Human behavior fascinates me. My fascination began twenty-one years ago when I started digging myself out of the deep hole of depression. As I've studied the human animal in an effort to better understand myself, I've learned many tools. The greatest of these tools is forgiveness. The first thirty or so years of my life were a fight for perfection. I never came close to that goal. I never even achieved mediocre competence at anything I sought to master. The monster tha

"I hold that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing." Thomas Jefferson As a nation, 250 years ago, we were able to break away from tyranny and oppression. As individuals, we often have no power over the external. But we always have the power to change the internal. The battle, the revolution, is fought against ourselves, internally. Our founding fathers decided a change was necessary, and took action. If we see change is necessary, we too must take action. Chang

It may surprise you, but I spent a couple years in the fire service myself. Both excited and afraid on any call I ran. I say I, but Dad was there. Dad was always there. When I was small enough for plastic princess shoes, he was there. When I thought I was a big girl in my turnout gear and ill-fitting boots, he was there. For those of you who know him, you may find it funny to imagine how his face flickered between pride and worry as I figured out where to put my feet during o

It started with a (mostly) sleepless night. My daughter and two of my grandchildren came to visit and spent the night. During the night, one of my grandsons kept waking up with growing pains in his legs. It reminded me of how any growth comes with pain. We all got up a little slow this morning and met at the storage building to load the last of the boxes in my son-in-law's pick up truck. He and my daughter had moved recently. The boys, 3 and 5 yrs., ran around and explo

Father's Day was this past sunday. As I reflected on my experience as a father, I remembered how I failed, how I struggled, how I came up so very short in raising my children. I reflected on my father and how, when I was a child, he was my hero. In my eyes, he was all that a man, and a dad, should be. I wanted to be exactly like him when I grew up. As I compare myself to my father now, I see clearly our shared experiences. We were, and still are, humans. Neither of us

The more I understand myself, the more I understand others. It began with a journey to get past deep depression and suicidal thought/actions. Along that path, I discovered I didn't know myself. The thoughts in my head were imprinted and hard-wired as information from others was downloaded to my brain along the way. My thoughts were not my own. We all survive and/or thrive with basically the same operating system between our ears. The more I discovered how I operated an

We would like to extend a thank you to Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department for hosting us June 4, 2026. Bannertown holds a special place in our hearts as the department that took us in and introduced us to the world of firefighting, and the brotherhood therein, almost 20 years ago. While the return to old stomping grounds brought an emotional aspect of its own to our presentation that evening, the attendees' participation brought even more. As always, the naked firefighter p

Lately I've been working to consistently change my location. When the brain gets new input, it is forced into the conscious mind. The old "software" is pushed to the side as the new information is processed by the conscious, focused mind. We know growth does not occur in a comfort zone. Any place that has become familiar becomes a comfort zone. How wonderful to experience new thoughts and experiences, simply by changing my perspective...

We'd like to give a shout out to Pine Ridge for hosting us May 28. Each time this presentation is given, something grows and changes. Thank you Pine Ridge attendees for fostering genuine interactions and candid conversation. This presentation is for you guys! It's the willingness to connect that keeps us growing both as a presentation program and as individuals. It is our sincere hope that you gained valuable insights and approaches to mental wellness, for yourselves and in r

Some of the best advice I ever heard came from Chase Hughes. He said, "Be absurdly forgiving of yourself." I've been practicing that very thing. When I forgive myself, it feels like I'm cutting anchor chains, anchor chains holding me to the anchors of my past. Holding on doesn't make me a better man. Letting go allows me the opportunity to grow in the here-and-now. Growing in the here-and-now is what's best for future me. I've discovered forgiveness is the key to seein

Some days I'm still stuck in the same old thought loops. The cure is always action for me. Rest is important. But I often catch myself in "rest mode", when the best thing I can do for future me is to get into motion, get out of my head and experience my life now. Simply relocating myself gets my brain on a different pattern of thoughts. The same old stimuli produce the same old results. I'm not dead, which means I'm not done. I hope to see you in person soon! Which me

NFF THOUGHT: I spent years, decades even, believing I was not enough. Enough for what? ...anything. This was all locked into my brain when I was a child, and reinforced as I moved through time. This all happened in the days prior to the "algorithm". The reinforcing came from interactions with others and advertising on the television and radio. Today, we all get those reflections and reinforcements in an instant as our phones track our information and preferences. We are

A big thank you to Surry Community College and Scarlett Camacho for hosting the NFF Program! We had a great experience!

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Ararat Volunteer Fire Department for graciously hosting us this past week. Their hospitality and support made our gathering not only possible but also incredibly enjoyable. Those in attendance had the unique opportunity to be the very first to experience the newly introduced section of our presentation, which was the Q&A segment. This addition allowed for a dynamic exchange of ideas and perspectives, fostering a deeper unde