Of all the unspoken words in the wild world of language, few quiet a conversation as quickly as “lonely,” “loneliness,” and “alone,” especially when preceded with a confessional “I am…” The utterance of such brings a stillness into a conversation, whether one from empathy or from awkwardness. Empathy, because there are few things as … [Read More]
Of Falling Walls and Saying Yes
I kept looking around, as if someone would come and save me and make it not so hard. It was just an invitation, an offer to eat lunch together. You wouldn’t think it was that big of a deal. But it is. It’s still scary to try to get to know people in this … [Read More]
Early Morning Bus Stops and Going Through It
“You’ve got to go through it, Tony.” The sun was well into the sky as I walked down the street to the bus stop at 6:25am. I walked up to the bus driver, and asked if it was ok if I boarded. He obliged, and I found my way to a seat that would take … [Read More]
Zwischenzeiten and Shards of Glass
There are glass shards everywhere. Of course there are, it’s Sunday morning. Club 27 is right down the street from my apartment, and everyone knows that it’s no party if there are not drunkenly broken bottles there the next morning. It’s a small wonder that the broom is practically a cultural icon here. It’s Sunday … [Read More]
The Dance of Grit, The Dance of Grace.
It’s like a pit in my stomach. I can feel it sit there, unable to be digested. Two weeks. Every minute seems to be filled with a different emotion, making my hours diverse and complicated, making the days exhausting. These fluctuating feelings do not respect my unconscious hours, as they have now begun invading my … [Read More]
Fear. Faith. Four Weeks.
“But what no one has the right to do is let others suppose that faith is something inferior or that it is an easy matter, when in fact it is the greatest and most difficult of all.” – Søren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling Let me confess, there is nothing easy about this. This. This life. … [Read More]