In The Empty Hourglass, my grandfather chronicled the tale of his life; an epic I’ve continued to draw strength and inspiration from long after he passed away. He left a legacy with that book, and he made an investment in the future generations that would one day read from its pages. This weekend, I had the privilege […]
Last year, I found myself standing in line to see a legend. The legend. Alice Cooper. Alice Cooper is a legend for a lot more than rock n’ roll. He’s a legend because he redefined a space within a genre and decided to make it his own little horror show. It seems like no matter […]
Throughout the years, the best piece of advice I’ve ever received happened to come from my Dad. “Use the right tools for the job, Aaron.” These days, I find myself using screwdrivers a lot less to drive in nails, and my Dad would probably have a lot more intact tools if he were still with […]
As a parent, I’ve done a tremendous amount of reading on how other parents do it. Parenting, that is. There’s a sea of opinions on how to properly raise your child, with passive fear mongering passed along in case you don’t follow the instructions. One thing I’ve realized about being a parent is the value […]
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 […]