By Troy Headrick My mind works in mysterious ways.  For example, three or four days ago, for no particular reason, the following question popped into my head:  I wonder who said, “Clothes make the man”?  I then almost immediately forgot that I’d asked this question—my brain having its own unique way of functioning—and went about... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick I’m one complex dude.  For example, I’m basically a shy person, but I like to openly write about very private experiences I’ve had and ruminate on what they’ve taught me.  Also, I’m not really into money, but I’ve long been a bit of an entrepreneur. I married a woman who has a... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick I want to thank “Hamish,” a thoughtful young man from New Zealand.  His comment on my last Pointless Overthinking piece inspired this.  By the way, Hamish blogs.  You should have a look at his work. In the comment I’ve referred to, Hamish writes, “I’ve been slowly figuring out over the past little... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick I don’t think this is going to be anything like any of my other blogs.  Actually, I’m not for sure what this is going to look like or how it might turn out.  That’s why I’m calling it an “experiment.” I will conduct my experiment by asking a series of personal, self-discovery... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick We’ve seen them on the internet.  The YouTube archives are full to the brim of examples.  I’m talking about mobile phone footage of people protesting the requirement that they wear masks when entering businesses and other public places.  Often, once confronted about not donning an acceptable nose and mouth covering, these angry... Continue Reading →

The last thing I do, whenever I’ve finished up a piece of writing and am readying it for publication, is to come up with a title.  The title frames the piece.  It gives the reader a sense of how to approach the reading and what to expect going forward. One of my rules about writing... Continue Reading →

Way back in January of 2020, before the virus started changing everything about the way we live, I had this recurring dream. I don’t always recall my dreams, so when I remember one, I pay attention to it. The dream was both simple and complex.  (I should probably tell you that my dreams often have... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick It’s hot in Texas right now, but that doesn’t stop me from riding my beach cruiser bike, on a daily basis, as a way of staying healthy. The other day I was just finishing up a ride when a series of interesting questions popped into my head: I wonder if I can... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick I’ve been thinking a lot about anger recently.  In fact, I’ve been looking at the topic long enough to be ready to put my thoughts on paper. For a person interested in studying anger and the angry response, this is a kind of perfect moment.  There’s so much anger out there, being... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick Many who regularly read this blog are interested in self-reflection, personal growth, mindfulness, spirituality, psychology, and topics of this sort.  Often, when discussing these things, the writers of these blogs focus on the individual.  They might begin by narrating a personal anecdote and then use that experience to examine a larger, more... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick It’s funny the things that inspire me, that trigger an idea that then turns into a piece of writing or a work of art. A couple of days ago, I saw a series of photographs of Donald Trump, America’s pathetic president, playing golf about the same time the nation was expecting its... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick I want to thank my parents and grandparents for bringing me up the way they did.  The lessons they taught and the skills they instilled are serving me well at this challenging time.  In fact, they have always served me well. Until the age of eight, I was an only child.  I... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick In my last blog, “Some Musings on the Concept of ‘Normal,’” I had an interesting exchange, in the comments section, with Danielle Davis, a really talented blogger who writes at The Nurse's Heart.  Danielle wrote: Thank you for the honest perspective.  I am personally enjoying this pause in “normal life” and looking... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick With the exception of LinkedIn, I’ve totally gotten off of social media.  When I quit posting on Twitter and Facebook—quite a long time ago now—I went cold turkey and stayed clean for many months.  Early in March 2020, just as the COVID-19 situation was beginning to ramp up in the United States,... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick I had this strange experience—perhaps it would be more apropos to call it an epiphany?—this morning.  Part of its strangeness was that I’d already had a similar realization several times before.  Can something be called an epiphany if it keeps recurring? I’m referring to the sudden realization of how strange everything is... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick I’ve been AWOL for about a month.  Now that I’ve shown back up for duty, I need to begin with an explanation.  And an apology (or two). I’d like to accurately recreate the experiences I’ve had these past several weeks, but everything blurs together in my mind.  About three weeks or so... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick This week’s blog was inspired by a couple of conversations I’ve had over the past several days.  The first exchange involved one I had with Snapdragon X, a regular contributor here at Pointless Overthinking.  She mentioned in her biographical blurb that it was her dream to live in Finland, and I responded... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick I’ve been thinking a lot about defiance lately.  Actually, because I’m very much a contrarian at heart, I’m always thinking about ways to defy.  That’s what contrarians do; they defy conventional wisdom (among other things).  (By the way, it seems pretty clear that we need a lot more contrarians in the world.)... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick A couple of weeks ago I had this really jarring experience.  I watched a video of myself leading a workshop on critical thinking.  (I am the director of a writing center at a community college in San Antonio, Texas, and often do all manner of presentations for a wide range of audiences.) ... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick Before I go any further, I’d like to ask you to watch this five-minute video about an extraordinary woman named Chicago Crosby. OK, where to begin?  There’s so much I want to say.  I suppose I’ll start not with Chicago but with me and us, those of us who’ve just watched her... Continue Reading →