are “ready”, then we will likely never do anything at all. I want to keep reminding myself of this truth. I start a job next week and I have been less than positive about it, even though it is a good opportunity. It’s my reintroduction... Continue Reading →