June 2018 – Matthew Dicks

One of the only wonderful things about the Trump administration has been the remarkable protests that his hateful, xenophobic, idiotic policies have engendered throughout our country. Americans coming together in historic numbers to stand opposed to hate, bigotry, sexism, corruption, and the purposeful destruction of our environment for personal profit. The Woman’s March was the…

Elysha is looking for a teaching job for the first time in 9 years. Now that the kids are off to school and settled into their routines, it’s time for her to return to the classroom. Recently, she was looking at a school district that expects classroom instruction to be “rigorous, relevant, and respectful.” Excellent…

In the last 24 hours, I’ve read two professionally published pieces of writing – a collection of essays by David Sedaris and a news article – where the word “nonplussed” was used incorrectly. Nonplussed means to be surprised and confused to such a degree that a person is uncertain about how to react. When you…

For those awful human beings who believe that child separation on our southern border is an appropriate policy but also profess a deep and meaningful belief in a Christian God (or in the case of Attorney General Jeff Sessions attempt to use that Christian doctrine to defend this unrighteous action), this church sign is an…

I played golf on Sunday. On the second hole, I hit a tree with my second shot, causing it to ricochet directly back at me, nearly killing me. My third shot was heading toward the green when it struck a rake lying between me and the green, popping the ball up and sending it right of…

Episode #6 of Speak Up Storytelling is now ready for your listening pleasure. This week’s special episode features live audio from the book launch for Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life Through the Power of Storytelling. In this episode, you’ll hear me tell three BRAND NEW stories, never before told at Speak Up (and…

When I arrived home from Iowa yesterday, I kissed Elysha, hugged my children, and then I emptied my bag. Dirty clothes into the hamper. Toiletries put away. Charges returned into their usual locations. I did this because there are two types of people in this world: Those who empty their luggage immediately upon returning home…

When you’re the only person in the TSA PreCheck line, bypassing an enormous line at airport security, and a man in that line starts shouting at you, asking why the hell “that guy doesn’t have to stand in line like cattle,” TSA PreCheck gets even better.

You know how it goes. You arrive in Cedar Rapids late because the plane that you were supposed to board in Connecticut was struck by lightning, so rather than going through Chicago, you are re-routed through Charlotte. When you finally arrive in Cedar Rapids, you’re tired. A lightning strike and a five hour delay in…

It’s 7 minutes long, which can feel like an eternity on the internet, but I haven’t seen something this joyous in a long time. We could really use some joy these days. It’s a supercut montage of dance scenes from more than 300 movies. Admittedly, I might be a little biased when it comes to…

Archive for June 2018

We march again.

Never trust alliteration

I am nonplussed about the shifting definition of nonplussed.

Jesus was a brown, undocumented immigrant who crossed national borders illegally ill

I hit a new thing. The results were tragic.

Speak Up Storytelling #6: Special Storyworthy book launch episode

Empty that bag

An unexpected perk

I made the mature decision.

Watch people dance and be happy.