Random Thoughts with Will

     If you were Christian kid that grew up in the 1990s/early 2000s, odds are you're familiar with VeggieTales , an animated series where fruits and vegetables teach kids stories and values from the Bible (albeit in a more fun, children's themed way). One of the highlights of any VeggieTales  video was the "Silly Songs with Larry" segment, the part of the show where Larry comes out and sings a silly song. My favorite "Silly Song" just might be "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything", a song where Larry, Pa Grape, and Mr. Lunt are dressed up as pirates and sing about how they've never been to Boston in the fall -- and how they don't do anything. For those who haven't seen VeggieTales , I promise it makes more sense than talking fruits and vegetables dressing up as pirates and singing about doing nothing.      When the word "nothing" is used, it normally comes with a negative connotation. Nothing means...well, nothing. No t

     It's that time of year again. Summer is starting to wind down (except in places like Texas, where it stays hot until November) and school is getting ready to start back up. Well, except in Virginia - Richmond kids still have until the day after Labor Day before school starts. Growing up, August was always a "sad" month for me in the sense that it meant summer was winding down, school was on the horizon, and the novelty/fun of summer has long passed and it's just plain hot. Admittedly, it's a little more enjoyable now that I don't have to go back to school anymore. In some ways, it's still a weird feeling that I don't - and I definitely have never had bad dreams that involve taking a test or being in classes since graduating.      Before I go any further in writing about school, I need to get this on the record: School. Is. Important. This post is by no means to bash school and say that it's not important - quite the opposite! School is imp

     During the Golden State Warriors' NBA championship run in 2015, there was a slogan that became a rallying cry for the team and fans alike: strength in numbers. Thousands of fans would wear "Strength in Numbers" t-shirts for home playoff games. It is said that Steve Kerr, Golden State's coach, came up with the slogan. Golden State did find strength in numbers - a deep roster with Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, a raucous home crowd, and of course MVP Stephen Curry that won the NBA Finals in 2015 (and has since added Kevin Durant and won 2 more titles). Then again, when Golden State used that same rallying cry in 2016, it turned out that "Strength in LeBron James" was slightly stronger.      There's a lot of truth to the idea of "strength in numbers" - they say that many hands make light work. Tasks that may seem daunting alone aren't so bad when others are there to help . There's even Gestalt psychology, which sug