How IKEA and Sonos roped me into their sound system
I didn’t grow up with money. I didn’t even get my driver’s license until I was nearly 18 years old because I had to save up for the classes myself. We didn’t have the “latest and greatest” anything. Our house didn’t have air conditioning. I drove my parents’ cars until I saved up all the […]
7 Keys to Our Transition to a One-Income Household
I recently published an article on the unique and often-unspoken benefits of working from home. One reader commented on the struggles of having kids at home, and I realized I failed to mention that I have three small children at home as well, aged 7, 4, and 8ish months. It gets loud around here, is […]
11 Benefits of Working From Home Nobody Talks About
These are the things people rarely talk about. I’ve been working from home for 13 years now, and other than a brief stint answering customer service emails for a department store and a few months of bartending, I’ve been doing it full-time. When 2020 hit and offices everywhere were closed down, I told my wife […]
I’m Not Good, But I’m Trying To Be Better
A couple years ago, my wife and I were standing outside of a bar in a small town over half an hour away from our house. It was a Saturday afternoon in late 2018. We were waiting with my mother-in-law at the curb for my father-in-law to bring the van around to pick her up. […]
7 Ways I’m Taking Control of My Social Media Urge
It’s almost scary how much social media has changed the way we behave. When I’m out and about, my brain thinks about funny sights as whether or not they are shareable. When something witty comes to mind, I want to craft a post around it and get it on Facebook. You might think I’m chasing […]
This One Device Completely Changed My Sleep
Ever since college, I’ve had some serious troubles with my sleep. I’m not sure why or how it happened. I’ve always been a great sleeper. My mom enjoys telling people how we would have our extended family over for a party, and I would decide to just crawl under the covers and put myself to […]
Before You Write That Mental Health Post, Maybe… Don’t
Image by Wokandapix from Pixabay I want to be careful how I word this, because I don’t really want to “out” the particular article/author that I have in mind here. I was scrolling through Medium today and I came across an article with a rather surprising title, referring to the idea that this writer is […]
On playing guitar, Joe Rogan, and cringing at your work
Image by Firmbee from Pixabay At the end of band practice on Saturday morning, I turned to the leader of the group, our pianist, and asked her how things were going. In the span of just a few short months, I went from “I might want to try playing guitar once in a while but […]
As a Father, I Watch My Children’s Hands
Image by RitaE from Pixabay It’s happened three times, and I can still remember every last bit of it… Standing in a darkened hospital room, holding a fresh new baby in my arms. Introducing myself as their daddy, giving them little kisses on the forehead, and just taking it all in. Fatherhood. It’s the greatest […]
In Hard Times, Focus on What Truly Matters
What do you do when jealousy sets in? As we all know, social media has done a lot of damage to us all. One of the worst ways in which it hurts us is with the ability to see all the fun stuff everyone else gets to do. It’s easy to slip into jealous mode. […]