Dear Love,
I’ll give you this. You dazzle me in movies, melt me in songs, and wow me in books. But how well do I really know you?
After all, these are the stories I want to hear. I will willingly watch, listen to, or read for hours. They say, “You’re based on a true story.” But I’ve never seen a beauty marry a beast or a street peasant marry a princess. Is it possible I like the idea of you more than I like you?…
Read MoreThis is a continuation of the story featured in The Accident, an article I published on August 1, 2019.
It got cut from the original article, mainly, in an effort to distill rather than amplify the piece. It was a painful casualty of the creative process, but since I heard from so many people about the accident I figure it would be cool to resuscitate it. Plus, I thought it might be good enough to warrant its own day in the sun. But you’ll be a better judge than me.
Oh, and I decided to leave it in the buff and totally untouched from when I first wrote it. Yes, there are typos, tense problems, grammar flubs, and battle wounds. C’mon, if I edited the outtake, how much fun would that be. Enjoy!…
Read MoreTrack: A Little Bit of Everything
Length: 5:39
Album: Nothing Is Wrong (2011)
Artist: Dawes
Songwriter: Taylor Goldsmith
Favorite line: “I think love is so much easier than you realize / If you can give yourself to someone, then you should”…
Read MoreSeveral years back, I was at a business conference in Chicago. Each night starting around 3ish, I would have some downtime. Two days into the trip, I’d already done all the Chicago things—boat tour, deep-dish pizza, visit Wrigley Field, etc.
Sitting in the hotel lobby, flipping through those what-to-do-in-Chicago pamphlets, I notice men and women walking by wearing provocative Halloween costumes. Or so it seems. I put my head back into the pamphlet while laughing to myself, “Geez, Chicago is pretty freaky.” Not even thirty seconds later, I pick my head up again and notice more costumed people—it’s literally just one after the other streaming by. Now I’m thinking, “What the heck is going on?”…
Read MoreThere are so many moments in life.
But there is one moment that seems to captivate me far beyond any other. This moment is so rare that it moves about in flashes, every so often, and only if you’re lucky will you get to experience it throughout life.
This moment wrestles my heart to the ground, squeezes it like a boa constrictor until it stops beating, like a mouse that stops breathing. But just for a moment. Suddenly, I feel a release. I’m alive again. In awe. Speechless. Not sure what to think, say, or do. All I’m left with is this moment, dancing there still in my mind…
Read MoreTrack: Mississippi
Length: 3:54
Album: Love and Theft (2001)
Artist: Bob Dylan
Songwriter: Bob Dylan
Favorite line: “Walking through the leaves, falling from the trees / Feeling like a stranger nobody sees”…
Read MoreI found you.
I don’t know what you are or who you are, but I know where you are. Because I found you.
A feeling that’s irreplaceable. Magic happens the moment I realize something is mine. Only mine. A feeling of possession. I claim you, care for you, and tell the world about you. It’s a dance between responsibility and vulnerability. A feeling so deep. So meaningful. All because I found you.
Sometimes this happens with a musician. Other times a lover. Or even a moment or a rock.
Does it even matter?…
Read MoreTrack: I Hope That I Don’t Fall in Love with You
Length: 3:54
Album: Closing Time (1973)
Artist: Tom Waits
Songwriter: Tom Waits
Favorite line: “Well the night does funny things inside a man / These old tomcat feelings you don’t understand”…
Read MoreCreative work is hard. Really hard. It’s emotional. It’s revealing. It’s time-consuming. It’s draining. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a song, album, movie, article, painting, or book. Whatever it is, it took way longer to create than it did to consume. I have immense appreciation for anyone who has the guts to do creative work and deliver it to the world. Who am I to say it sucks? That’s why I don’t. Not publically, anyway. I certainly have my opinions and preferences—have a drink with me, and you’re sure to hear plenty about both. I just don’t find negative criticism to be particularly useful. You might love something I think sucks. I don’t want to ruin it for you. This is why I choose to not publically add to the already enormous amount of people ready and willing to tell you a book sucks. I trust your ability to form your own opinion on whatever you’re reading. So what do I do?…
Read MoreWould it be okay if you never knew?
I say that seriously, too. There’s a thought I have of me undressing you. I slip my hand around your waist, there you are, finally looking at me differently than you ever have before. Would it be okay if you never knew?
Sometimes, I think about that thought before I go to sleep at night. Other times, as soon as I wake up. Like a bolt of lightning, it flashes in and out of my mind during any given day. For all of eternity, though, I will be the only one who knows.
Our circumstances have led us here…
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