A few weeks ago, my social media feeds lit up with posts about President-Elect Donald Trump shutting down the Department of Education. His general plan is to send regulation of education back to the states. Supporters argue that the Department of Education has done a poor job. They cite the fact that American children don’t…
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The Power of a Good Day
For almost a year now, my son has been struggling with depression and anxiety. I’ve been doing the best I can to support him, constantly checking in on him, encouraging him to engage in basics like self-care and chores, and sending scores of emails to his teachers and care team. For weeks, school has been…
On Hearing My Own Story
Two weeks ago, my daughter came to me with a question: Could she interview me for a school assignment? I figured what the heck. The assignment was for her English class. She was supposed to write about events that had shaped someone else’s life — that is, to find and share one of the core…
Look Up
About This Whole Idea of Crafting the Life You Want
Are you crafting the life you want? Look online or talk to professionals these days and you’ll come away with the idea that that’s what you’re supposed to be doing. But lately, I’ve struggled to craft much of anything — not even a Popsicle stick figure. I have a pile of papers (affectionately referred to…
How Much Does Opportunity Cost?
If you know me, you know I’m not rich (at least, I’m not as I write this). I grew up with zero money — my family depended on welfare. We were one of the families the church would gift a turkey for Christmas. There was never money for any extras. If I wanted to do…
Thoughts on Simple Pleasures
What does this look like to you? To some people, it might look like my teeny dog (Taydoh) doing what dogs do best — guarding the house with all eight pounds of fury, watching, noticing. Taydoh is a Yorkshire terrier, so he was specifically bred to keep his eye on rodents. It’s not an accident…
An (Almost) Forgotten Birthday
We all know the scenario as our cultural stereotyping tells it. “Dense” husband forgets wife’s birthday. Wife fumes, goes on social media, and gathers an army of people who will confirm for her that man is, in fact, dense. Husband fights ought of the doghouse with roses, a spa package, and at least one run…
How I Get Back My Creative Mojo When I Slump
Every once in a while, I have severe moments of apathy and self-doubt. It’s not because I’m in a creative rut or lack ideas. I have plenty of concepts. It’s not creative block. It’s just that, after extended periods of prolific creating, I lose a sense of whether any of the content matters or has…
What a 1963 Refrigerator Teaches About What People Want
A few weeks ago, my former colleague Tom Popomaronis posted an interesting video to his LinkedIn account. In the video, you see a 1963 refrigerator. The machine deserves kudos just from the standpoint it’s still completely functional, a testimony to the quality of the production. And the appliance is far from being a dinosaur no…