Boo! Did I scare you, Reader? Halloween is just a few days away, which means we are entering that wonderful time of year when people willingly spend money to dress up as something they are not. Some people spend months planning elaborate costumes, complete with makeup, accessories, and enough detail to make a Hollywood production jealous. Others grab a pair of sunglasses, throw on a hat, and announce that they are a character from a movie nobody remembers. I tend to appreciate the second...
7 days ago • 7 min read
Bundle up, Reader! There is a particular moment every fall when I realize that winter is no longer some distant concept. It usually happens on a morning when I walk outside wearing something that was perfectly acceptable the afternoon before. Suddenly, the air has that unmistakable bite to it, and I find myself questioning both my clothing choices and my decision to leave the house in the first place. Of course, I do what any reasonable person would do. I immediately start complaining about...
14 days ago • 6 min read
Whoa there Reader, lets slow it down a little... There is something about the person behind you in a checkout line that can turn putting your wallet away into an Olympic event. You know the situation. Your transaction is finished. You are getting your card back into the little slot it came out of, which apparently has gotten smaller since you removed it. The person behind you moves forward just a little. There is a sigh. Maybe a cart gets pushed closer to your legs. Suddenly, you are stuffing...
21 days ago • 5 min read
IGMT #063 | The Compliment With a But Lets start the day, Reader! Someone can tell me they enjoyed an episode of The MentalCast, and I will immediately begin explaining why they probably shouldn’t have. I wish I were exaggerating. Instead of letting the compliment land, I start reviewing the episode for them. The part I could have explained better. The point I forgot to make. Something that sounded clearer in my head than it did coming out of my mouth. They came to tell me they liked a...
28 days ago • 4 min read
Grab an umbrella, Reader. It has been raining all weekend. I’ve looked out the window more times than I can count, as though the sky might eventually say, “You know what? Fair point,” and give us one more summer afternoon. It hasn’t. I know fall doesn’t arrive all at once. There are weeks of small warnings. The days get shorter. The mornings feel different. Someone starts talking about pumpkin spice before I’m ready to hear about it. But this weekend felt like the moment when I finally...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
IGMT #061 | A missing set of keys can steal two minutes and somehow disrupt the next thirty. Well hello there, Reader! There is a particular sound my car makes that I have grown to hate. I get into the driver’s seat, close the door, put my foot on the brake, and press the button to start the car. Instead of hearing the engine, I get a beep and a message telling me there is no key detected. The keys are still inside the house. This happens more often than I would like to admit. I sit there for...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
IGMT #060 | Being prepared for the job does not mean someone prepared you for everything surrounding it. Hey HeyReader! When I accepted my first college head coaching job, I felt prepared. I had been coaching for years. I knew how to plan a practice, evaluate players, teach skills, manage a match, and build relationships. I had studied the game, worked under other coaches, and spent plenty of time thinking about the kind of program I wanted to lead. I knew there would be challenges, but I...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
IGMT #059 | What if being bored is actually part of learning how to pay attention? Hey Reader! I was sitting in a waiting room recently doing what I assume most people do in waiting rooms now. I was looking at my phone. I don’t remember what I was looking at, which probably tells you everything you need to know. I wasn’t answering an important email or handling some urgent business. I was probably scrolling Facebook, watching a Reel, checking something I had already checked ten minutes...
about 2 months ago • 6 min read
IGMT #058 | Looking Ahead Hi Reader, every week something ordinary gets stuck in my head. This week was no different. I don't remember the title of my first Choose Your Own Adventure book. I couldn't tell you whether it was about pirates, hidden treasure, a haunted house, or a trip through outer space. I just remember bringing it home from the school book fair. Back then, the book fair was a pretty big deal. For one week every year, the library transformed into what felt like the greatest...
4 months ago • 4 min read