Marcus Aurelius penned an epic short read titled Meditations. It’s composed of his own reflections and observations on life; written from the perspective of proverbial Father to Son. I now find myself a Father, and hopeful to pass down some of what I’ve learned in life to my son through my own words. In light of the […]
April 20th, 2022. A lot of things happened on this day, historically. It was the anniversary of Columbine (4/20/96), as well as Hitler’s birthday. When I woke up on the 20th, I had an odd feeling in my stomach that something ominous could be on the horizon. Despite the gut feeling, I chose to carry […]
I spent most of my life under the identity of son and brother. One of six kids, I felt deeply connected to something that was larger than my child self and enjoyed finding my place within the Plaat family – usually within the role of troublemaker, middle-child and rebel. As a child, it was hard […]
Over the last few years, I’ve felt a small tug in my spirit to revisit playing musical instruments. As a parent, I’ve done a lot of reflection on my own childhood, in order to honor some of the things I now appreciate, which my parents provided me with as a child. Musical instruments were a […]
The world seems to stop a little every time I watch him take a breath. He’s not just a little child; he’s my son. Somehow cosmically part of me, which changes my own identity as an individual because I’m not longer just an I – but part of a we. We see this plane through […]
Years ago, I found myself in the audience at a building I knew all too well; 4099 Karl Road in Columbus, OH. Then in my teenage years, I watched a speaker tell the story about a group of people that had their entire civilization plundered, and were sold into slavery at the hands of their […]
Last year, I found out some shocking news about a good friend of mine. His bones and teeth had lost their density and were literally rotting away from the inside of his mouth. What happened? He was one of one of many people impacted by the harmful side effects of Truvada (PREP, for short) and […]
Earlier this year, I found myself sitting at Rodeo Goat in Fort Worth, TX, with a good friend of mine, Michael Jackson. We were enjoying a round of burgers and beers before going to the Alice Cooper show that evening. Looking at the tickets, I read them aloud to Michael: ”Ace Frehley and Alice Cooper. Who’s Ace […]
This morning, I finished The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. A book about Heaven and Hell, the author takes us through a dream where he is taken to Heaven. In my 34 years, this book most closely resembles my own interpretation of the ‘afterlife’ – which weaves itself into each day we experience as human beings. The author […]
“Aaron, you’re too much.” I remember hearing those words, poured like a poison into my ears. They stung me in the kind of way that my soul felt like it had been exposed, vulnerable and trampled for being willing to show itself. Those words are the kind that make somebody shutter themselves in for the […]