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Opinion | The last turn of my crooked path

A CROOKED PATH FORWARD | In his final column, Dustin reflects on small acts of kindness and their place along the paths that move us forward As the sun set over the jungle behind Trujillo Bay in Honduras, I watched a little girl squat along the shore and ...

2 Sep 2020 - Dustin Dandliker
Opinion | My first gay roommate helped me address my homophobia

A CROOKED PATH FORWARD | We must take action to save LGBTQ+ lives I was 38 years old the first time I lived with a gay man. We were roommates in treatment. A counselor had taken me aside and asked if I was OK sharing a room with him. He was originally as ...

5 Jul 2020 - Dustin Dandliker
I will challenge my fear with generosity — and peach cobbler

A CROOKED PATH FORWARD | The pandemic has tested my interpersonal skills, but I’m rising to the challenge Choices mean power. And responsible choices are the key to connecting with a community. Trauma is stored in the cells of my body and often compromise ...

31 May 2020 - Dustin Dandliker
The world ended as I knew it, but people live on

COMMENTARY | I choose to stumble onward no matter what the terrain Mom nudged my shoulder and told me I had to talk to her. She said she needed help staying awake. The click-whoosh of the wiper blades kept time to our gentle conversation. The snow drifts ...

13 Mar 2020 - Dustin Dandliker
Dreaming of getting back home

COMMENTARY | Home is more than housing, but housing is the first step to healing Monarch butterflies lit the tall grass with the heatless flames of altar candles. A choir of cicadas sang an ancient call and response. Dragonflies rested their gossamer wing ...

17 Jan 2020 - Dustin Dandliker
Will privilege become extinct? Or will humanity?

COMMENTARY | In a culture that favors me for positions of power just because of my skin color and gender, I am ready to be a follower instead The most enduring artifacts of the human species are our genome and our ideas. Epigenetic research shows propensi ...

16 Aug 2019 - Dustin Dandliker
I found my way, thanks to my mentors

COMMENTARY | Because of the support and guidance I received since childhood, I see a higher purpose In Homer’s epic “The Odyssey,” Mentor was charged with looking after Odysseus’s son, Telemachus, while Odysseus went off to war against the Trojans. The go ...

17 May 2019 - Dustin Dandliker
Writing unlocks the door: Realizing a childhood dream

COMMENTARY | Don’t let anyone crush your creativity. Tell your story. I wanted to write before I could even read. When I was 4 years old, Dad read a lot of children’s books to me, but my favorite was “The Adventures of Raggedy Ann & Andy.” The cover w ...

5 Apr 2019 - Dustin Dandliker
To make it on the streets, I had to look like you: not homeless

COMMENTARY | We try everything to look "not homeless" to humanize our struggle There are people walking around downtown Portland every day who presently are or once were homeless. You would never know based on their appearance. I am one of those ...

1 Mar 2019 - Dustin Dandliker
Under the shadow of Vista Bridge: There is hope in the face of suicidal thoughts

COMMENTARY | Proper access to mental health care saved my life When the MAX speeds through the Vista Bridge tunnel into downtown, I always get the impression of travelling through a wormhole in space-time. I imagine myself going to a far-away place. I ima ...

28 Dec 2018 - Dustin Dandliker