2017: Exposing Cynicism—Keeping Hope Alive

Jan 7, 2018

Here we are, the year two thousand eighteen. Time to reflect back on what the hell happened. And at this rate, a blog every 365 or so days is about all I can commit to, so full disclaimer: it’s gonna be a long one.

It so happens that my December 28 birthday comes at the end of the year too, and marking another year on earth also gets the old noggin pondering life. Maybe it’s especially appropriate given I was born among the darkest days of the year here in New England, that this year I’m thinking a lot about how we keep the light blazing amidst the darkness.

The thing is, reflecting back on 2017, my 32nd year on Earth, I can’t help but think it was a great one for me personally. It was the year my son joined our family, bringing about a wholeness I...

I just uncovered some rare, precious, free time. What do I do with it?!

Mar 12, 2017

Does this sound familiar at all? I have a couple hours to myself at home, with no plan and nothing in particular that I need to get done. The possibilities are endless. So endless, in fact, that I’m paralyzed by the options. What the hell should I do with this gift of unplanned time?

I’m not a person who is particularly good at relaxing. I am often seeking out relaxation, but rarely do I feel like I’ve attained that state. And I’m pretty sure this is in no way a dilemma that is unique to me. We have more options than ever before and we are forced to make countless choices throughout our day. (I thought about trying to add them up for a day, but I’m getting overwhelmed just thinking about it!)

So there’s the problem of too many choices,...

Coming to terms and #resisting an alternate reality

Feb 5, 2017

Here we are. A reality TV star leading our country and alternative facts filling our brains. Have we legitimately entered some kind of alternate reality?

How did we get here? I don’t know about you, but i’m still wracking my brain on that one.

Some nights while I lie in bed, I run through the night the world flipped over. It fell after a hope-filled day; we’d finally have a woman leading our country. Slowly, that hope was swallowed up. The numbers betrayed us. A firewall swiftly fell. I remember lying half-awake, feeling the weight of the news sink into my sleep.

I remember waking up the morning after election day, hearing a plane overhead. Something bad was going to happen. Were we under attack already?

How the hell did this happen? And...

MLK Day: A Call to Action in the Name of Love

Jan 18, 2016

I’ve written before about how difficult it can be to remain optimistic in the world we live in today. Today, the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, is a day to be optimistic. We’ve come so far thanks to the tireless work of so many before us.

And yet, the issues that plague humanity seem to multiply infinitely ahead of us. Is this how it feels for every generation?

As an activist, I was awe-struck after watching the film Selma last year. I immediately decided to read Martin Luther King Jr.’s autobiography, some excerpts from which I will share here. I continue to be filled with awe by these words and the actions that they inspired.

MLK and the people marching with him, they got shit done. They changed laws. They created laws. Just as...

A new life. A new chapter.

Aug 30, 2015

If men were the ones who had to carry and give birth to babies, I’m pretty sure humankind would have died off a long time ago. I knew going into it, that the moment my wife gave birth to our child would be an intense one. And it was. The four days that we were in the hospital were filled with the whole range of emotions. The four weeks that we’ve been home since then hasn’t given me much space to stop and reflect back, but I thought I’d attempt it here on my blog through a few vignettes.

One of the stories about labor that stuck with me was described by the comedian Louis C.K. on a podcast I listen to (WTF with Marc Maron). He talks about this moment right after his wife delivered where he had to decide whether to attend to her as she was cut open in the...