Several years ago, we were staying near the Grand Canyon in what was advertised as “glamorous camping.” What sold me was the promise of showers with warm water. Rustic, I can do. Cold showers, I am less fond of. We were getting ready for the day,...
The doors arrived on a Tuesday, and by that afternoon the whole house felt different. The old doors throughout our house had been scuffed and chipped, dragging slightly along the floor in places. The new ones went in all at once. Bright white. Clean. Fresh and perfect....
I came across a Teacher Appreciation Week video made by current students at the high school I graduated from. One by one, students walk down the familiar hallway, smiling before they even reach the microphone, and give shout-outs to the teachers who have made a...
If you happen to be walking through the countryside in Ireland and come across a single tree that seems a bit out of place, you might be standing in the presence of a rare kind of wonder—a fairy tree. Often smaller than the surrounding trees,...
It was early on a Tuesday morning, and I was driving to the airport for a 9 a.m. flight. I’ve been enough times that I don’t need directions, but since it was rush hour, I turned Google Maps on to see how traffic was moving. The...
At Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, there’s a massive clock located in the international transit area that stops people in their tracks. At first glance, it looks like a man is inside of the clock, painting the minute hand forward by hand, every single minute. He wears blue...
Over spring break, our family spent an afternoon at the movie theater, seeing Project Hail Mary. In the story, a man wakes up alone in deep space with no memory and no trace of the life he left behind, tasked with a mission of saving the...
I was nearing the end of a Peloton ride, dragging a bit, when something caught the corner of my eye. Just outside the window next to me, a silver mylar balloon had drifted into our yard and was bumping lightly against the window next to...
Before I give a talk, I’m usually asked to send a short intro to the event organizer. I have a folder on my desktop labeled “Biosketch.” I open it and scroll through the versions I’ve saved over the years until I find the most recent one. Before...
One of the most useful skills in life is the ability to change your mind. Psychologists call it intellectual humility. I was reminded of it at two in the morning in the Phoenix airport parking garage. My flight had been delayed, and by the time I stepped into...