THE OPTIMISTIC DUKE

LIVING A LIFE FUELED BY COFFEE AND BABY SNUGGLES

40 days without the scroll

I gave up social media for Lent. I knew that I needed a break from the endless scroll but I also needed the accountability of good old-fashioned Catholic guilt. I was honestly eager to delete the apps from my phone…

Sedona

The sun came peeking through the clouds, gently at first. Soon tiny rainbows dotted the inside of the car as the beams came pouring through the windows. The warmth glazed over my skin like a memory I forgot I was…

Garbage and Gratitude

I am in a phase of wanting to purge my environment. Donation piles of toys and clothes pile up by the door before I whisk them off to sit in the back of my van for weeks on end. Eventually,…

The Final Days

I’ve thought about the last weekend we had with my mom over and over the last 6 months. There are moments that flash in my mind like a light turned on in a dark room and others that linger on…

In the darkness

I used to sit in front of a computer screen and stare at the cursor blinking back at me, wishing my brain could turn thoughts into words and wash them over the blank page. My creativity comes in unpredictable waves…

The After

There’s something about hearing her name when I’m not expecting it that guts me. When people ask how things are, I’m usually, at least partially, honest. When things are okay, I lean in and embrace it and when they’re not,…

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