Just before Christmas, I ran to my neighborhood grocery store for a few last minute items. This was not the store I typically frequent, or even one of the crunchy-granola health food stores where I pick up specialty items and splurges; not even Trader Joe’s, where I get those TJ’s-specific…

I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions, owing largely to my belief that we’re all more alike than different, and the average list of resolutions is likely interchangable between most of us, Trump voters and backyard gardeners, nuns and bus drivers alike imploring themselves to get more exercise, cook at…

Ten Free Tips Anyone Can Use to Tackle Any Hard Goal. — In January 2020, I decided to finally tackle my student loan debt. Though I’d borrowed far less, on 1/1/2020, it had ballooned, thanks to income-based repayment, my relatively low income, and the power of interest, to $101,400. …

A friend of mine who is a yoga teacher once told a class I was in that she loves fresh starts. “Like the best thing for me,” she said, illustrating her point, “is when the first day of the month is a Monday. I love that.” Same, I thought. The…

I grew up in the 70s, in what I think of as a working-poor household. Maybe this is what some describe as lower middle class, but what I mean by it is this: my parents had steady jobs and worked at them diligently, we were always housed and fed, we…

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked damning documents this week, including an internal memo from 2018 which confirmed Facebook execs knew as far back as three years ago that “ . . . misinformation, toxicity, and violent content are inordinately prevalent. . . “ on its apps. The NPR reporter covering…

Rachel Hollis, for those not in the know, is a writer, business owner, motivational speaker, and “lifestyle influencer” who has written several self-help books, had a clothing line on QVC, a Quibi channel, and multiple podcasts. Several of her self-improvement books, which have the tone of the scoldy older sister…

Because One of Us Has To Be, and I Know It’s Not Me. It sucks being wrong. There’s not a person alive who enjoys it, I’d wager. No matter how enlightened we may strive to be, we all prefer the satisfying feeling of being correct while others are in error…

The Derek Chauvin trial and the portrayal of George Floyd — Listening to a New York Times podcast covering the Derek Chauvin trial this week, I heard excerpts of the voir dire, that part of jury selection where prospective jurors are questioned about their reading habits, political beliefs, and various other convictions and opinions, so the attorneys on both sides can…