Dan Pittman

A portal exists on my left arm. Simple lines of ink bearing the bends that a canvas made of skin dictates, forms a cube open at one end. When the world around me consumes my will, when this reality pumped by a beating heart and rhythmic breaths misses a beat and grips my throat, I turn to the box on my arm.

There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self. -Aldous Huxley I started Handmade Mind as a way to blend passions together to form a harmonic symphony. Writing has always been a passion I kept to myself until recently. Psychology and brain function became a passion in college, as well as pursuing a healthy, self-sustainable and eco  friendly lifestyle. This article truly is a blend of all of them.

"My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." -Clarence Budington Kelland Fear doesn't begin to describe the feelings I was experiencing as our midwife rubbed a small amount of jelly on Rachels lower stomach. Being a person already prone to unchoreographed racing thoughts, I felt as though my head was about to burst like a red supergiant star. Four of my five senses shut down, and all of my energy funneled to my ears.

Welcome to 2020, the year of wake-up calls and healthy reminders. One of those reminders is to stay on top of your finances and save money where you can. Arguably one of the best ways to save is by building instead of buying, and using recycled materials to build is icing on the cake. Not only will it save you money, but it’s a step in the right direction in creating a more self-sustainable lifestyle.

"The first rule of life: Be here now." - Laurence Gonzales What do you do when Instagram isn’t loading properly, or your Amazon app won’t open? ‘My internet is on and Safari is just fine. Maybe it needs to be updated.’ Your thumbs mosey on over to the app store and low-and-behold, it needs to be updated. We fixed some pesky bugs and made some improvements so the app works more smoothly. *UPDATE*.

I sat in our new rocking chair we bought in preparation for our baby, angled so my view was directly outside. I was hit with flashbacks to my grandpa's ranch in rural Missouri. The patio faced endless rolling hills as you’d see in a Bob Ross painting; dotted with bison, patches of forest, and ponds splotched in the valleys. Chunks of my childhood summers were spent here, but in my memory I feel as though it was my true home.