We went camping in northern Arizona last week, and aside from the fun stuff, I came home with two messages I want to share with you. The forests are giant tinderboxes We stayed in a pine forest, and the ground was coated in a spongy blanket of dry pine needles. Because gathering was permitted in … Read more
“People from the northeast are so rude/straightforward/abrupt.” Or so I’ve heard. My experience is more that if you ask a stranger for directions in those places, they’re going to give you directions and move on. No small talk about the day or why you’re going there or the weather or where you’re from. But I’m … Read more
Pet peeves. We seem to all have them. We can all identify little things that bother us more than perhaps they should. People who reply-all. People who write in all caps. People driving slow in the left lane. People chewing with their mouth open. People who do their hair and makeup to go to the … Read more
Sometimes, while doing the most mundane things, an entire series of events—starting at the mundane thing and ending somewhere else—pops into my head. Like this one. As a kid, I never learned how to floss. Probably my dentist Dr. Silver taught me, along with some dollops of shame about my general oral hygiene habits. He … Read more
It doesn’t feel right to prattle on about the usual things today. The problem of gun violence is overwhelming. The problem of black people murdered by police is overwhelming. The problem of racism is overwhelming. There are solutions or partial solutions to these, and we rationalize our way around them. How do we connect when … Read more
Austin Kleon had written in one of his newsletters his answers to seven pandemic questions. I asked my newsletter people their answers. Here are their responses, my responses, and Rocket Kid’s responses. Question 1: What’s one thing you made this year? I asked people to upload a photo, but the few brave enough to answer … Read more
I was in a writing group. We were generally friendly, offered feedback to each other on our work with both give and take on “negative” feedback. (So grateful for that. Can’t get better without constructive criticism, and we, culturally, are extremely averse to it.) One person in the group was extremely unpleasant. Would talk much … Read more
One of my life mantras comes from Maya Angelou: Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. We apply this easily to many skill sets: math, reading, various arts, physical skills, and so on. We don’t apply it as well to our beliefs and how we interact … Read more
My great-aunt apparently drove later in her life than she should have. I never rode in a car with her but I remember overhearing grownups laughing that she was like Mr. Magoo, where she always turned out fine but there was a trail of chaos behind her. We’re not always aware of the effect we … Read more
It’s easy to see the bad parts of 2020. They’re on the news, they’re in articles, they’re in memes, they’re showing up in expected and unexpected places in our lives. For the overwhelming majority of us, there were good parts to 2020 as well, even if some of them are double-edged. For example, both of … Read more