Keep It Anonymous

Have you ever received something anonymously from someone?  It could have been an encouraging note or some money during a difficult time.  Or maybe someone in the line at Starbucks secretly treated you to a coffee before disappearing without a word.

If you have, you know how special it can be.

There's a strange humility that comes with giving anonymously.  When credit can't be given, a certain pureness accompanies the action.  It also releases the individual receiving the gift from obligation to respond somehow.  There are truly no strings attached when we give in this way.

They just get to enjoy the gift for what it is.

Whenever I've received something anonymously from someone, it creates a very unique feeling inside of me.  It brings comfort to my soul and causes me to think of others as well.  It's like a knee jerk reaction to give.  The desire to do the very thing that was done for me sort of takes over.  Can you relate to that?

Note: If no one's ever done something like this for you, worry not!

You Can Be The Change!

(The world around you is waiting.)

The best part about giving anonymously is the creativity that comes with it.  There are no limits on how to deliver the gift.  And this is when things get really fun!  But if you're struggling with knowing how to start, begin by observing the world around you.  What needs can you meet?  And better yet, what creative ways can you meet those needs?

And we can't always know the needs of those around us.  But that doesn't mean we can't still bless them with an encouraging note or a thoughtful act.  Or even a kind conversation (which doesn't need to be long in length).  And when we step out in this way, its affect on the person can be powerful, carrying on into unknown places and situations.

(Sort of like that movie Pay It Forward.)

In essence, we're saying,

"I see you.  You are valuable.  You belong."

So Get Creative.  Have Some Fun.  And Keep It Anonymous.

 "One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;

another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want."
(Old Proverb)

Read More

My Kind of Story: The Grasses of Wisdom

I'd like to share some stories with you.  These are fictional pieces I've written and range from 1,500-7,000 words in length.  They consist of many different themes and were a joy to write.  It is my sincerest hope that you find enjoyment in them as well, flaws and all!

So go make some coffee, find a little nook, and dive on in.

T H E  G R A S S E S  O F  W I S D O M

Brandon Salisbury
June 27, 2017

There once was an Ox who lived in the wild.  He was happy and free, and enjoyed roaming the breezy hills in careless abandonment.  The Ox treasured the ground beneath his feet and the life that came from it.  Stories of its significance had been passed down for generations in his family.  They were some of his favorite.  And much like this one, they often spoke of something deeper than the stories themselves.

To Continue Reading, Click Here.

<Under the Water

Read More

My Kind of Story: Under the Water

I'd like to share some stories with you.  These are fictional pieces I've written and range from 1,500-7,000 words in length.  They consist of many different themes and were a joy to write.  It is my sincerest hope that you find enjoyment in them as well, flaws and all!

So go make some coffee, find a little nook, and dive on in.

U N D E R  T H E  W A T E R

Brandon Salisbury
July 16, 2015

When I close my eyes, I can still see her on the dock.  I see her feet dangling above the water and her gaze set downward beneath its surface.  Of all there was to enjoy at the cabin, she preferred this the most.  It wasn't uncommon for her to spend an hour or more there at the lake.  I'd sometimes see her through the window and she looked like a painting, always so still.  This was my sisters favorite place to be.  Her name was Caiden.  

"Sister's for life," we used to say.  I was only ten when she was taken; she was six.  The investigation took its course, but her body was never discovered.  It carried on for a time and some friends of my parents even organized search parties to search the forest.  I knew they wouldn't find her, though.  And to be honest, I don't think Caiden wanted to be found.  I knew the day would come when the investigation would be over and it'd be quiet again.  And it was so.

To Continue Reading, Click Here.

<The Decision

The Grasses of Wisdom>

Read More

My Kind of Story: The Decision

I'd like to share some stories with you.  These are fictional pieces I've written and range from 1,500-7,000 words in length.  They consist of many different themes and were a joy to write.  It is my sincerest hope that you find enjoyment in them as well, flaws and all!

So go make some coffee, find a little nook, and dive on in.

