Jim Stitzel
Jack-of-All-Trades, Master of WordsExcerpts from Life
Mondays are for Mental Health
So today ended up being a mental health day for me, the first since moving, the first since launching my company, the first I've needed in quite a while (with one notable exception that I won't go into just now). Yesterday was a difficult day. It was one of those days...
Mental Health: Interloper
My body is a traitor, an amalgam of systems all malfunctioning in and out of sync with one another so that every day is a craps shoot as to what my health will look like. My brain misfires, and fear and trepidation assault me like twin armies hellbent on destroying my...
Mental Health Redux: Four Days in a Psych Ward
It's been two years now since my first (and hopefully only) inpatient treatment for depression. In so many ways it feels like forever ago because in the intervening months, so much has happened in my life. I've struggled to regain my feet and reassamble my life after...
Fiction
The Sheriff
There’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s dragging a saddle. “Hey, Sheriff, you seem to have lost your horse!” calls out Jed from the porch of the saloon. “No, but I’ve gained a saddle,” the sheriff replies. “There never was a horse to begin with.” “Well, what’s with...
Exploration
It is three days later, and Lindsey has selected her landing crew -- only they won't be landing. "You'll take up a position a safe distance from the wormhole," she explains to them. "Study the wormhole. Send the probe Zach has prepared into the wormhole. But under no...
Gravity Waves
Lindsey thumbs her comm off and looks around her. Her bridge crew are all strapped into their respective seats, busy with their jobs. An alert pops up on her dash. "Helm," she calls out. "What's this alert about? I see we've made three course adjustments in the last...