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 →

By Troy Headrick I want to tell you about a time in my life, now long passed, that I’ve been thinking a lot about in recent weeks.  The story I’m going to share says a lot about the nature of courage and about what it means to act courageously. During the spring of 1993, after... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick I had a strange upbringing.  Up until the age of, say, five or six, I lived in urban areas being raised by a father and mother who didn’t get along very well.  Then, suddenly, a year or so before starting first grade, my parents found that they no longer wanted to be... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick This is the story of my complicated relationship with money and how such a relationship came to be.  In the telling of this story, I’ll need to explore the nature of fear and how our parents’ fears end up shaping our own inner psychological landscapes. Before becoming an adult and leaving home,... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick Those who regularly read my posts have likely noticed that I’ve been silent for several weeks.  In fact, it’s been close to a month since I published my last blog. Well, I’m back now and feeling strong and ready to go.  I truly believe that my time away from writing gave me... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick I didn’t publish a blog here last week.  I kept coming up with possible topics, but none of them felt right for one reason or another.  I’m getting better and better at trusting that little voice inside that says, “Wait, Troy, something feels wrong about this.  Be patient.  You’ll know it—very viscerally—when... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick Exactly two weeks ago today my grandmother died.  This past weekend, I received a text from Robin, a wonderful person and the most senior tutor in our writing center, letting me know that her elderly father had passed away in small-town Ohio, so she has been gone from work these past three... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick It’s possible some of you may have noted my absence these last couple of weeks.  There’s good reason for that.  My maternal grandmother, a woman with whom I lived when I was growing up because of the instability of my parents’ marriage, died eight days ago now.  She was 103 years old.... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick This is the second in a series of blogs intended to thank those who’ve played important roles in shaping my personality and values, in helping me become the person I am today.  If you’d like to read the first piece in this series, check this out. It’s commonly thought that every human... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick If you read Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, a book I’ve alluded to in at least one other piece, you’ll see that “Book 1” is a collection of acknowledgements and thank yous.  For example, Aurelius lists family members, friends, “the gods,” and others in this opening chapter.  He thanks each one of these individuals... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick I pride myself on being someone who wants to have new experiences, meet interesting people, grow intellectually and spiritually, and expand my horizons in the process. Having said all that, I want to share a story with you about how recently meeting a very special person has had such a wonderfully positive... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick On Friday, October 11th, I attended a professional development workshop at the college where I’m employed.  The title of the session was “Communication Skills for Collaboration.”  Looking back, I don’t think the title gave an apt preview of what the talk would cover.  Plus, the title was boring; whereas, the actually workshop... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick I was raised in a very unusual way.  I spent the first eight years of my life as an only child and resided in a rural area.  In fact, for a good chunk of my formative years, I didn’t really have neighbors and certainly not any with kids I could play with.... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick As some of you might know, I am the director of a writing center at Palo Alto College in San Antonio, Texas.  Just yesterday, a bright, young woman came into our facility and one of our best tutors helped her with a piece of writing she’d been working on. The tutoring session... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick I’m going to share a secret with you.  Several years ago, back when I was living overseas, I used to create artwork and show it internationally.  I even sold quite a few pieces.  Then, for reasons I won’t get into right now, I stopped making art.  (By the way, my header image... Continue Reading →

By Troy Headrick After I’d posted “Practicing Patience,” Betul Erbasi and I had a really interesting exchange.  (By the way, Betul is one of Pointless Overthinking’s regular contributors and a Turk who is working on her PhD at the University of Southern California.)  The topic of this conversation was anger and American culture.  I pointed... Continue Reading →