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I started my Twitter account 10 years ago. Shortly after I thought I figured out how to use it, I noticed hashtags. They were confusing.

I was frustrated by the lack of spaces between the words in a hashtag, because I was a journalist then.

Once I learned hashtags are used so tweets can be found and seen more easily, I understood and wasn’t frustrated by them anymore.

I haven’t used Twitter much lately, but recently I stumbled upon a new hashtag.

It frustrated me all over again. (more…)

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It was just another Tuesday, and I was just another 15-year-old sophomore in high school.

My mind had little regard for anything except girls, sports, what I’d eat for lunch and how I’d get through math class.

I didn’t have a cell phone or a driver’s license.

I was nowhere near New York City or the World Trade Center.

Terrorism was just a word.

I’m 32 now. Things are different.

I know you might skim this story on your cell phone. I know you might be too young to remember what happened.

Maybe you weren’t even born.

Maybe all you know about Sept. 11, 2001, came from what you’ve seen on social media or heard in history class.

My friend wrote a column about Sept. 11 last week, in which she made a wonderful point about what I remember most from the the day’s aftermath. I’ve thought about you since I read it. I thought about you again this morning, when I saw an Instagram post from a history teacher who had students interview someone who has a clear memory of what happened 17 years ago today to help them see a different picture of one of America’s most disasterous days.

I’ll never forget what unfolded in those hours.

If you can’t remember, and you have a minute to spare, I’d like to try to take you to a time when the history you’ve heard was just heartbreak. (more…)

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Long ago, I made one of my many bad choices.

I went outside to play, and saw a five-gallon bucket.

There was water in it and a bee on it.

I’d been told bees don’t usually bother you if you don’t bother them, which has since proven to be mostly true, but I was a young boy and it proved impossible not to test such a theory.

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Mason,

When you were born Feb. 20, I was elated. A lot of things ran through my mind at once when I thought about you, mostly pride and a plan to travel the length of the country twice in a weekend to see you.

My pride has only deepened in the six days you’ve been here, especially since I heard you’ve already peed on your mama.

My plan didn’t happen, but there’s another one in the works and we’ve been officially introduced on FaceTime.

Since I wrote to your sisters shortly after they were born, I thought I’d try to write down some things you might need to know about life.

(more…)

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Last night I listened to the rain for a while before I realized I had nothing substantial to put in this post and my mind drifted to muses.

Mythological muses were known for inspiration.

It turns out muses are no different in the real world.

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Time is a funny thing.

Sometimes it goes slow. Sometimes it goes by in a blink.

We think we have all of the time in the world, but we are guaranteed only this moment.

I’ve been jarred by the reality of how brief life really is on more than one occasion.

One such reminder came while I took notes on a high school basketball game.

I haven’t looked at life the same way since.

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Daddy and I were on the road to somewhere the other day.

We were listening to an oldies station when I made a remark about how, on the whole, today’s music doesn’t hold a candle to the songs on the radio when Daddy was younger.

I believe a day spent listening to Delilah on a recent trip to the beach led to his defense of modern music.

“It ain’t all bad,” Daddy said. “Every song wasn’t good back then, either. You’re just listening to the All Stars.”

I didn’t think about the exchange again until yesterday, and the thought had nothing to do with music. (more…)

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I have listened a lot in the last few days.

I have listened to a lot of opinions on a lot of different things since the tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia.

I have opinions on a lot of things, most of which I will keep to myself because they aren’t important.

I will address some things, however, and I will start with a story. (more…)