Writing from the Heart with Brian
Think, Laugh, & Cry Each Day
When my wife left the room for a quick shower, our son's bulldog went from pure bliss to total despair in seconds. I consider myself a decent guy, but in Panzer's eyes, I was worse than nobody—I was Option B. A comedic look at life as the backup human.
Crammed in my small plane seat on the way home, the message was short and direct. And yet the finality still hit hard, the words "passed away" gliding in and out of my thoughts like the plane soaring left and right, making its return home.
Can you deeply grieve a loss while experiencing genuine joy? Can you accept yourself today while working to change tomorrow? Exploring the beautiful paradoxes of everyday life.
(A version of this story appeared on The Heart of The Matter in November 2023.) The thing I noticed first was his calmness. He wasn’t like the other teachers, coaches, or family friends in my life. He had a soft voice that you sometimes had to strain to hear and he rarely seemed to yell... Continue Reading →
(A version of this story first appeared on June 21, 2023 on The Heart of The Matter.) My sons were both excited, my daughter a bit less, but she was being a good sport. They wanted to see the waterfalls. Our kids were all relatively young and we had billed up the falls and our... Continue Reading →
I could see the car crash coming. It was right there in front of me—driving 100 mph and in slow motion. This is what happens when a high-stakes presentation becomes a corporate battlefield, complete with a smirking antagonist and a lifelong stutter determined to prove who’s boss.
Historical legend is an interesting thing. I wrote a couple of weeks ago about how we don't actually know a lot about Betsy Ross, but traditional American lore has it that she created the first U.S. Flag. Check out my post - Betsy Ross and the Three Moochers (Why the Flag Has 5-Pointed Stars). Now, here... Continue Reading →
A few weeks ago, I found an old reporter's notebook of mine. It's from when I graduated from college and had my first real job working as a reporter for my hometown newspaper. I covered the county commissioners and made daily trips to the courthouse to cover meetings, keep on top of the crime docket... Continue Reading →
Some words have a certain stylish flair. They have pizzazz. You see them and the emotion and action jump off the screen or page. It's like a house that gets refurbished and all of a sudden turns heads for the first time in years or seeing a dry, just-the-facts coworker outside of work and finding... Continue Reading →
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