Every year, masses from around the globe flock to Jonesborough, TN, a small town that less than 6,000 people call home. They gather in Jonesborough for the National Storytelling Festival. In 1973, sixty or so people gathered on hay bales and wagons to share stories with one another. Today, those wagons have been replaced with… Read More The Importance of Storytelling
When I first arrived in New York, I was homesick and disheartened by the massive change- the lack of nature specifically. It was crowded and loud. As a student in a dorm room, the only alone time I had was in the shower which was less than ideal. One night, when I was feeling particularly… Read More Beauty Isn’t Hiding- We’re Just Not Looking
I remember being overwhelmed on multiple fronts in the first few months of my college experience. The beginning of Freshman year was akin to a disorienting fever dream- adapting to college life, meeting new people, trying to avoid getting hit by a car every time I’d cross the street. Luckily, I adapted and by my… Read More Going To War With Fear
You proclaimed, “I’m going on an adventure!” in true Bilbo Baggins fashion. You’ve moved away from home. Maybe it was for work. Maybe it was for college. Maybe you just wanted to experience a new way of life. Things are exciting and new until, suddenly, there is a pit in your stomach and your eyes… Read More The Dragon of Homesickness
We all know the classic narrative: a disenfranchised young person encounters something in their formative years that puts a fire in their belly. For some people, it was the first time they tossed that perfect, tight spiraled pass. For others, it was an engaging and inspiring high school Algebra teacher. For many of my close… Read More Finding Your Passion and Chasing It
