Be the Reason Someone Smiles

I apologize for not writing recently. I’ve been struggling with happiness, no less. Well, I should put some clarity on that: I’ve been confronting other emotional baggage that has affected my happiness. Stress, sleeplessness, and unhappiness have initiated a bitter battle of cause and effect.

 

The American Dream: Happiness ‘n Stuff

We live in a society in which we’re judged based on our stuff. Your clothes. The finest jewelry. That extra inch on your big-screen TV, because 51 inches is just inadequate. The sweet ride parked in your garage, all blinged out, from hood ornament to rims. A sprawling house on a palatial estate. A summer cottage in the woods.

 

The Unhappiness Rut

I feel as if I must explain. My previous post sent shockwaves across my audience, “Oooh, did you hear? Cory is depressed.” That’s not the case. I’m sure I suffer from a certain amount of depression — I won’t deny it — but this isn’t about a clinical diagnosis and how I can cure chronic sadness with a drug. Depression is a very real and serious mental illness, and I lack the academic authority on such a matter. Unhappiness and depression are not interchangeable terms and cannot be treated as synonymous (certainly, depression can be an element standing in the way of one’s search for happiness).

 

No More Hiding Under the Bed

I recently had an opportunity to reconnect with a friend from my college years. During one of our conversations, she explained the beauty in my ability to forgive my father, which got me thinking.

 

Smashed

I haven’t blogged in awhile. As much as writing is my joy and therapeutic outlet, it has a tendency to occasionally burn me out, spurring periodic breaks lest my passion also become a dull, monotonous chore. Taking a short leave of absence enabled me to catch up on my movie watching, particularly a new release titled Smashed.

 

Why I Drink

I drink, not to prove a point. But I occasionally get asked how it is that I can bear to drink alcohol considering all the pain and suffering it has brought to my life.

 

Thursday Night Was Must-See Drama

Thursdays were never met with much anticipation in our home. Thursdays meant paydays, and paydays meant dad had money to waste getting wasted at the bars. Meanwhile, my hardworking mother was suffering through another 12-hour night shift so my sister and I could enjoy humble activities like eating and continuing our education. And so my sister and I would walk home from school, fingers crossed that dad would be inside the house when we arrived.

 

Love Him, Don’t Respect Him

Someone once told me, “You don’t have to respect your father for all he’s done to you. But you have to love him.” I have stood by those remarks all my life. In many ways, I was the man of the house. Most of the time, I was the only man in the house, thanks to a father who had a bad record of absenteeism.

 

A Boomerang Child: To Life and Back Again

The house purchase had fallen through. The news was disheartening, but mostly because it followed three months of bad news. And more bad news. And even more bad news. The icing on the cake. Stuff that made the Bad News Bears the luckiest sons of bitches. Perhaps if the past three months had gone more smoothly, I may not have blown the blown house purchase out of proportion. But there I was, feeling victimized and left searching for more answers.

And that’s when I decided to stop searching.

 

Mom, I’m Moving In (Before I Can Move Up)

I’m 32 years old, but I hardly feel grown up. Yet we all get a dose of those little reality checks along the way, reminding us that we certainly aren’t as young as we think. The responsibilities and stresses of life, from finances to family, can keep our feelings of immortality and youthfulness in tow. For me, deciding to buy a house was one of those reality checks. So much, both good and bad, comes with owning a house; was I prepared?

 

An April Fool: You Want Me to Put That Where?

You know the movie Groundhog Day? The one in which Bill Murray’s character gets trapped in a series of repeating events at a Groundhog Day celebration. At times, I think my life is like that, only it’s called April Fools’ Day. Life’s punching bag. The world’s practical joke. A never-ending farce. In one of their hits, the Bee Gees sing, “Oh, if I’d only seen that the joke was on me.”

 

An Underdog Story

I love underdog stories. But that’s usually reserved for movies like Rudy. Or watching sports. Or reading a great novel. We find ourselves rooting for the little guy. The Little Engine That Could. The fabled tortoise and his hare nemesis. When it comes to our own lives, however, it’s not so enjoyable. We’d much rather skip the blood, sweat, and tears, and go right to the happy ending.

 

It Is What It Is: Lessons Learned From a Smoking Elephant

Those who know me also know that I hate the cliché “It is what it is.” Maybe hate is a strong word; I never really understood it. What is it really saying? If I ask you what something is and you respond with, “It is what it is,” don’t expect gratitude for your over-simplified clarification. Very slowly read it aloud to yourself and contemplate its meaning: It. Is. What. It. Is.

 

A Good-Ole Wisconsin Summer

My final summer in Milwaukee was my best. Or at least I tried to make it so. With a fortune-changing relocation to NYC on my personal horizon, I attempted to do all the things that make Wisconsin summers so memorable. June, July, and August are especially alive in Milwaukee, thanks to the countless activities that beckon people out of their homes: fairs, festivals, wooded trails, beaches, lakes, sporting events, and any other reason to have a cold beer in hand. After all, we endure seven months of agonizing cold and sunless depression that we make it our sole mission to account for every minute of summer.

 

Ray LaMontagne Told Me Not to Move

I’m a big fan of Ray LaMontagne. About the time I decided to move to New York City, I also coincidentally discovered his single “New York City’s Killing Me.” A telling prophecy of what was to come? Surely Ray was telling me not to move.