I left my phone on a shuttle bus in Denver, Colorado, after a conference, and I didn't get it back for a full week. I spent eight days without the constant reassurance of my phone, and it was— Let me cut in: this is not the essay you think it is. You're expecting an essay … Continue reading Disconnecting to reconnect
I discovered something today: endorphins. My kids and I started taking Taekwondo together, three times a week. It's hard, and I'm clumsy and slow and keep getting my low blocks and high blocks mixed up. Warm-ups consist of—among other things—twenty-five pushups (on our knuckles!) and between 75 and 125 crunches. Now you have to understand, … Continue reading Old dog, new tricks
Tell me about that football game, that band you’ve adored since high school, that autobiography—really?—that kept you up all night. Tell me how you negotiated a deal at the office. How you got a deal at the thrift store. Tell me how you stood your ground and got what you wanted. I want that for … Continue reading Mudita
My mom wasn’t on board with the whole gay thing at first. I never even had to tell her; she overheard me talking to my girlfriend on the phone, and recognized the tone of my voice. “I’m going to consider it a phase,” she told me to my face. “You’ll get over it. Oh, and … Continue reading Shadows wane
I’m not known for being graceful. In fact, I have a reputation: I’m a klutz. If it’s on the floor, I will trip on it. If it has a corner, I will bump my hip or knee. If it has a sharp edge, I will cut myself. I wonder, sometimes: if you wrapped me in … Continue reading Bumps and scrapes
