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 →
The Top of the Mountain, The Edge of the Sea, The Beauty Is Out There, For It Pours Out of Me
By humanity’s collective upward gaze, the top of a distant mountain takes on a mythical aura that is difficult to fathom. When we peer at a mountain’s peak from below, it breathes with the rule of an eternal force, unencumbered by the rhythm and flow of mortals. Its ascended stature emanates a holy presence and... Continue Reading →
A Brief Pause to Enjoy Spring
Like so many, it has been a strange time as we slowly emerge, hopefully, from the worst of the pandemic. It was a long, difficult, lonely winter that held an extra bitter bite this year and the emergence of Spring is ever welcome! Spring has given me a new found hope and optimism towards the... Continue Reading →
Feeling Uncomfortably Comfortable: A Reflection on The Comfort Zone
Six months ago, my anxiety was through the roof and I desperately sought therapy for help. It was the first time I tried face to face therapy and it was a plunge out of my comfort zone. Fast forward to this past month and I told my therapist that I think I am no longer... Continue Reading →
For Maw Maw…
My grandmother recently passed away surrounded by family after a long, hard battle with cancer. After her death, I felt compelled to write a eulogy and wanted to share that today: I could go on all day about the countless things that made Maw Maw special. Known for her big heart and her big personality,... Continue Reading →
Using the Struggles of the Past for Inspiration of the Future
There are days when I feel defeated, broken, and beaten down, but there’s one thing I can do that helps put everything into perspective. For me, I like to look back at my past struggles and where I came from in an effort to appreciate where I’m at in this current moment. How easily we... Continue Reading →
The San Juan Islands: Social Distancing At Its Best
Amid the chaos and uncertainty of the times with the Coronavirus pandemic underway, I felt a growing need to burst from my quarantined cocoon and socially distance in a responsible and fulfilling way. And thus, I set off for San Juan Island, located in the Northwest corner of the Lower 48 in Washington state. Just... Continue Reading →
Meeting the Challenges and Uncertainty of Life Head On
Tomorrow I start my new job, in a new place, and in the middle of downtown Seattle. I am by myself on the opposite corner of the country from my hometown. This place feels notably different from the last few places I have worked. For one, I am right near downtown and I am starting... Continue Reading →
Finding Clarity and Purpose in the Fear of Death
I feel like I too easily grow complacent with life, as the drudgery of my routine experience ebbs and flows from day to day, month to month, and year to year. Everything has its place, is endlessly predictable, and seems to bleed on forever in the same old fashion. It’s so easy to seek comfortability,... Continue Reading →