Teaching Thomas ← thoughts along the way

Flowers Everywhere

May

2013

When I landed here in Portland, the early spring blooms were just on their way out. I had left Denver just as the weather was turning for the worst, with a month of snow pretty much for all of April there. Here, though, the cherry trees, crab apples, daffodils, and tulips were all blooming in ...

Teaching Thomas 012

May

2013

I’m back with a new show in my new home! It’s not a biggie, but I felt compelled. Thank you for downloading, and I hope to make this more of a regular thing now that school is OVER! Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Weekend Bliss 2

May

2013

The first weekend of May is here, and though I wasn’t expecting this when I moved to Portland, the weather is AMAZING. Like upper 70s/low 80s, and full sunshine. I’ve spent all week inside, scraping and cleaning up a bathroom in our house, so to get outside and enjoy all this glorious weather has been ...

Reaction 1

Apr

2013

Yesterday was a glorious day here in Portland, Oregon. The sun is a rarity in these parts, and the weather forecast had called for a day of rain, which I’m learning is pretty typical. The only true measure of the weather here is to simply step outside and take a look and feel for ...

Reflections Over Coffee

Apr

2013

Well, here I am, in Portland, Oregon. If you had asked me a year ago if I’d be anywhere near here, I’d have looked at you wistfully, and then realized that no, probably not. Things a year ago were as chaotic for me as they’d ever been. It was a long winter in the Denver ...

One Week (and some music) 1

Mar

2013

I have one week left at altitude. One week left on my mountaintop. Last night, I pulled together a little going-away party at the Denver Eagle, and amid all the St. Patrick’s revelers, I got a chance to say my goodbyes to a lot of familiar faces and people that have seen me arrive here ...

Anxiety Awareness

Mar

2013

I have always been like this. When I have a massive thing happening to me, no matter what it is, I fret. It eats away at me, I wrangle with it, I deny it, I put my head in the sand and wait for it to go away. What I struggle with EVERY DAMN TIME ...

Awakening 1

Feb

2013

Last night, I got to see the last full moon I’ll have as a Coloradan. By this time next month, I will have begun my new life in Portland, Oregon, in a new time zone, in a new home, with a loving man, and at the threshold of a brand new way forward. By this ...

Teaching Thomas 010

Feb

2013

Here’s another installment of audio for your ears. Lots to catch up on, and lots to share. I hope you enjoy! Podcast: Play in new window | Download

PDX

Jan

2013

It’s been two days since I left Portland, and a lovely weekend with Caleb. The trip marked the end to the longest stretch he and I are going to be apart, hopefully, in the rest of our time together. It had been since the day before my 35th birthday, September 30, in Seattle. We ...

After Vermont

Jan

2013

It’s been nearly a week since leaving the Green Mountain State. I find myself readjusting to altitude, readjusting to the air here, and the job I left here when I took off to Vermont. It has been a week of readjustment, of recalibration, and trying to keep my focus on my writing and my future. ...

Ready for Take-Off

Jan

2013

I’ve checked my luggage, and now await my flight. Boarding begins in just under two hours. I love being early at airports. Sailing through security, as a seasoned traveler, and now I get to sit and watch as the people come and the people go. Airports, much like bus and train stations, are places where ...

Back East 1

Jan

2013

Tomorrow night, I’m headed east again. Back to Vermont. Back to Goddard. This time will be my final full-length residency. It will be my last retreat at a sacred space that has been both the hub of the wheel that my life has become, but also a grounding source, a touchstone, that has brought me ...

Midwinter Approaches 1

Dec

2012

Soon, the darkest day will come, and as always, it will go. The winter solstice is fast approaching, and along with it comes all the hustle, bustle, and chaos that the holiday season has now become. I am all-too-often wrapped up in the mayhem of my job, and the needs of others this time of ...

Testing Thinking

Nov

2012

I got my semi-annual HIV test yesterday, and it stuck with me all day. It seems, each time I get this done, I’m left mentally exhausted. There’s plenty of reasons for this. This time, though, it wasn’t necessarily about me and my results. Those were as expected. What I was stuck on all day long ...