Several years ago, Alisha and I got into an argument. As these stories usually go, I don’t remember what it was about. What I do remember was that following the argument, I went and straightened up the shoes in our closet. A small, simple act that immediately helped me feel more at peace.

I feel more at peace when I can spend some time ordering the world around me. You’d think with all the chaos my kids create, I’d be getting a lot of opportunities for peace these days. I think it only works if that order can last for more than a few moments, though.

The other thing that brings me peace is writing. When I have time to write something on this blog, I usually walk away having loosened the knot in my chest. I have also found that when I make the time to write during the day, it is easier to be patient and positive with my children.

I think in some ways these two acts are tied together. When I can write, I am seeking to order the world around me. Writing is the way I identify and link together the patterns in the chaos of the world. I love to connect disparate ideas, seeing how I can learn about one aspect of the world by comparing it to another.

I hope that reading these blog posts is at least somewhat as helpful to others as writing them is to me.