T H E  D E C I S I O N

Brandon Salisbury
March 20, 2017

From the heat of the tropics to the cold of the office, John found himself at the end of a deep and engaging assignment.  For the first time in his life, both confusion and clarity sought for a place in his understanding.  He questioned the world around him in a way he never had before.  The journey ahead would not be easy, but there was no other way.

"We had been surveilling the doctor over the last six months," said Peterson.  "With the peculiar activities surrounding his life, and the initial report that turned us onto him, we felt that it was necessary, if not imperative, that he be surveyed."

"The report concerning the girl?" asked a man from across the table.  John looked down at his hands on the cold, steel surface.  He folded them and then answered the question.  "Yes, Rebecca Clark."  He could see her face in his mind.

"Can you tell me more about that?" asked the man.  John nodded.

"It had been reported to the police department of El Tigre that Dr. Kron had put a spell on Miss Clark, a foreigner who'd been living in the city over the last five years, working with disabled children."

"Venezuela?"

"Yeah."

"And what was this supposed 'spell' that had come over her?"

"In the report,” answered Peterson, “it stated that the two had engaged in a loud, verbal confrontation over Kron’s conduct towards a waitress at a cafe she frequented.” He then began to speak in another language - possibly more than one - at which, she stopped responding altogether.  The report noted that she became quite passive at this point and sat down in her chair.  She then positioned her head downwards towards the table and upon Kron's exiting of the building, she stood to her feet and followed him out, rather despondent."

To Continue Reading, Click Here.

<Adventures with Kyfa
Under the Water>

Read More

My Kind of Story: Adventures with Kyfa

I'd like to share some stories with you.  These are fictional pieces I've written and range from 1,500-7,000 words in length.  They consist of many different themes and were a joy to write.  It is my sincerest hope that you find enjoyment in them as well, flaws and all!

So go make some coffee, find a little nook, and dive on in.

Note To Reader: If you'd rather listen to this story, please Subscribe to this blog (top right).  I've created an audio-version as well & it's exclusive to my Subscribers!

A D V E N T U R E S  W I T H  K Y F A

Brandon Salisbury
June 10, 2014

There she sat, out in the green grass.  The sky was perfect and the clouds, wonderful.  Great, big trees were all around the girl.  They were full of vibrant life.  Little critters could be heard rustling through the bushes nearby as the songbirds sang.  The smell of lavender, vanilla, and some sort of citrus filled the air.  It was a pleasing aroma.

Annabel spent a lot of time here; in fact, it was her favorite place to be.  Her feet were bare and she was free.  The cool, lush grass was soothing to her skin.  She laid back into its soft embrace and gazed into the sky above as entire worlds of magical enchantment built themselves into the clouds.  Their creative brilliance is surely beyond ours.  She could see puppies and kittens in them.  They also held the faces of people she knew and even places she had been.  Her home was there, too... a not so distant memory.

She breathed it all in.  Annabel was safe here - secure.  She began to swoosh her arms and legs through the heavy blades of grass as one might when making an angel in the snow.  There wasn't a care in the world to concern herself with in this place.  Fascination gripped her mind and her imagination was the one thing it needed: permission to explore.  No one could take this away from her, and harsh words literally could not be heard.  It was as close to perfect as perfection could be for an eight-year old girl.

Annabel began to hum a tune into the air.  It was a song that she and her father had created.  She wasn't worried about singing the words because the melody alone was able to fulfill its duty.  But as she lay there, restful and at peace, there came a sound from the trees.  A stick had been snapped.  She turned her head to look, but the tall grass blocked her vision.  Sitting up just slightly, she rested herself onto her elbows.  "Kyfa?" she asked. "Is that you?" There was no response.  Now sitting fully upright, she called again. "Hello? Who's there?" But still, there was nothing.

To Continue Reading, Click Here.

<Thoughts from a Ship at Night
The Decision>

Read More

My Kind of Story: Thoughts from a Ship at Night

I'd like to share some stories with you.  These are fictional pieces I've written and range from 1,500-7,000 words in length.  They consist of many different themes and were a joy to write.  It is my sincerest hope that you find enjoyment in them as well, flaws and all!

