I will not die on a treadmill. Let me back up a little bit. Angela Duckworth wrote a book called Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. In the chapter about how effort counts twice, she quotes Will Smith, who said, "The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is: I'm [...]
This post is part of a new project that I’m working on. Visit Jess Alston’s website to learn more about the Dig Deep Podcast. I’m officially the least qualified person to write this post. For the last six months, I’ve been praying for something pretty specific. It felt like an eternity of hearing silence mixed with static. [...]
This post is part of a new project that I'm working on. Visit Jess Alston's website to learn more about the Dig Deep Podcast. A few years ago, I participated as an assistant (i.e., hand me that weird-shaped thing that looks like it might do something useful) for the world's longest bathroom renovation project in [...]
I spend my days watching people. Yes, I recognize that this sounds creepy, but I assure you, it's nothing like that creepster watching kids at the playground that Netflix would turn into a documentary that goes viral. I watch with innocence and wonder, marveling and curiosity. I watch to learn how to live and breathe [...]
I wonder if it’s worth counting how many mornings over the last four months I scribbled about watching the pink sunrise while listening to the coffee drip from the kitchen just behind me. Each time, I wrote it as if it was a new thought, a new sight, a new sound. And yet, there’s nothing [...]
I saw a man fishing at the lake yesterday. He wore black knee-high boots and stood in the water that came about halfway up his boots. I bet the water felt cold, as we’ve barely kicked the frost in Maryland. He just kept standing there in his baggy khakis draped over his boots, holding his [...]
I used to babysit a little boy who would say (on repeat during his Cars movie obsession), “Oh no! Tow Mater’s stuck in the mud! Stuck in the mud! Stuck in the mud!” And it reminds me of the emails I receive from readers all over the world. I’m stuck in the mud… I’m stuck in the [...]
Years ago, I wrote a story about a man jogging. I saw him the other day, jogging down my same street, and I wondered about his story, both the real version and the one I invented. Has it changed over the years? Or, would I tell the story differently today? Friends who read my [...]
I grew up as a competitive cheerleader. (I know what you're thinking. Do they even know how to write? Fight the stereotype and stick with me.) For almost 15 years, I traveled around the country to compete in large arenas in front of hundreds of screaming and painted fans. Our routines lasted for 2 minutes and [...]
