Not too long ago, I ran another blog on WordPress here called Fiction & Ideas. I had a ton of fun doing that blog, but life, as it does, eventually pulled me in different directions. So, it’s been great to start this blog – God Is In The Radio – and get back to a fiction writing and poetry practice.

I’m unsure what I’m really doing with this blog. It’s really just an outlet for my restless, creative spirit and impulses. I’d like to focus on horror stuff and ghost stories, but my mind often goes in a million different directions.

So, maybe I’ll do some journal entries on here, too.

Life has been relatively calm lately. A couple of years ago, my wife, Rachel, and I moved to Tennessee, where she is from. It’s been a weird adjustment at times, but I finally feel like I’m settling in. After a while of holing up in the house – maybe a pandemic-era bad habit – I am finally getting out and doing things.

Most of it involves going to 12-step meetings, which I have a long, complicated history with. Lately, going to the AA meetings has felt great. I hope it stays that way. I met with a therapist about my mixed feelings with AA, and after one session, something totally clicked with me. She mentioned something about just observing my thoughts while in the meetings. If I heard something that pissed me off, just observe it and let it pass like a cloud in the sky.

It was a light bulb moment for me. Ever since that therapy session, I’ve been able to go and feel safe at 12-step meetings and actually enjoy them.

The therapist’s comment also led me back to studying Buddhism and mindfulness, which I am appreciating more deeply. I had read about mindfulness and Buddhism before, and I have practice yoga and meditation in the past, but for whatever reason, what I’m reading and doing now is sinking in with me at a level I never experienced before. After years of disillusionment with Christianity, something about Buddhism feels so incredibly true to me.

Overall, the dharma talks I am listening to and the books I’m reading have been giving me a sense of peace I never really experienced before. It has been surprising, needless to say.

Another fun thing happening recently is learning more about Judaism. My wife is Jewish, and she has taught me a lot over the years. But recently I am also studying Jewish culture and leaning more into that, as well.

We went to a synagogue service on Rosh Hashannah, and I felt incredibly comfortable there. Sometimes I wonder if I have what’s known as a “Jewish soul,” something my wife likes to say sometimes. I’m not sure if I’d ever convert to Judasim, but I feel drawn to it.

As you can see, I am interested in religion and spirituality – and I always have been. It gives me a sense of centeredness and grounding, and it’s been nice to come back and rest in it. I had a lot of baggage from Christianity and what’s funny about that is I wasn’t even really raised in the church. I think the baggage was more cultural than anything else. So, it’s been nice to unpack that, let it go, and move into spiritual spaces where I feel more comfortable.

That’s all for now. Thanks to anyone who has been reading my blog and all the stories I’ve been posting lately. I’ve been writing constantly recently, and it’s been a great way to distract me from the rest of the craziness of the world.

Last thing: Yes, the world is nuts right now. A war in the Middle East, a war in Ukraine, massive hurricanes in the U.S., and of course, the dread-inducing presidential election in the U.S. inching closer.

Luckily, I’ve been happily unplugged from it all, and I’m trying to keep it that way. I have a general sense of what’s going on, but I’m staying away from click-bait journalism and all the people stirring the pot.

If people want to freak out in America, that’s on them.

You can find me reading about the Buddha.