Identify Racism and Strive to Be Antiracist

In early 2020, I was motivated to dive back into the news, social media, and much of the happenings of civilization. After three years of trying to ignore a president promoting racism and bigotry, I had an urge to gain a better understanding of our political system. Covid-19 also brought several new challenges to the table. And then a racist member of the Minnesota Police Department brutally murdered George Floyd.

Read more “Identify Racism and Strive to Be Antiracist” →

Practicing Gratitude in the Midst of Difficult Challenges

I was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 18. It was my senior year in high school, and in that moment, I was the exact opposite of grateful. In my mind, practicing gratitude on that day was impossible. I had dedicated countless hours to restoring my 1985 BMW, and I wanted to hold down the gas pedal long enough to a reach the speed of light.

As the diagnosis slowly started to set in, my ideas were refocused more on anger instead of recklessly escaping down the country roads. I hated my dysfunctional mind and I hoped that my doctors were wrong. My family could make a convincing argument that I dedicated the next six (or even 16) years of my life trying to prove everyone wrong.

Read more “Practicing Gratitude in the Midst of Difficult Challenges” →
UN-covid-19-response

Update on the Covid-19 Challenge

The size and frequency of social gatherings is starting to increase in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, plenty of questions remain unanswered. After reading a recent publication, I am starting to gain some confidence in three important conclusions:

  1. Nasal swab samples (tested via RT-PCR) is currently the only accurate testing method.
  2. The majority of people with Covid-19 are likely asymptomatic
  3. Covid-19 is a virus that spreads rapidly even with appropriate quarantine measures in place.
Read more “Update on the Covid-19 Challenge” →
the mechanical brain

Experiencing the Moment with One Half of the Mind

As mentioned in my story, I had a tumor removed from my left temporal lobe. Before the tumor was surgically removed I experienced complex partial seizures isolated within the left hemisphere of my brain. During these one to two-minute complex partial seizures, I was unable to speak. It felt like I was entrapped within a dysfunctional mind. My silent, slurred, or illogical  Read more “Experiencing the Moment with One Half of the Mind” →

Hamburger and Fries

The Top 4 Healthy Diet Roadblocks

A consistent healthy diet is not the social norm. It seems bizarre to many that I do not eat processed foods or anything with added sugars. I have thought about the differences between my choices and the common perspective on eating. I have concluded that healthy eating is uncommon for the following reasons.

  1. Diet Trends Are Misunderstood.
  2. Processed Foods Profit Business.
  3. Unhealthy Eating Is Overlooked.
  4. The Social Norm Is Prioritized Over Yourself.

Read more “The Top 4 Healthy Diet Roadblocks” →

Bottles of Adderall

Adderall and the American Dream

Adderall, a drug intended to treat ADD/ADHD, has been around for a long time. People have used it, legally and illegally, for a wide variety of things. Adderall, being an amphetamine, is sometimes prescribed to people with narcolepsy. Similarly, it is commonly referred to as a ‘study drug’ because it helps students stay up all night to cram for an exam. More recently, Adderall has become popular with Millennials. In Lawrence Diller’s article: America’s Love Affair With Legal Amphetamine, he provides a unique opinion of this generation of young adults. Diller blames the spike in misuse of Adderall on our country’s economy, irresponsible pharmaceutical companies, and mainstream culture. Besides these obvious contributors, he offers a new reason as to why Millennials turn to drugs like Adderall. Read more “Adderall and the American Dream” →

Bike on a Trail

How to Overcome the Fear of Guilt

As Lorean and I are raising our daughter Madelyn, the choices we make for her seem to be non-stop. With my ties to psychology and obsessions with neurological development, I am known to overthink decisions every once in a while. Okay, I overthink things all the time according to Lorean as well as reality. We are doing our best to provide a loving environment. We are doing our best to help our daughter maintain her sense of peace while experiencing the world around her. Decisions including:

Food: times, temperatures, quantities, introductions, allergies, etc. Read more “How to Overcome the Fear of Guilt” →

Girl in a Crib before sleep

Sleep Training

I recently posted an article comparing the CIO (Cry It Out) group supporters to the Co-Sleeping supporters, and briefly discussed our daughter’s experience with both sleep plans. We are now 4 weeks into implementing a successful CIO bedtime and nap-time routine for our 11-month-old daughter. I have not seen a detailed example of how CIO plans are implemented, so I have decided to share the specifics of our plan. Read more “Sleep Training” →

How to Efficiently Save For Retirement

We all owe gratitude to a job that provides a paycheck to support yourself, your family, and the economy. Some of that pay is dedicated to state taxes, federal taxes, social security, life insurance, healthcare plans, etc, and there is a chance some is invested toward retirement. Sometimes a company matches a percentage invested up to 3–6%, and usually we select that percentage to invest toward retirement without much thought. Eventually, we assume that we will retire, and our retirement will be supported. Read more “How to Efficiently Save For Retirement” →