Tag Archives: Growing Up

What I Learned by Running

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Some regrets are not about one moment, but about the lesson that moment taught you. One hallway in eighth grade left me learning something I later had to spend years unlearning. Continue reading →

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Some Lessons High School Taught Me (A Few of Them the Hard Way)

Posted on April 11, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

High school taught me a lot, and not all of it came from the front of a classroom. Some lessons were obvious only after the fact. For example: if you struggle with Algebra, signing up for Math Analysis is less … Continue reading →

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Five-Year-Old Me Had No Career Plan Whatsoever

Posted on March 28, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Some children grow up announcing they want to be astronauts, doctors, or firefighters. At five years old, I had no such vision. My first serious ideas about the future didn’t show up until much later — and when they did, they came with names like Bob Costas and Pulitzer Prize dreams. Continue reading →

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My Middle Name: The Case of the Missing Brick

Posted on March 8, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

My middle name is Blaine. My dad wanted Brick. One of those names sounds intimidating. The other sounds like the kid who might accidentally eat paste. Continue reading →

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Ignore the Peanut Gallery

Posted on February 23, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

I spent too many teenage years worrying about what other people would think. If I could give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be simple: ignore the peanut gallery and choose courage over conformity. Continue reading →

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My First Computer Was Basically a Boat Anchor

Posted on February 1, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

Before hard drives fit in our pockets and computers updated themselves overnight, my first experience with “home computing” involved cassette tapes, a television screen, and optimism that wildly outpaced performance. Continue reading →

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The Blanket That Went Everywhere I Went

Posted on January 10, 2026 by Douglas Blaine

When I was five, I ran away from home with a few toys, some cookies, and a blanket. I didn’t get far—but that blanket went everywhere I did, then disappeared for years before quietly finding its way back to me, carrying my childhood and my mother with it. Continue reading →

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Born Into a Small World: What 1966 Taught Me About Hope and Hard Truths

Posted on December 23, 2025 by Douglas Blaine

I was born in 1966, a year shaped by war, civil unrest, and unspeakable violence—but also by music, television, faith, and moments of enduring joy. From the Cold War and Vietnam to Charlie Brown, Star Trek, and a pregnant nun playing Maria in The Sound of Music, it was a year of contradictions. Looking back, I realize that tension—between darkness and hope—didn’t just define the world I was born into. It helped shape the way I’ve learned to live in it. Continue reading →

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