Thinking and Seeing for Better Being
How do you relax? Rest comes easiest when it is received, not earned. Rest as Surrender Lucy’s pink blanket slipped from her shoulder as the bunny drooped in her hand. She did not plan this nap; she drifted into it. This is the kind of rest that comes when we stop fighting, when the body... Continue Reading →
Why do you blog? Life measured in boxes—headstones stacked above, pale squares below. Nothing promised. How Many Squares Do You Have Left? Following a Life Lived From the Inside Out I keep a grid on paper—ten by ten, one square for each possible year.Sixty-three of mine are shaded already.Dark little boxes, like headstones in rows.The... Continue Reading →
Daily writing promptWhat does your ideal home look like?View all responses Grace in the Mess When I think of an ideal home, I imagine order, silence, everything in its place. But this summer, our dishwasher broke. In the busyness of life, repair slipped down the list, and so my hands found the water again. Morning... Continue Reading →
Daily writing promptHow would you design the city of the future?View all responses What if the city of the future wasn’t a gleaming utopia of steel and speed, but a humble haven where even the weeds in your soul could find grace? Beneath every dream city lies the grit of construction. Outside my window, workers... Continue Reading →
Daily writing promptWhat brings you peace?View all responses A Word to IbaYour words about unsung songs and the ache of becoming—they’ve stayed with me.They echo in the spaces between these lines.You’ve reminded me: peace does not come from perfection, but from presence.And I want you to know—You are not alone. None of us are. When... Continue Reading →
What's the story behind your nickname? A count without a castle, learning to tend what matters They asked about nicknames. But some names are not just playful—they’re formative, false, or even holy. Sometimes names are less about thrones and more about thresholds. My name is Dean Graf. Dean means wooded valley.Graf means count—a land steward.... Continue Reading →
Daily writing promptHow would you describe yourself to someone who can't see you?View all responses The WordPress prompt was:How would you describe yourself to someone who can’t see you? I didn’t answer right away.The question cut deep—past the easy stuff like job titles, appearances, or roles.It asked for something real.Something forming.Something still in process. And... Continue Reading →
Daily writing promptScour the news for an entirely uninteresting story. Consider how it connects to your life. Write about that.View all responses The Impossible Quest for Bad Art In college, a professor threw us a wild challenge: “Make art so bad it has nothing good about it.” I tried. Oh, I tried. But every smudged... Continue Reading →
Three Moments That Found Me When I Wasn’t Looking Which activities make you lose track of time? Sit with me for a moment. When Time Bends: Three Ordinary Moments That Saved Me There are clocks everywhere. On phones, dashboards, microwaves.In our bones. We chase the blinking digits—the meetings, the pickups, the fifteen minutes we’re behind.And... Continue Reading →
Daily writing promptWhat is your favorite genre of music?View all responses Breath, Spirit, and the Sounds Beneath the Noise The WordPress prompt asked:What is your favorite genre of music? A simple question. Jazz. Rock. Classical. Hip-hop. Worship. Lo-fi chill.Pick one. Smile. Move on. But I sat with it for a while—and the question dropped like... Continue Reading →
Forming 2.0 