I wrote this post a few years ago but it seemed a good time to publish it as I’m helping my son and his girlfriend move into their first house this weekend which means I don’t have the time I usually have to write, and I’m thinking a lot about what a joyful life it’s […]
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You know that old physics question, “If a tree falls in a lonely forest and there is no animal near to hear it, does it make a sound?” It occurs to me that hot on the heels of this well-known philosophical conundrum is perhaps another, less familiar, which asks, “Are therapists bad at self-promotion or […]
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There’s a column in The New York Times entitled “How I Hold It Together” in which writers from the paper list six things that they find helpful when they are feeling anxious and stressed. It’s unlikely that I will ever be a columnist for The New York Times but I don’t see why I should […]
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I find myself walking across sun-drenched fields alone with the dogs and overcome with feelings of freedom and elation I can’t recall experiencing too often. Through the vineyards, with green in every direction, I wonder when exactly I awoke to the joy of being outside. My mother was a dedicated gardener. The long narrow patch […]
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In the kitchen drawer, there is a knife that I kept from my mother’s house after she died in 2007. I don’t know why I ended up with this particular piece but whenever I look at it I am reminded of the meals from childhood. Sitting around the cluttered kitchen table that doubled as a […]
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There’s an account on TikTok that belongs to a songwriter who often communicates disappointment and disillusionment at the paltry views and streams he receives. His songs are quite nice but that isn’t really what interests me. I played some of his videos to my daughter who immediately felt sorry for him but pulled no punches […]
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I’ve been thinking a lot about lying. It started when I was sitting in traffic listening to a report on the radio about Fox News and their pricey recent defamation case settlement. They released a statement in which they said it reflected their “commitment to the highest standards of journalistic integrity”. Hmmm. Later that day […]
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In a TikTok video the other day someone said that ChatGPT and other AI software are “like the new Gold Rush,” and it made me think about how the most money in the California Gold Rush was made not by the prospectors but by the people who sold them the shovels. If, like me, you […]
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On the Heath, I can hear the telltale frantic whistle before I catch sight of its owner or the unruly dog she is attempting to call back. Looking down at my own dogs walking happily by my side I feel a reasonably firm sense of certainty that they would come back if I called them […]
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Pulling a second batch of hot cross buns from the oven having forgotten to add spice to the first batch and essentially making fruity bread rolls I am thinking about the relationship between “settling” and “striving”. In Oliver Burkeman’s excellent book “Four Thousand Weeks” he posits the argument that “settling” is essential for a rewarding […]
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