Tag Archives: anxiety

While It Is Still Called Today

Posted on December 1, 2025 by mitchteemley

Thought for the Week Brooding about our past and worrying about our future is the most efficient way to ruin our present. Instead, let us focus on the now, and upon our fellow travelers. And let us: “Encourage each other … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Poetry, Quips and Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

Two Spirits Sharing Our Human Experience

Posted on November 11, 2025 by mitchteemley

Above: Aslan the lion  –  Julian, California  –  Pirate’s Cove baptisms  –  Ancient Ichthus symbol My Real Memoir “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” ~Pierre Teilhard de Chardin We’d … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir, Quips and Quotes, Religion/Faith | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 38 Comments

When the Spell Suddenly Breaks

Posted on October 7, 2025 by mitchteemley

My Real Memoir My anxiety was still on the hunt. It whispered from under the bed and grinned at me from darkened hallways. But I drowned it with hope, and crowded its specter with friends, new comrades in faith. My … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Memoir, Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 40 Comments

Producing Pearls Late at Night

Posted on September 25, 2025 by mitchteemley

I’d been sleeping like a rock lately. Which is to say, badly. (Rocks can’t sleep.) And that night was no exception. Brain woke me up at 2 a.m. “Hey!” “Go back to sleep, Brain!” “I can’t. I’m feeling weird and … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 36 Comments

We Were Hungry for Real Love

Posted on August 12, 2025 by mitchteemley

Photo by cottonbro studio My Real Memoir Dinah was stately. She would have made an excellent queen. But she was also sensuous and bohemian. And underneath that creamy skin was a woman hungry for real love, rather than a repeat … Continue reading →

Posted in For Pastors and Teachers, Humor, Memoir, Religion/Faith | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Love is Easy, Relationships are Hard

Posted on July 22, 2025 by mitchteemley

Photo by Rob de Winter My Real Memoir I was more cautious with Dinah than I’d been with previous relationships. If a relationship was even what this was. The words to the pop song “Trying to Get the Feeling Again” … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 51 Comments

Broken Boy Meets Broken Girl

Posted on July 15, 2025 by mitchteemley

Source: Unsplash from Freerange Stock My Real Memoir As she passed, my friend Theo, a fellow graduate directing major, whispered, “She’s so sensuous and classy.” I hadn’t seen Dinah since last spring, but I had to agree. Theo admitted that he was … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

How I Accidentally Became a Buddhist

Posted on July 8, 2025 by mitchteemley

Illustration by Jenn Wei My Real Memoir I had time again. Which was bad. Time was my enemy. Having time meant constantly obsessing over controlling my thoughts. I’d felt almost normal during rehearsals for my musical Adam and Eve. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Memoir, Religion/Faith | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 40 Comments

Mocking the Monster That Haunted Me

Posted on June 24, 2025 by mitchteemley

My Real Memoir It had been a hard summer, the hardest of my life. The monster Anxiety followed me wherever I went. Still, my bedroom window let the sun in, along with a dozen sparrows. And my flirtations with faith … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Memoir, Movies, Popular Culture & Entertainment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Searching for the Real Me

Posted on June 17, 2025 by mitchteemley

My Real Memoir Whatever I might become, after my meltdown there was no going back to who I’d been. My first year as a grad student had ended. I’d taken off like Lindberg and crashed like the Hindenburg. And now … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Memoir, Religion/Faith | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 37 Comments