What’s in a name?

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”

-Juliet, from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Act II, Scene ii

I don’t know that anyone will ever read this, but if they do, (thanks Mom and Dad), I should probably explain the name. Although, as Juliet hinted, a name is just a name.

According to Merriam-Webster, “release” is defined as; allow or enable to escape from confinement; set free or allow something to move, act or flow freely.

Therefore, “The High Release” will be a place for me to set free my thoughts, as well as allow my thoughts, feelings, etc. to flow freely. What are those thoughts you might ask? Well, in all honesty, it will be a blog about many thoughts, plural. What these are will vary. So, as I attempt to make sense of this for myself as much as you (whoever you are) I will be doing a little question and answer session…..with myself.

Without further ado…

Question #1-Who are you?

I’m a man! I’m 40!

Not really, but if you don’t know the reference, here you go:

One of the greatest rants ever.

But back to me. I am a husband to a beautiful wife, father to 3 beautiful children, I am a high school English teacher, basketball and football coach. I love the leadership role of being a coach and working with student-athletes to help them grow as people, in addition to on the court and field. I am an avid reader, movie buff, and lover of all things outdoors. I love to camp, hike, and go backpacking any chance I can.

Question #2-Why should I read your blog?

Well, hopefully I can entertain, make  you think, perhaps inform, or at least not bore you.

For real though, I don’t know why you should read this. I’m not even sure I want you to read this. Because it might suck…bad. The GIF of Sheldon hyperventilating at the top captures the way I feel about writing for public consumption pretty accurately.

However, I have felt the pull of writing recently, and I am looking for an outlet.  If no one reads this, and it simply gives me an opportunity to think critically and craft a well thought out piece of writing every week, I can live with that.  All that being said, I would love it, and be super humbled, if people actually read and enjoy what I write, and I guess that would be my ultimate pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Question #3-How often will you write?

I am planning on writing when the mood strikes me.  Honestly, once a month is probably my goal;  However, depending on how much life interferes, it could be less.  It will probably not be more than that, as being a husband, father, and teacher can be a little time consuming.

Question #4-Are you any good at writing?

To be truthful, I’m not sure. I’ve never done this type of writing before. I’m currently an English teacher and studied both English and History in college, so the vast majority of my writing has been academic in nature. I’ve attempted to “write beside” my students (shoutout to Penny Kittle for the  term) when I have asked them to do some creative writing, and have even shared some of it with them, but never put anything out into the world. So I will be learning a lot about myself and my abilities as I venture along this road. One thing I do know, is the level of sarcasm will probably be high.

Question #5-What will you be writing about?

Yes.

I know, I know, that’s not an answer. The reason I say yes is that I’m willing, and may just, write about everything. One week could be about teaching, the next about coaching. The week after that could be about being a husband/father, followed by a book review. I am interested in a wide variety of topics, so who knows where this will go. This being said, I know most blogs that people actually read, tend to focus on a topic or two. I am worried that if I write about much more than that, I will become “that guy” at the party who feels the need to voice his opinion (most of time very strongly) on every topic that is discussed.  I believe the blog topics will begin to narrow as I get my legs under me, but no promises.  This is uncharted territory, so bear with me.

I’m going to give this a shot, because as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path, and leave a trail.”