Writing from the Heart with Brian
Think, Laugh, & Cry Each Day
Watching my father turn rough wood into detailed sculptures with a pocketknife taught me the art of patience. I never mastered his sharp tools, but I found my own chisel in the pen—carving out words to find my voice and build my world.
A brief warning from a state park attendant kicked off a flood of creative inspiration. From jellyfish apocalypses to mob bosses in flip-flops, here is what happens when your mind wanders on dry land.
We talk in clichés. We love phrases that once were striking, but over time have lost their impact and power. Their overuse has caused the words to lose meaning for the listener. It's like a piece of bubble gum that's full of sugary flavor when you first start chewing it, but over time becomes bland... Continue Reading →
A simple request from my wife to borrow a flannel shirt sent me down a hallway of memory. Flannel was my father's uniform through every high and low of his life. Looking at his old shirt hanging in my closet reminds me that people are complicated, messy, and full of grace if we choose to see it.
From the quiet awe of takeoff to the absurdity of the terminal, air travel is a mix of miracles and madness. A look at the brief magic of flight—and the universal quirks of the people we fly with.
From moody introverted seagulls and missing personalized keychains to the undisputed supremacy of beach ice cream, here are a few simple observations and lessons learned from a recent trip to Bethany Beach.
Seeking refuge from the chaotic terminal gate, I bumped into a fellow traveler with a familiar look of exhaustion—and a full set of feathers. A short story about finding common ground in unexpected places.
When I worked as a newspaper reporter, we used to keep a running list of 'rackets' that bugged us. I left the newsroom, but I'm still keeping score. From the guilt-trip of an iPad tip screen to the power of AI, here are the everyday institutions that drive me up a wall.
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.
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