That will keep making you moolah tomorrow — Passive income is an awesome way to make money in the future and give yourself more freedom. If you want to travel, sleep in, or slow down and enjoy your life, passive income lets you bring in money without spending more time. Now, I said, “more time.” To create passive…

And even more afraid to write — Dear scared writer, Yes, I called you a writer. Even if you’ve never written a word, you are a writer in my book. You see, the spirit of being a writer isn’t measurable. It doesn’t count words, sentences, or paragraphs. You can’t buy it. You can’t touch it. It comes…

Grand Theft Auto taught me many ways to destroy—and also how to rebuild myself. — When I was eight, my brother taught me to run people over and steal cars. We’d spend hours in front of the TV. Sirens blaring. Tires screeching. Bodies crumpling. Laughing as the screen lit up blue and red. My brother was a menace. He’d perfected yanking people out of their…

To help you get past that getting started slump — “It’s the job that’s never started that takes longest to finish.” — J.R.R. Tolkien We’re often told that we should either go big or don’t go, but that’s not always the best advice when you’re just getting started. Getting started can be terrifying, which is why we put it off…

And how to make yourself another promise — Do you feel like you’ve forgotten how to be happy? Has it been years since your gut hurt from laughing? Are you feeling like there’s no more life for you? Sometimes, we forget how to be happy. Bills and responsibilities and burnt muffins and small failures grind us down, and…

It’s okay. You’ll do better next time. — It can take years to build your assertiveness and just a second for it to crumble, can’t it? That wall you thought was strong? Poof with the smallest of taps. It’s frustrating. I know. It took me a decade to feel worthy enough to assert myself. …

Part 2 — AGM vs. flooded batteries — I waited too long. When I bought my sixteen-year-old van two months ago, it was starting up fine. 200 miles later, not so much. I’d turn the ignition switch and either it’d sputter and choke to life or start clicking like a tap dancer on LSD. Jump starts became a…

Part 1 — Swapping out the transmission filter, gasket, and oil — Ah, sixteen. The first blush of adulthood’s setting on you. Young. Excited. If you’re a human. If you’re a cat, sayonara. A car, sheesh, you’re decrepit. Age is relative. In this series, I’ll talk to you about my DIY mechanical work on my 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan. I plan to…

Even though they say the darndest things — I love children. More than I ever loved anything Their laughs Their smiles Their tiny little teeth All those dimples On their shoulders Elbows Knees Knuckles Their fat cheeks Their honesty Their heavenly soft skin — Us, in our truest form Before we’re sullied Before we’re indoctrinated Into a civil…