Damage is fast. Healing is slow.
I had two hip surgeries during peak Covid. (I don’t recommend it). I followed all of the surgeon’s instructions: I did physical therapy. I stretched daily (and still do). I stopped running and playing Pickleball (giving up running wasn’t as hard as I expected, but I’m still bitter about Pickleball because I was pretty dang […]
A dog taught me about homelessness.
I had dinner with my aunt last week. She explained that she had called a dog rescue program and asked them to contact her when they had a dog that absolutely no one would ever adopt. Three weeks later they called her to say that they had a Maltipoo (Maltese Poodle mix… Google them, they’re […]
I don’t know much about suicide.
I have a lot of professional experience with homelessness, mental illness, substance abuse, PTSD and traumatic brain injury. I have very little experience with the issue of suicide. Personally, I am grateful for that fact. Professionally, though, it is a gap. For years, people have been asking me to do a training on the topic. […]
It was legal to own another human being.
I find comfort in looking at American history through the lens of my family: When my great-great grandparents were born: It was legal to own another human being. When my grandparents were born: Women could not vote. When my parents were born: It was legal to racially segregate schools. When I was born: Individuals with […]
Homelessness is War
Jeremy was one of my best friends in high school. For nearly four years, we saw each other almost daily. We ran cross country together. We drove to dances together with our dates. After graduation, he was a groomsman in my wedding. And then the United States invaded Iraq. Jeremy was a sniper platoon leader […]
The hardest day of my life was December 20, 1998.
Even though I was twenty years old, I crawled into my parent’s bed and sobbed. I felt like a frightened five-year-old, but this time the monsters lurking in the shadows were real. Everything had changed. All food had the same bland taste. Sleep was sporadic and unfulfilling. I always felt claustrophobic—even when I was in […]
A story about PTSD and dragons (written by AI).
I listened to an interview the other day with Sal Kahn, founder of Khan Academy. He talked about how AI is changing education (for better and worse). Specifically, he talked about how Khan Academy is using AI to teach people around the world. I am terrified and excited. I am intrigued and overwhelmed. It made […]
Don’t believe the darkest corners of the human spirit.
I’ll keep it brief. Don’t believe the darkest corners of the human spirit: Cynicism is not wisdom. Hope is not naïve. Cruelty is not strength. Compassion is not weakness. peace, Ryan p.s. I need to be reminded of this periodically and thought you might too!
The world is worth saving…
Snow huddled in the creases of the Rocky Mountains. A fat Marmot—like a groundhog, but unable to predict spring—chattered at us angrily. My 23-year-old son, Cameron, and I were at the peak of a mountain, nearly 13,000 feet above sea level. We sat on large grey rocks with a 360-degree panoramic view of craggy heights, […]
Don’t “rub it in” that people are homeless.
Two weeks ago, the newsletter was about how to get people to leave your organization at closing time. Part of my advice was to remind people that “Staff need to get home to their families.” I received a few emails chastising me for “rubbing it in” that staff have families and homes, while homeless folks […]
