Brady's Blog

Once upon a time, a young boy known for being a voracious reader entered the world of Goodreads.... Alright, alright, so when I started Goodreads I was not a voracious reader and even now I consider myself more a bookworm than a voracious reader. Don't ask me the difference because I have no concrete definition to go off of. I simply know that there are a lot of people out there who read a lot more than I do although I do love reading. I started on Goodreads eight years ago and have been rather active on there ever since. In the past two years, however, I have become enveloped in the community of readers that is there. I used to try to keep my reading to more the Classic novels and rarely go outside that genre. My lovely reading community finally helped me break out of my narrowness and now I really enjoy everything from nonfiction to historical fiction but I now have a special affinity toward Young Adult fiction. For one, it is easier to read. The stories are easy to follow ...

I've gotten away from writing more here and there has been a few reasons why. First, I felt an expectation to write posts that were deep and super meaningful. There were many times when I wanted to write but I couldn't think of anything "meaningful" or existentially deep so I just didn't write. Second, my readership here has been down and (as you may know) I often ask why I am writing or who I am writing for. I have felt that if no one reads what I write then what is the point of writing, especially in such a public space. What's the solution? I can honestly say I don't know but I am going to try something a bit new (even though I kinda tried it before a few years back). I'm going to write about what I like; what I want to write about. My passions. Yes, I do want to keep some of the inspirational or deep posts every so often, but it won't be every single post. What will you see more of? Small "c" culture. I learned in college that...

In times of stress, despair, confusion, complacency, or even depression it is beneficial to find something that is cathartic. In times of joy, excitement, or peace we try to find ways to remember or keep those moments alive. At the very lease we look for a way to replicate those moments. Writing in a journal can do both! Tonight, I found myself unable to sleep because of swirling thoughts an emotions. A mix of positive and negative flooded my mind and for the second night in a row my eyes were nearly too tired to open but my mind was wide awake. I pulled myself out of bed and forced my eyes open, put on some Broadway music to keep me awake and interested, and pulled out my journal. I have never been super consistent at writing in my journal but there was a time when I was able to talk about my day or even my week in beautiful detail while mixing in my mentality. Tonight, I reviewed the four most recent entries: July 2017. May 2018 (x2). December 2018. Prior to tonight, I had ...

Happy 30th Birthday to me!! It is a milestone birthday today and I think that a little reflection is needed. To make it easier for my aging brain, I'll just do it by decade. Age 0-10 I was a hyper little kid (if I remember it correctly). Almost all of my memories have me running or jumping or tumbling. I was relatively care-free and a pretty happy boy. The center of my life was gymnastics and trampolining. To this day they still hold a very special place in my heart. I started when I was either 3 or 4 years old which means that most of this decade was spent in a gym doing all sorts of magical maneuvers with my body. It was an amazing time. It was due to gymnastics that I learned discipline and the necessity of following the rules. In gymnastics, one false move and you get injured. Unfortunately, I had first-hand experience with that sad truth. It taught me a respect for the rules and helped me become rigid in routines. Somethings have to be done in certain ways and as a child ...

In an attempt to keep this post from becoming too petty or feisty, I am taking a bit of a step back and look objectively at something that has become a frustration for me. I really love writing and for a while I have been posting here on my blog so that I can share my thoughts with "the world". The frustration is that many of my recent posts have fell short in the readership category. Many people have come to me and expressed their appreciation for some of these posts so the dramatic drop in statistics was quite confusing. In thinking about this, I ended up taking some of my writing off line and began focusing on one question. Who is it for? When I write, there is a supreme satisfaction that I have within myself for the words I compose and the posts I build. There is an excitement to see my thoughts appear on my less-than-professional page that, flaws and all, is a place of pride for me. But also, I hold some investment in the responses of the masses. I share the link t...