I’ve written some things through the years that I’m extraordinarily proud of. Many of them were written in 2011. For a multitude of reasons, that year was good for me. I can remember sitting in my writing room for days on end, typing away. I was reading books I never thought I’d read and it seemed like inspiration was around every corner. Writing is strange; sometimes a person can’t stop doing it and sometimes a person has no inclination of even thinking of it for years and years. I did a lot in 2011. I don’t think it’ll ever be that way again, but I don’t know what the future will bring.
Please click through to read some of the posts I list below. Each one means a great deal to me. I’ll do my best at listing them in order of importance. And if you do decide to click through to one of these posts, please read through to the end. Much of what I write comes together in the last line or two. Believe me, it may just be worth the effort.
The Old Man
This is a story I began writing in 2011 and finished in the early part of 2013 with the help of my mother as editor. I completed the first draft in a few days, yet the story sat. I don’t know why I waited so long to publish it on this website, but for whatever reason, I found inspiration after moving from Connecticut to Florida. Within a few weeks, after sending each piece to my mother for proofreading and correction, and after she sent each piece back to me, the story was finally ready to go live. If you decide to go ahead with reading this story, please do so with the intention of finishing it. It’ll test you in the beginning. I’m aware of this. It does come together nicely though and I’m confident it’ll move you.
My Christmas Story
This story isn’t nearly as long as the one previous, but in ways, it’s just as good. I wrote it a week after Christmas in 2011. The setting is just as vivid today as it was all those years ago. It’s a story about a short trip to an inn located within the northwestern corner of Connecticut. It’s a wealthy area that not many people know of or discuss. There are secrets in those hills. Beyond the story itself, my favorite part is the opening section, where I describe how I used to think and what I used to read and write. And how we celebrated Christmas and what I thought of the season. It’s fun to read back to glimpse my mind all those years ago. Again, please read the story in its entirety. I suspect it’ll leave you wondering about something very specific and wanting just a tad bit more.
Walking the Plank
I lived a tormented childhood. I suffered greatly at the hands of many a teacher. My despair was unparalleled. I’ll never forget much of what afflicted me. I’m being facetious, of course. My childhood was fine. My teachers were, for the most part, great, especially in elementary school. There were, however, more than a few entertaining episodes of my childhood that have demanded recollection in the most humorous of ways. A while back, I wrote a short story describing one of these episodes that had to do with, of all things, a junkyard dog. It’s a story from my younger days that describes a bathtub in the roundhouse, painting the seasons, and singing songs. I do hope you’ll give it a read. I’m certain it’ll make you smile.
Mushrooms & Moss
I’m thoroughly happy with this post. There’s just something about it. I think it’s well written. After re-reading it a few times, I’ve come to believe that skill as a writer not only stems from knowledge of how to write, but mood and timing as well. I’ve written some things I wouldn’t hand to an elementary school teacher. I’ve also written some things that have been my favorites of all time. Why the difference? Mood. Inspiration. Wanting to write to express certain feelings and emotions. In this post, I suppose I had something to say, so I said it. And it came out well. Please click through to read the post. In it, I discuss what the season of autumn means to me and how it’s had an effect on me.
The Greatest Human Tragedy
This post comes in sections. Some of these sections may seem unrelated at first, but the point of them comes together at the end. I must have had something specific on my mind when I wrote this post. There’s a lot of introspection in it. I enjoy reading these types of things years later because doing so allows me to glimpse what my mind was thinking so many years ago. If you enjoy looking inward, click through. If you enjoy thinking about life and your place in time, click through. If you’ve ever wondered if you’re alone or if anyone else out there has ever had thoughts like yours, click through. You just might like this post a lot.
Hurricane Irene
In August of 2001, Hurricane Irene hit the east coast of the United States. There was extensive flooding and power loss across much of the seaboard. Over the days following, the flooding subsided and the electricity was restored, for most of us. At the time, I lived on a dead-end road in semi-rural Connecticut. A broken telephone pole kept us from returning to civilization for a week and a half, the longest I’ve ever lived without electricity. Those days taught me a lot about myself and about my neighbors. About people in general. As you’ll discover in this post, sometimes modern luxuries aren’t the best for the psyche. Sometimes we all need a break, whether that break is forced upon us or otherwise.
One Big Jiu-Jitsu Family
I train a lot of Jiu-Jitsu. Actually, I used to train a lot. I only do once per week now and that’s primarily in the form of teaching. I don’t get nearly the amount of mat time as I should, but that’s neither here nor there. The post I’m linking to in this section is about training and, what’s more, it’s about training in a culture most people will never have the privilege of experiencing. There’s something remarkably special about the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, what I refer to as, family, and it’s something I’m certainly glad I found. If I ever have to leave the sport for some reason or another, I’ll likely be crushed. I’ve made a lot of great friends through this activity and in this post, I write about a closeness we share. And that’s what’s made this post one of my best.
An Allegory of Happiness
This is a raw post. It isn’t cheery or satisfying. It may be satisfying to some, but that would only be if they enjoyed creative rants. In my opinion, it’s a rant worth reading because the post touches on what many of us don’t realize we’re missing in our lives. In short, uselessness begets unhappiness and usefulness and productivity begets happiness. In this post, I share a conversation between my friend and me that occurred years ago. Not that he asked, I informed him of his shortcomings. The story is entertaining, yet hits home on a number of important topics. It’s one of my favorite posts.
My Live-In Servant & His Little Peculiarities
If you’re a reader of short stories, you’ll likely enjoy this post. In its first part, I discuss a few of my favorites. Think W. Somerset Maugham’s The Appointment in Samarra, Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm’s Godfather Death, Chung Tzu’s Independence, John Updike’s A&P, William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily, Katherine Mansfield’s Miss Brill, James Baldwin’s Sonny’s Blues, and Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart. In the second part, I try my hand at writing one short story from a contrasting point of view. If you’re a fan of Edgar Allen Poe, and more specifically, his The Tell-Tale Heart, you’ll find this post especially interesting. It’s because I had never attempted to re-write a story from a different point of view that this is one of my best posts.
Beautiful Quotes
When you’re looking for meaning in life, please read this post. It’ll teach you that the meaning you seek may not come in the form of what you feel you desire. You may want things. You won’t find your meaning there. You may desire someone. You won’t find your meaning there either. Where you might find it and where others who are surely more thoughtful and intelligent than yours truly have found it is on the inside. Meaning is derived from the introspective search, and dare I say, struggle. It’s a lonely world out there and no matter how hard you search external sources for your meaning, you’ll only find it within yourself. Read the quotes contained within this post and argue my claim. I beg of you.
Leave a Reply