October 31, 2018
It’s hard to believe, but I actually did it. Thirty-one days without Facebook and Twitter. Thirty-one days without reading, watching, or listening to the news. Thirty-one days (well, almost) of meditating and writing every day. Thirty-one days of trying to be more mindful and present in the moment. Needless to say, it’s been a…
October 30, 2018
Tomorrow is Halloween. And in my house, that means one thing: all out panic! Even though a month back I suggested we start preparing, as of just a few days ago, neither Boogieface nor The Animal had any idea what they were going to be. My son, who is much more decisive than his big sis, decided pretty quickly that…
October 29, 2018
Love Thy Neighbor… …Thy Homeless Neighbor, …Thy Muslim Neighbor, …Thy Black Neighbor, …Thy Gay Neighbor, …Thy Immigrant Neighbor, …Thy Jewish Neighbor, …Thy Christian Neighbor, …Thy Atheist Neighbor, …Thy Addicted Neighbor. No more hate. No exceptions. #PittsburghStrong…
October 28, 2018
Today the Pittsburgh Steelers played the Cleveland Browns (and won, big time). Ten years ago — heck, even five years ago — that would’ve meant one thing: I’d be going somewhere to hang out with my friends to drink oh-so-many beers and watch every single play. It was just a given. But today was different. Today, as my…
October 27, 2018
I gotta be honest, I really wasn’t looking forward to today. The plan was to wake up at 6:45, drag the kiddos out of bed, and then get them dressed and fed before rushing out into the rain and cold for The Animal’s soccer tournament 45 minutes away in Wexford. Then, after the games had all wrapped…
October 26, 2018
My heart pounded as I crouched in the corner of the field, carefully scanning for any sign of movement. I knew they were near, hunting me. I could hear them moving through the dried stalks in the distance. Just when I thought I was safe, I heard footsteps to my right. Turning toward the noise, I saw him coming straight…
October 25, 2018
You may have noticed that I didn’t write a post yesterday. It wasn’t because I was too busy, or sick, or had something better to do. I just didn’t feel like it. And…I had three glasses of homemade wine at my in-laws’ last night and decided to just hit the sack when I got home…
October 23, 2018
Just now I was experiencing some anxiety about what to write about today, when it hit me: Write about anxiety! One of the reasons I wanted to do this October Mindfulness Challenge was to learn how to better deal with anxiety. The older I get it seems the more anxious I am about things. I don’t remember worrying about…
October 22, 2018
Mindfulness isn’t easy. Trust me, this is about the 5th time I’ve tried to develop a daily meditation habit. Turns out I’m not very good at sitting around and doing nothing, despite what my wife might tell you. Hopefully when this October Mindfulness Challenge is done, I’ll keep meditating everyday, even if just for a few…
October 21, 2018
Parenthood. What a roller-coaster ride. Saturday our kids competed against other Catholic schools in the Pittsburgh Diocesan Championship at the Lawrence County Fairgrounds. We had high hopes for The Animal, who as a 3rd-grader has shown great promise, regularly beating runners 2 or 3 grades older. Honestly, I just wanted him to try his best. But I knew…
