Jim Stitzel
Jack-of-All-Trades, Master of WordsExcerpts from Life
On Change, Changes, and Changing
I’ve begun to pack up my apartment. I have a pile of broken down boxes, a couple of rolls of packaging tape, and rooms full of odds and ends I’ve picked up over the last year-and-a-half that need to be packed away. Because, as with so many things in life, it’s time for another change.
Normalize Mental Illness
I saw a meme on Facebook this morning that struck a chord with me:One of my goals in talking about my mental health has always been to reduce and ultimately banish the stigma of mental illness -- for good and for all. We've come a long way in the last 15 years...
Recruiting From the Crowd: An Open Letter
I’m reaching out today to thank you for the targeted, personal communication seeking out my skills and interests for the position in question. I appreciate the fact that you took the time to address me by name rather than using a generic greeting, and that you emailed me personally rather than including me in a mass email bomb.
Fiction
Dragoling
“Hey, Matt, what’s that on your shoulder? “Uh, it’s a dragoling.” “A what??” “A dragoling. It’s basically a dragon, but smaller. He’s already grown to full size.” “Weird. Where’d you get it?” “Egg.” “Of course. And where’d you get the egg?” “Gypsy.” “You’re a wealth...
The Boy Who Couldn’t Dream
Now he's having nightmares. The boy who once couldn't dream is now suddenly having nightmares. Every night, and repeatedly every night. And they're affecting the rest of the world. He dreams of long, shadowy creatures with razor-sharp claws and pointy teeth. They...
This Space for Rent
I can't tell you what I've been doing. Mostly, because I don't know myself. You see, I've been renting out my body and cranial space to the highest bidder. And that has made me immensely wealthy. But because I'm not fully present in my body during those times, I have...