Painfully Hopeful

Fitting In

I don’t fit in. Well, that’s not entirely true. It’s just that the spaces in which I’ve felt I’ve fit in have been so rare that when I say, “I don’t fit in” it feels true. As I’ve said on this blog numerous times, I’m not good with small-talk and social situations make me feel…

Facing fear

I’ve been pondering a question for a while, “What am I afraid of?” It’s one of those questions people are tempted to give quick answers too, like “spiders!” I’m not sure the quick answers, however, are good reflections of what people are really afraid of. I think people are alarmed by spiders [1]. Fear, however,…

How a church died

Tonight our association held their annual meeting at a church which shut down several years ago. I’ve been in the building several times since it closed down, and it’s always depressed me — the musty smell, the empty space, the sheer amount of lost potential. Until tonight, however, I’d never quite figured out how the…

What is a “Creative?”

Today I read an article about finding the next Steve Jobs. It makes the point that many companies are incapable of finding such a person because “creatives” are natural “non-conformists” who get weeded out by the hiring process. Creative-types tend to throw up red-flags which reveal how they won’t fit in the corporate structure. This…

Williamsburg in Spring

I don’t hide my love for Williamsburg, VA. What’s been accomplished by the Williamsburg Foundation is nothing short of marvelous. Ever since my wife and I took our honeymoon there, we’ve been going back. Our kids consider it our vacation spot, which makes me glad. This week we all took a trip down to Williamsburg…

Going Back

This past weekend I traveled to my almost alma mater to see my Parents, sister, and nieces in a performance of The Music Man. It was the first time my parents ever did something like that, so there was no way I was going to miss it, but it was also the last show of…