When It Comes to Photography, Everybody Says They Have a Good Side.
I Actually Do. No Really… Like Medically. Most people say they have a good side when it comes to photos. Me? I actually do. No really. Like… medically. Because of my brain injury, I can’t control the left side of my face. Which makes smiling for pictures… interesting. Sometimes when people hear I was […]
When You’re Not Trusted—and You’ve Done Nothing to Deserve It
How fear can outweigh evidence—and quietly destroy something good I did everything I knew how to do. I showed up.I told the truth.I stayed when it was uncomfortable.I repaired when things cracked instead of disappearing. And still… I wasn’t trusted. Not loudly.Not angrily.Just quietly—through hesitation, second-guessing, and a guardedness that never quite relaxed. At first, […]
Took Me 15 Minutes to Put on a Glove—and It Changed My Day
A quiet lesson in gratitude, being stuck, and celebrating the gift inside the obstacle There was a snowstorm today in upstate New York.The kind that doesn’t ask your opinion. And no—this wasn’t “oh, it’s chilly” snow. This was Syracuse in January snow. Not 34 degrees.Not even 24. It was four! Which, in Syracuse […]
What a Five-Year-Old Taught Me About Gratitude (and Steak)
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What If That “God Thing” Was Actually Just… A Thing?
I’ve never really liked the phrase, “that’s such a God thing.”Not because I don’t believe in God — I do. Deeply.I just think the phrase is… well… kind of silly. People usually say it when something good happens to them: • You got the job? “God thing!”• A tree branch fell on your car […]
Be the Light
The Power of Our Words: Be the Light One of the things I’ve learned—living paralyzed on one side after a random brain injury—is this: you don’t need everything working perfectly to make a difference. I may only move half my body, but my words still work. And wow, do they carry power. Here’s the crazy […]
Every “ER” Matters
People love to say, “You can do anything you put your mind to!” And while that sounds great on a T-shirt or tattooed on your forearm… let’s just be real for a minute: I will never dunk a basketball. I will never fly (without a ticket and a neck pillow). Heck, I will never juggle. […]
Love the Mug: Learn from Grandpa
OK, pilgrims, let’s be real — I’d like to call myself a “writer,” but honestly? I’m still struggling to hit an occasional blog post. Why? Fear. Fear of failing. Fear of being bad at it. Fear of people not thinking I’m cool. But let me be crystal clear: that fear is trash. We don’t have […]
World, Meet Derrick
Derrick Tennant is an international motivational speaker, minimalist, and stand-up comedian with a unique twist: years ago, a brain injury left him with minimal use of his left side, yet also gave him unlimited motivation to chase his lifelong dream of making as many strangers smile as possible. He has performed everywhere, from cruise ships […]
Love the Mug
So I have aspirations of being a “writer”, yet I am currently struggling to get one post a week off. What gives? I think it’s fear that I won’t be good at it, but that is stupid. Here goes blog # 2. OK that sounds bad, here goes my second blog post ( #2 can […]