So go make some coffee, find a little nook, and dive on in.

T H O U G H T S  F R O M  A  S H I P  A T  N I G H T
 
Brandon Salisbury
May 9, 2014

Time: 12:08 a.m.
Date: 07/30/1941

Location: Somewhere in The Arctic Ocean

Destination: Moscow, Russia

I've often wondered what would happen if I fell overboard?

As I stare into the waves below, I get this eerie feeling in my stomach just thinking about it.  And with the storm in the distance, I can't help but wonder what might happen.  I'm sure I'd survive the fall (I've jumped from higher).  But what would happen next?

Of course, I'd begin to shout for help, hoping for someone to hear me.  But even if they had, how horrifying a thought of my cries being dismissed to the wind.  I can see it now, a family shutting the bedroom window and carrying on with supper.  I suppose my best bet would be if someone had heard me from the deck.  Actually, I take that back.  Someone seeing the incident would secure my greatest chance of being rescued.  But on a night like tonight, I really don't find that likely.  I mean, the wind is really going right now – the kind that blows hats off and dresses up.  I’ve only seen a few other souls out tonight and that was an hour ago.  If I fell right now, I'm sure it’d go unnoticed.

To Continue Reading, Click Here.

Adventures with Kyfa>

Read More

The Hidden Pool

I recently traveled to a city in the south of China to reunite with some of my dearest friends.  It had been a year since we'd seen each other and we spent the time catching up and making new memories.  But little did we know, something special was awaiting us in the karst hills outside the city.

Something we'd never forget...

For some time now, I've had a fascination with the unknown.  I love the idea of pioneering... exploring... making discoveries.  It's the reason I long to see Alaska.  It's partly why I enjoyed the latest King Kong movie.  It's why I liked C.S. Lewis' space trilogy and John Eldredge's writing in the The Sacred Romance.

And it's probably the reason I own three Timex Expedition wristwatches.

(that and they're just cool)

In short, I love finding new things... and that there are still things to be found!  And this doesn't have so much to do with discovering gold or lost cities or that which is grand.  It's more about a person seeing something for the first time or tasting some new taste - things like that.  It's about the individual experiencing something foreign or new to them.

And that's where our story begins...

We had set out to find the exact location pictured on the back of the Chinese 20 yuan bill.  I really wanted to get a shot of the twenty with the scenery blurred out behind it.  And I'll just say this now...

I never did.

But somewhere along the way, we did happen upon a trail we thought might take us there.  So we parked the scooters and ventured out on foot.  And it was so beautiful!  The views actually confused my mind as they were foreign to me.  Some of the trees looked tropical and others didn't.

It felt like a mixture of Thailand and my hometown.

But after a while of hiking, we considered turning back.  The trail seemed to be never-ending and it was all downhill.  Getting back would be more strenuous and we had already spent a couple hours on the scooters just getting there.  We were tired, it was hot, and it was a long way back.  So we decided to hike to the next bend to see if it matched our little map (the twenty).  And if not, we'd turn around.

But instead, we saw something wonderful!

There was this little pool way out in the middle of nowhere!  And the turquoise-colored water looked so inviting.  But we weren't sure if the water was okay for swimming so I went down and smelled it.  And since there were no suspicious odors, I jumped in!  And man did it feel good!  The others made their way down to join me.

"It's not even a pool, but we're making it a pool." - John Cossey

It honestly felt like we had made some major discovery that would change the course of human history.  With everyone in, we couldn't get over the fact of what we had just found.  We laughed and we splashed and we kept talking about how special it was.  And it really was special.  This experience with the pool ended up being everyone's favorite part of our trip to Yangshuo!

And if you wanna know the coordinates, well, go and find them for yourself! :)

Here's A Video Of Our Trip!

This experience proved to me that you really don't know what you're going to discover when you venture out into the unknown.

And that, my friend, excites me.

Click Here For Some Thoughts On

The Value Of Travel

And lastly, this little mud-pit wasn't too bad of a find either! :)

Read More