A heart-stopping moment on a crowded beach taught me about panic, but it took becoming a father twenty-five years later to truly understand the ghosts that haunt our parents—and how quickly routine can turn to chaos.
The Longest Thirty Minutes
Goldilocks and the XL Bucket of Kettle Corn
A quick mission to buy a bucket of kettle corn on the Bethany Beach boardwalk turned into an exercise in optical illusions and $35 worth of decision-making regret. Here is how Goldilocks in flip-flops accidentally bought a 10-gallon drum of popcorn—and how nine people finished it in 24 hours.
Doc Holliday, Piglet, and a Phone Call Out of the Blue
From rigged toilets in Lethal Weapon to quiet moments with Piglet, an unexpected call from an old friend serves as a reminder of the many different ways we support each other through the thick and the thin.
There Oughta Be a Law (And I Have a Few Suggestions)
When I was a kid, my parents watched the CBS Evening News every single night. Walter Cronkite would sit behind his massive anchor desk and, in his calm, authoritative voice, update the world on the day's events. Inevitably, whenever Cronkite touched on a serious earthquake in a far-off land, a crooked politician going to jail, or some... Continue Reading →
Why Are We So Bad at Vacation?
There’s the churning stomach. "If I can just get to Friday evening." I have the classic 1981 Loverboy song "Working for the Weekend" playing on a loop in my head. But then there’s also the excitement. "Time away to relax and chill." Vacation time is a funny thing in the U.S. We take work entirely too seriously,... Continue Reading →
Check Engine Lights and Churning Stomachs
Featuring a freezing winter night, an AMC Concord, a Renault Encore that took a permanent French "lie-in," and a 35-mph speeding turtle. A look at the visceral panic of unexpected car trouble, and how a lifetime changes the way we handle the shock.
If there were 100 people in the world?
(A version of this story appeared on September 6, 2023 on The Heart Of The Matter. ) When I was a young kid, I was small for my age. We'd line up at the start of the year, smallest to the tallest, and I would always be one of the shortest boys in my class.... Continue Reading →
Light as a feather
I wasn't looking for hope, but I found it. I was thinking a couple weekends ago about a new adventure that I've found myself on. I was thinking about both rapid and calm waters. Of course, I was in my own head analyzing every action and inaction a million times over. An AI image of... Continue Reading →
What My Coach Got Wrong About Winning
What if coming in second isn't failure, but preparation? A reflection on pee-wee football, Vince Lombardi's actual advice, and why effort is what truly moves us.
Writing from the Heart with Brian 
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