https://ajflanagan.com Updates from AJ Flanagan https://ajflanagan.com/blog/having-i-been-asking-the-wrong-questions https://ajflanagan.com/blog/having-i-been-asking-the-wrong-questions <div>The other day I came across a meme that simply said, "God knows when to send you exactly what you need." It wasn't anything particularly profound, and it certainly wasn't the first time I'd seen something like it. Normally I would have smiled, maybe clicked "like," and kept scrolling.</div><div><br></div><div>Instead, I found myself thinking about it later that afternoon. Then again the next morning. It wasn't because I questioned whether it was true. It was because I realized I'd been making an assumption about what that sentence meant.</div>]]> Sun, 09 Aug 2026 09:21:31 CDT https://ajflanagan.com/blog/wait-what-was-i-doing https://ajflanagan.com/blog/wait-what-was-i-doing <div>I can't tell you how many times I've picked up my phone to do one specific thing and ended up doing something completely different.</div><div><br></div><div>Maybe I'm in the kitchen and realize I'm almost out of something, so I grab my phone to put it on the grocery list. Except when I open my phone, there's a text waiting for me. I read it, answer it, maybe remember something else while I'm doing that, and a few minutes later I put the phone back down. The grocery list never even got opened.</div>]]> Sat, 25 Jul 2026 08:28:00 CDT https://ajflanagan.com/blog/okay-tell-me-i-m-not-the-only-one https://ajflanagan.com/blog/okay-tell-me-i-m-not-the-only-one <div>I've been noticing things about myself that I'm not sure I've ever really noticed before... at least not through the same lens as I'm seeing them now.</div><div><br></div><div>I think they've always been there. I just never stopped and really thought about these things long enough to connect the dots.</div>]]> Mon, 20 Jul 2026 05:49:12 CDT https://ajflanagan.com/blog/i-care-more-carefully-now https://ajflanagan.com/blog/i-care-more-carefully-now <div>The other day I caught myself starting to get annoyed about something, and halfway through being annoyed, I stopped and thought, "Why am I spending energy on this?"</div><div><br></div><div>That's when it hit me that something has changed...</div>]]> Sat, 30 May 2026 14:03:34 CDT https://ajflanagan.com/blog/when-social-time-feels-good-but-you-still-need-to-be-alone https://ajflanagan.com/blog/when-social-time-feels-good-but-you-still-need-to-be-alone <div>You know that feeling when you get home after being out for a while... everything was great, nothing went wrong... the conversations were fine, maybe even really good. You’re glad you went.</div><div><br></div><div>And yet, the first thing you find yourself craving is a little space. A little quiet. Just a moment where no one needs anything from you. I’ve had that feeling more times than I can count, especially after being in a large group of people. When I get home, there’s this clear sense that my energy has been used up. Not just my physical energy, but emotional and mental energy, too.</div><div><br></div><div>For a long time, I think I quietly assumed that this was something I should probably work through.&nbsp;</div>]]> Sat, 18 Apr 2026 20:23:41 CDT