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Category Archives: Short Stories

Shooting Stars – The Vast Universe Has A Message

Written on January 9, 2013 by Torrey Shannon in About Torrey, Everyday Life, Mountain Living, My Life, Rural Living, Short Stories, The Walter Reed Book project, Uncategorized

It’s after 4am and I can’t sleep. My mind is filled with all the worries in the world, once again. This time sleep evades me because I really can’t put my finger on the exact reason of my worry. I see flashes of past memories, seemingly unrelated. I see flashes of a predicted future and…

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The excitement {and relief} of the New Year

Written on January 1, 2013 by Torrey Shannon in Be Flawesome!, Enjoy Your Life, Everyday Life, Extreme Do-Over Experiment, High Altitude Cooking, Improve Your Life, Military - Veteran - Caregiver Resources, My Life, Short Stories, Simplify Your Life, Uncategorized

Or: “How Mason Ball jars, Superman poop and the wisdom of a brain-injured husband helped me see the new year in a whole new way.” Perhaps it was the psychological benefit of knowing 2012 was behind us, but I slept last night for the first time in a very long time. I am honestly and…

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Writing like no one is watching

Written on August 20, 2012 by Torrey Shannon in Book projects, My Life, Sample Chapter, Short Stories, The Walter Reed Book project, Uncategorized

The necklace didn't stand a chance of staying on display

I remember the exact moment it happened. I had just wrapped up a week of intense learning at the Second Annual Twin Compass Writer’s Workshop. I was sitting under an Aspen tree in a camp chair, absorbing the crisp Colorado night. Gazing at the blazing stripe of the Milky Way in the southern sky, I…

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The Single-Most Important Quality to Have as a Writer

Written on April 17, 2012 by Torrey Shannon in Everyday Life, Freelance Writing, Short Stories

I am going to reveal the single-most quality that every writer needs to have. But before I do that, I’ll first need to explain why: Writing is not an easy path for me. I struggle with having the time to write, finding the right words, or wondering if anyone is even listening at all. Other…

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The Best Marriage Advice You’ll Ever Need

Written on April 16, 2012 by Torrey Shannon in Caregiver Resources, Enjoy Your Life, Everyday Life, Family, Improve Your Life, Lifestyle, Marriage, My Life, Relationships, Short Stories, Uncategorized

This post was originally titled: “The Best Way To Wake Up in the Morning And Guarantee a Good Day Does Not Require Any Coffee: My Secret Weapon” On 12/19/2012 I changed it to: “The Best Marriage Advice You’ll Ever Need” because people had no clue that some of the best marriage advice you’ll find was…

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Life Lessons in Leadership and Motivation: Solving Problems I Didn’t Know I Had

Written on March 6, 2012 by Torrey Shannon in Caregiver Resources, Everyday Life, Lifestyle, Main Navigation, Mountain Living, Short Stories, Uncategorized

God works in mysterious ways. I just received some answers to problems I didn’t even realize I had. Just a few moments ago I stepped out on my back balcony to calm myself from the chaos of my day. All I expected from this soiree to the balcony was a bit of sunshine and a…

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We gained more than we ever lost: A 9/11 moment of reflection

Written on September 11, 2011 by Torrey Shannon in About, Advocacy Videos, Everyday Life, Key Issues/Breaking News, Lifestyle, Military - Veteran - Caregiver Resources, Short Stories, Veteran Advocacy, Videos - Vlog

Today I shared a letter to the congregation of Riverside Baptist Church in Greer, SC. It was read by my former classmate, Rev. Marcus Buckley. He read it on my behalf, for which I am thankful, and through his voice…this is what I had to say: First, cue this video at the 9:50 mark found…

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My book projects, defined.

Written on June 29, 2011 by Torrey Shannon in Book projects, Short Stories

A lot of things have happened since my departure from Cleaning for Heroes in February. Some things happened prior, some things after, but it all comes down to one thing: I am finally writing my book. More than one, in fact. I never planned it that way. I spent two weeks going over the gut-wrenching…

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Father's Day: A bittersweet reunion of sorts

Written on June 19, 2011 by Torrey Shannon in Everyday Life, Mountain Living, Short Stories

This Father’s Day, I have to story to share. It’s a bittersweet scenario that I hope will help others who have dealt with family conflict in their lives. This will all be part of my upcoming book, but explained in more detail. Today is just about the message that needs to be shared. The last…

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You are cordially UNinvited…

Written on June 19, 2011 by Torrey Shannon in Everyday Life, Lifestyle, Short Stories

I’ve had a perplexing issue come up – once more than I ever care to deal with. The issue? It’s the act (or art) of being uninvited to a gathering of friends or loved ones. I say “art” because it takes real skill to be so brazen, yet feign confusion if the offenders are called…