Dear Readers,
I am happy to announce that I am merging my blog onto a more flexible platform! I have enjoyed using blogger, but have found a site that looks a bit more professional, and has a mobile app so that you guys can read it on the go. From now on, I will be writing my posts to this web address!
https://jmshuffler.wixsite.com/lifethroughlevity
I have enjoyed writing for all of you, and look forward to continuing our...
Monday, December 11, 2017
The Lunacy of Lag
SOURCE: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uBGXI7muxZQ/hqdefault.jpg
Imagine playing football with your childhood friends. The wind playfully whips through the trees above and sends leaves spiraling down to meet you. Your feet sink into the soft soil of a luscious green field, and your eyes are locked onto the opposite team. Each of you is...
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
My Absence
Dear Readers of Life Through Levity,
I want to apologize for my absence. For months I was consistently giving you all new material to read and enjoy, yet when my personal life became difficult I abandoned you. Although my life has been stressful in more ways than I wish to share, I should've thought about trying to cheer someone else up instead of nursing my own wounds. By doing that, I became self-focused and less available...
Thursday, July 27, 2017
The Puzzle of Perspective
Photo Credit: www.grand-illusions.com
Before reading this article, focus on the picture. Let your eyes gently look upon it's simplistic beauty. Have you marveled at the dark lines and distinguished figure? Good, because I have a very important question to ask you. Don't think about it too hard, just answer. What did you see?
Well,...
Sunday, July 23, 2017
The Drive Thru Dissolution
Photo Credit: wordartsme.com
I took a deep breath. The metal apparatus stood still in front of me. Brown blotches of rust crusted to its edges as if it were far older than it had any right to be. But, that didn't matter. I was here to order food, not investigate the cleanliness of the outside speaker. I rolled my window down and stared...
Saturday, July 15, 2017
The Shoestring Redemption
Photo Credit: www.dailyartmuse.com
Shoes are a unique compliment to one’s feet. They protect
our partners in transportation while simultaneously giving them a sense of
comfort. Before the invention of these cloth bound carriers, we had to endure
the harsh heat of the summer sun burning away our soles or feel the unpleasant
sensation...
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Tasting the End
Photo Credit: images.clipartpanda.com
For years I have perfected the art of pepper tasting. Through strenuous trial and error, my taste buds have become accustomed to the searing pain of uncontrollable fire. I have conquered many peppers, from the elusive ghost pepper to the deathly sting of a Carolina reaper. With each victory, fighting...
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Culinary Combat
Photo Credit: c1.staticflickr.com
I stood there, staring at the crunchy, cheesy concoctions I marvelously
put together. Little pops and crackles rose up from the sizzling silver
surface beneath me. On my left were some of the products of my culinary
precision, waiting under the bright lamp to be eaten by the many
students I'd...
The Scanner
Photo Credit: us.123rf.com
I
sat in the small, wooden chair thinking about the shift I was taking
upon myself. My
calloused hands grasped the black, ergonomically comfortable scanner as I
looked at the crowd approaching me. Their eyes showed signs of hunger,
of thirst, and of minor depravity. They were hungry, and the only...
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Attack on Toilet
Photo Credit: www.fineartamerica.com
Sometimes, the human body has no understanding of convenience. It's an autonomous, ticking machine that calculates each second of our lives while we observe in awe. Millions of signals are sent throughout the complex network of electrical nodes in our system to help us perceive the world we...
Monday, June 5, 2017
Spin Me Round
Photo Credit: www.iosnoops.com
Boredom is a terrible mistress. It teases you with the possibility of an idea, then leaves you stranded in the emptiness of your mind. One second, you think you have something brilliant, but then you slump down in despair as you realize the dull throb of an unoccupied mind shooed it away. I was in one...
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
The Art of Nixing Negativity
Photo Credit: www.denterpreneursolutions.com
Pessimism is sometimes seen as a highly held virtue. To some, it is a reserved strength that eases the bitter pain of disappointment by avoiding the perceived pitfall of hope. How can one be hurt by a negative outcome if there was no expectation for anything better? Although this may be a...
Friday, May 26, 2017
The Measurable Malice of Midnight
Photo Credit: Marie Higgins
Candlelight flickers in the cold, dark room as I sit in bitter isolation. Outside the wind howls through the trees and I shudder as I look down at what I must do. There's a strange power one feels in the night when alone. A slight tingle crawls through the skin as you sit and ponder your next move.
I...
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
An Awkward Amount of Cereal
Photo Credit: www.dreamstime.com
I'm a man of exquisite taste. When it comes to my cereal, I look upon the lavishly colored boxes as a sign of personal status and luxury. Every morning I come downstairs, I open up the pantry and take in the beautiful sight of the fashionable foods sitting neatly on the top shelf. This is the life,...
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Jacks' Final Journey
Photo Credit: www.pinimg.com
A few years ago, I lived in a neighborhood that was less than stellar. To put it nicely, it was a rough, seedy suburban place that housed the most eccentric group of ghetto individuals I had ever witnessed. To be more concise, it was bad.
Not everyone in this neighborhood exemplified the worst of mankind....
Good Luck Iguana
Photo Credit: www.wikihow.com
There are times when I question the sanity of life itself. Sometimes, the rules to life's crazy game make sense, but there are moments when I wonder if I was dealt a hand of UNO cards during poker night. Even though I have a brilliant rainbow of numeric art fanned out in front of me, I realize that no one...
Monday, May 15, 2017
The Danger of Dating Sites
Photo Credit: Clipart Library
Long before the days of my beautiful relationship, I was a lonely man looking for a feeling. My manly face and studly beard did nothing to attract the eyes of any local lady, so I decided to try something different. There were legends of couples who met magically through the portal of the internet. They...
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Steps to Being a Successful Detective...According to the Hardy Boys
Photo Credits: assets.howtobecome.com
Today I decided to read my first Hardy Boys' book. By flipping through the old, browned pages, I began to discover a world of intrigue and thrills that kept my attention throughout most of the day. Although the book was shorter than most novels are these days, it's serial nature and the fact...