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Shutrbug
Living, Peace Brandon Dragan Living, Peace Brandon Dragan

Shutrbug

It’s a cliche but it’s true: life is fragile. And it’s precious.

My family lost an amazing human being last month. It was sudden, it was shocking, and it’s left me to sit in a mixture of numbness, disbelief, and unimaginable loss.

Writing this is difficult and I feel like it’s a very small step in what it might mean for me to begin to heal…

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Fog
Living, Peace Brandon Dragan Living, Peace Brandon Dragan

Fog

One of my big struggle emotionally is the feeling of dread at the idea of forgetting things. And I don’t mean like, “where are my keys?”

I mean forgetting the big things… The important things…

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Cup
Living, Almost Dying Brandon Dragan Living, Almost Dying Brandon Dragan

Cup

Funny story, I couldn’t have anything to eat or drink after midnight before my surgery. The last think I had was a glass of water around 9:30pm. Woke up the next morning super early, peed, showered, got ready, and showed up at the hospital. When they take me back to prep me, they draw blood, hook me up to an EKG, take a chest x-ray, and then tell me that they’ll need a urine sample. I’m like… not sure I’m going to be able to oblige you there. They laughed and said, “Oh, you’ll be fine, just keep trying.”

An hour later no dice. I’m thinking to myself, I really wish someone had TOLD me they were gonna need a sample, otherwise I would have saved it up that morning!…

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Slice
Living Brandon Dragan Living Brandon Dragan

Slice

No.

Not that kind of slice.

Sorry.

In less than a week’s time I’ll be having my first major surgery since I broke my arm jumping out of the bathtub at age seven (I had to pee!).

2018 has been a rough year for me, mostly stemming from my physical condition.

I’ve had low back pain on and off since I was a teenager, but starting in January, it was different than normal. It was more in my gluten and down my leg than ever before…

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Fists
Living, Peace Brandon Dragan Living, Peace Brandon Dragan

Fists

I scroll through my Facebook feed and man… are we ever talking over each other’s heads.

One friend posts a meme with false, faulty, or disingenuous information with a comment such as, “See, President A, B, or C is the DEVIL INCARNATE!”

Very next friend posts a meme with false, faulty, or disingenuous information with a comment such as, “See, President A, B, or C is the SAVIOR OF ALL MANKIND!”

And I’m like… Really?…..

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Shadow
Writing, New Release Brandon Dragan Writing, New Release Brandon Dragan

Shadow

A brand new short story, Cast No Shadow, comes out on Friday and the usual jitters have overtaken me. 

This is probably my favorite work that I’ve produced to date. I feel like it’s honest, raw, and asks some important questions. It’s undoubtedly the most gritty thing I have written, and I think the ending packs a good punch…

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Apollo
Living, Peace Brandon Dragan Living, Peace Brandon Dragan

Apollo

This will probably sound pretty silly, but do you know what my most irrational fear is? Tumbling out into space.

I was recently watching Apollo 13—great movie!—and the thought struck me...

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Pub
Living Brandon Dragan Living Brandon Dragan

Pub

I heard this story in a charming village pub in the south of England.

A man’s wife planned a trip to the city for a day of shopping and lunch with her girlfriends. She left a “honey-do” list...

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Present
Living, Peace Brandon Dragan Living, Peace Brandon Dragan

Present

Normally, on a weekday morning, the rush is on.

Getting the first grader ready for school, lunch packed, and dropped off on time.

The four year old getting toys packed, slung in the carseat and off to my parent’s or in-laws house so that my wife and I can get to work.

This morning, however, I took my little one out to eat...

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Mission
Work In Progress Brandon Dragan Work In Progress Brandon Dragan

Mission

A small excerpt from a short story in progress. Enjoy!

…A moment later he tossed the black bag on the passenger seat of his pickup and started up the old, faithful truck. Down the row of trailers, under the orange lights, a few teenagers straddled their bikes and drank cheap beers. They nodded to him as he waved to them...

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Primordial
Writing, Work In Progress Brandon Dragan Writing, Work In Progress Brandon Dragan

Primordial

The following is an excerpt from an untitled, in-process work. Hope you enjoy!

Do we love the ocean so much because it’s our primordial home? It’s possible that the roots of our deepest psyche go back that deep, to the day when one of our earliest ancestors crawled out from the abyss onto dry land...

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Curling
Living, Peace Brandon Dragan Living, Peace Brandon Dragan

Curling

It took me twenty-five plus years to let go of belief systems that weren’t working for me.

I was raised in a bit of a bubble, and have really only recently started to realize the implications of life on the inside...

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Writing, Living Brandon Dragan Writing, Living Brandon Dragan

Real

Well, it certainly has been a while, hasn't it?

I am so grateful for the positive response I've received to the release of Camino Real (get it on Amazon). Releasing your work "into the wild," so-to-speak, can be terrifying, but it's the point of it all, I suppose. Anyway, thank you for your kind comments & reviews...

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Living, Writing Brandon Dragan Living, Writing Brandon Dragan

Machine

I’m afraid of wasting things. Time. Money. Resources.

Yet I seem to do a lot of precisely that.  

I procrastinate when there’s work that could be done.

I buy another cup of coffee when I’ve already had three.

I lose pens all the time...

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Living Brandon Dragan Living Brandon Dragan

Sikh

This speaks to me.  Deeply.

So I’ll just leave it here...

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Living Brandon Dragan Living Brandon Dragan

Sum

This post has nothing to do with math. You’re welcome.

Our thoughts can be so powerful… and maybe, at the end of the day, they’re all we have.

They have the power to make or break our day, our week, or our year...

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