By U.S. State
By Country
On Tinder We Are Figments of Our Own Imagination
by Katerina Parsons | Aug 1, 2015 | Placeless
As I flipped through a hundred faces, ground rules quickly emerged. I wouldn’t talk to anyone holding a dead animal, no one posing in front of a truck, no shirtless pictures.
Singing the Himno
by Katerina Parsons | Jul 31, 2015 | Honduras
It is not so hard to learn the language of a people, the food, the customs. It is so much harder to understand a people’s spirit.
‘Everyone’s looking out of their own eyes’
by Ben DeVries | Jul 30, 2015 | Chicago
He suggests that imagination is the essential component of sympathy. To imagination, I would add faith, also—faith that what you feel is maybe not so different from what I feel.
The Backcountry Is Not a Wes Anderson Movie
by Matt Medendorp | Jul 29, 2015 | Alaska
What if that’s how wilderness ends? When we forget its inherent value and stop listening to its story, we attempt to master it in control of our own narrative.
Matter Over Mind
by Bekah (Williamson) Medendorp | Jul 28, 2015 | Placeless
Family members are lured to the kitchen by the aroma and we sit to eat. We feed our bodies and remember that they matter. I understand now that life is physical.
Ten Minutes
by Brad Zwiers | Jul 27, 2015 | Michigan
Then the boxes are labeled and slid into the corner, waiting ominously to be lugged onto a trailer. They speak a steady word: change is coming; change is here.
I Won’t Be Far
by Griffin Jackson | Jul 26, 2015 | Placeless
I am not going to a warzone. I am going to the house next door, treated in Syria’s conflagration as the westward gutter, collecting blood and people.
No Counting to the End
by Greg Kim | Jul 25, 2015 | Korea
But then the form asked me to provide my “Duration of stay in Korea (days).” I put my pen down and looked up. It hit me then that I had no idea how long I would be here.
Marooners
by Lauren (Boersma) Harris | Jul 24, 2015 | Michigan
The water of Lake Superior is bone-chillingly lovely in a way that could only be considered refreshing to someone whose brutalized bones could use a good, algid chill.
Drinking on Balconies
by Michael Kelly | Jul 23, 2015 | Placeless
Balconies are the only architectural structure I know of that can immediately fool you into thinking that you have the socioeconomic status of a character on Gossip Girl.
NO GMO!
by Robert Zandstra | Jul 22, 2015 | Placeless
What GMOs have really delivered is vast amounts of wealth and power to a handful of multinational chemical and biotech corporations.
No Speedo, No Service
by Gabe Gunnink | Jul 20, 2015 | France
There was, however, mingled comfort and horror in knowing that if I hadn’t packed it, a Speedo vending machine was available in the lobby.
Run
by Mary Margaret Healy | Jul 19, 2015 | Pennsylvania
Today is Saturday, and though I meant to wake up early and take this run in the morning, life got in the way. Greasy, sloppy life, not thrilling, carpe diem life.
Petoskey
by Matt & Laura Hubers | Jul 18, 2015 | Michigan
One never knows who might show up at the condo. One year there were seventeen people stuffed into the three bedrooms. Three people slept on the porch.
Recipe for a Michigan Summer
by Geneva Langeland | Jul 17, 2015 | Michigan
Carefully examine relatives for non-swimmers and set these aside for later use. Wrap swimmers in bathing suits and grease liberally with sunscreen. Use SPF 20 or higher.
Things I Found in New York
by Andrew Knot | Jul 16, 2015 | New York
I arrived healthy, in decent financial standing, having not seen a couple of long lost friends in years. I left flu-ridden, in slightly worse financial standing, having visited a couple of long lost friends.
Talking Bird
by Cassie Westrate | Jul 15, 2015 | Michigan
My bird tried to fly away last week. JJ lives inside a cage inside a house, and I feel bad for him and his wings because it must get a bit cramped behind the iron bars.
Doubt
by Will Montei | Jul 14, 2015 | Placeless, Wisconsin
For the first time in my life, I walk out of a church service, driving in silence back to my parent’s apartment. The next day, when I get home from work, I collapse wordlessly in my mom’s arms and sob into her shoulder.
Kramer, Mr. Kramer
by Catherine Kramer | Jul 13, 2015 | Placeless
As I mentioned, equality is huge component of our relationship, and this post is no exception. So, without any further ado, I give you the future Mr. Mitchell Kramer.
Line in the Sand
by Abby Zwart | Jul 12, 2015 | Placeless
These books tend to be easy and engaging. They’re not about heavy topics, and they don’t make us think too hard or reread every other sentence.
Just Maybe
by Elaine Schnabel | Jul 11, 2015 | Placeless
More helpful in the sanctification process is comedian Louis C.K.’s bit called “Of course . . . but maybe.” It is irreverent and shockingly relevant to Biblical hermeneutics.
Out of Egypt
by Katie Van Zanen | Jul 10, 2015 | Egypt
In Egypt, I experienced a profound sense of longing, both for the home I had left and for the land that God has promised me. I felt unduly blessed and absurdly limited.
You’re Bleeding
by Bart Tocci | Jul 9, 2015 | Placeless
I’m sitting in a chair at the ear, nose, and throat place. The doctor is sliding a tiny camera up my nose. On the screen in front of me is the inside of my nose.
Tales from the Cul-de-sac
by Paul Menn | Jul 8, 2015 | Placeless
There are some things you are just unprepared to handle—and seeing a six foot tall, naked (except for his white ankle socks) man covered in blood is definitely one of them.
Tickets
by Caroline (Higgins) Nyczak | Jul 7, 2015 | New York
We unpack the McDonald’s breakfast we picked up on the drive from Brooklyn. My roommates used this as an effective bribe to get me out of bed at 5:45 a.m.
I Am Failing
by Josh deLacy | Jul 6, 2015 | Placeless
I know that the muscled, emotionally stable mountain climber who woos intelligent women, writes bestselling memoirs, and dispenses wisdom to a crowd of intimate friends won’t ever materialize.
Beyond Words
by Alissa Anderson | Jul 5, 2015 | Placeless
Part of the problem for me, I realized, was that I don’t listen for God’s voice verbally. I don’t expect to have a conversation with God in this way.
The Sheep That Could
by Ben Rietema | Jul 4, 2015 | Placeless
It gazed at me, seemingly serene yet still in obvious misery. Was it questioning its life? Was he brought closer to some meaning in its purposeless sheep existence? Do sheep go that deep?
Efficiency
by Sabrina Lee | Jul 3, 2015 | Placeless
Instead of being on intimate terms with the backspace key—my usual writing method—I scribble, fill the margins, and use enough arrows to spin my note pad in every direction.
Releasing Your Hounds
by Jacob Schepers | Jul 2, 2015 | Indiana
Seeing them encounter the world at large while still protecting them from the worst of it is a balance of restraint on my part as much as it is on theirs.
