This Is David Staples

I love music. I always have. I have musical talent, but I’m not one of those amazing musicians who everyone clamors to hear. Nobody ever told me I should go on  American Idol  or  America’s Got Talent  or  Blythewood Sort Of Has Talent . I played piano for six years, guitar for two, baritone for one. I was in chorus in senior year of high school. I can match pitch while singing. I also can mimic voices fairly well, so I can sing many popular songs in an annoying impressionistic way. Think you like Counting Crows’   “Mr.  Jones”? Wait until you hear my version that is performed louder, more nasally, and more twangy than the version on the radio. My kids love it. They also love when I sing random songs in church choral style. Riding in the car with me is non-stop fun. I sing a lot. When I wake up, immediately there is a song in my head. I don’t know how my brain decides which song to start the day with, but every single morning it’s there. I hear phrases...

People who know me know that I love Legos. I really really love Legos. My dream job would be to somehow work for Lego. The creativity and ingenuity they exhibit on a regular basis. And, from my point of view, they are a pretty good company. They are trying to change their packaging and products to be more environmentally friendly. They have a lot of different initiatives to help others. They try to be thoughtful about their products to represent a lot of people. It’s one of those companies that it feels good to support. I’m sure there are skeletons in their closets - which would, of course, be the official Lego skeleton that pops up all the time in sets and video games. But from the perspective of an outsider, they are cool. There aren’t scandals in the news all the time. They don’t slaughter, like, baby quokkas to make their pieces. I like them so much that I refuse to purchase sets by the knock-off companies who poached their trademarks. I’ve never really talked too much about Legos,...

So.   This is where stuff gets real, I suppose. I knew this was coming; it was what I was both excited and terrified about. When we got back into church… When I saw what the theme of Lent was going to be… When I decided to do this writing challenge… The day was coming that stuff was going to get uncomfortable, painful, awkward. I was going to reconsider just how committed I was to the whole situation. Forgiveness. Forgiveness is not a natural human tendency. Humans are more of   “fool  me once, shame on me; fool me twice, I come at you like a rabid wolverine.” An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a Twitter take-down for a Twitter take-down. Don’t get mad; get even. That’s human nature.  The problem is … that doesn’t work. It certainly doesn’t work when it comes to my Christian faith. But it doesn’t work in general either. We have to learn to forgive. As far as Christianity goes, it is the central concept. It is essential. But it is … so … damn … hard.  Today,...

Chapter 01 For a big guy, I get overlooked a lot.  To be honest, most fat guys get overlooked most of the time.  The only times that fat guys really stand out to people are 1) when an airplane is boarding   (“Dear  God, please don’t let fatty sit next to me. Pleeeease.) and 2) at a pizza buffet   (“Aww  man, that fat dude is heading up there. I bet he takes all the bbq pizza.”). I don’t mind getting overlooked; I actually like it that way.  When a person is up to no good, standing out is not ideal.  And, let’s face it - one of the best ways to disappear into a crowd in an average American city is to be a big fat guy.  People underestimate us.  We are seen as jolly Santa Claus types, with roly poly bellies full of jelly.  Other times we are seen as slobs with spaghetti sauce stains on our dingy white t-shirts, cargo shorts, and New Balance sneakers.  I’ve seen the looks and felt the judgment.  I may be an IT guy, a plumber,...

“The truth shall set you free. But first it will piss you off.” Dr. Sharon Fieldstone,  Ted Lasso “You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!” Col. Nathan Jessup,  A Few Good Men “Sometimes the truth isn't good enough, sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.” Bruce Wayne,  The Dark Knight “The truth rarely makes sense when you omit key details.” Yelena Belova,  Black Widow “When you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you’re only telling the world that you fear what he might say.” Tyrion Lannister,  Game of Thrones “The truth is bigger than all of us.” Wonder Woman,  Wonder Woman 1984 The truth is a funny thing. If I was to ask someone if they want the truth, I would be fairly assured they would say yes. I certainly would. I would say honestly is more valuable to me than almost anything. I have stated multiple times that I don’t want people to say,   “Let  me be honest with yo...