Psychology
Clear is Kind
The line between direct and obnoxious is thin, but firm. Your goal is to remain securely on the generous side of the line, avoiding the obnoxious side as much as humanly possible. Often in our attempts to avoid being obnoxious, we overcorrect and become non-committal, evasive, defensive, passive aggressive, and (the worst one) unclear. Making (…)
Pause Before Publishing
About a decade ago everyone and their mom was obsessed with “vulnerability.” Brene Brown gave her now famous TED talk on the topic and popularized the term, leading people to become devout practitioners of vulnerability. What did that mean? No one knows. But what happened was people started oversharing everything private about themselves on the (…)
anonymity
It’s a weird thing to start dating again as an adult. I knew how to date as a teenager and twentysomething, but as an Established Person, it feels a bit like going backwards. Meeting someone you have to shave your legs for feels like something you do in high school. Adults go on obligatory couples’ (…)
Get Back on Stage
One of the reasons I leapt offline and away from the public eye was that I was glitching. My brain had this trapdoor in it that, when opened, would take me out of the present moment and into another place and time. It’s like a rip would happen and I’d find myself in 2022 or (…)
Live to Die Another Day
Colin Jost has a memoir I haven’t read, but I laugh every time I see the title: “A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir.” There are few people I want to punch in the face more than those who bright-side things. Jost isn’t one of those people (I don’t think…I don’t know him), but his book (…)
Please be seated.
I went to get a flu shot and signed up online to schedule it because I’m a millennial and no I will not “just show up.” The online system asked if I wanted to be on the Texas Immunization Registry and something in my bones felt a familiar wave of “AHH sheeet.” I’ve never been (…)
The music will be wonderful
Something strange happened to me that you’re going to laugh at when I tell you because it’s not *actually* that strange but it jolted me out of whatever funk I’ve been in for weeks if not months: I hung out with someone who was optimistic. Sincerely. Honestly. GENUINELY. Hopeful. His worldview was one of seeing (…)
Coming Home
There are certain questions you get asked ad nauseam when you’ve been divorced. What is your vision for your life? What does the future look like? What do you want? Who are you dating? Are you dating? Are you ok? Do you hate your ex? What happened for real though? Do you feel better now? (…)