And You Don’t Want to Try Polyamory Or Anything Like That — A few months ago, I wanted to start writing a new book, but I wasn’t sure how to begin. So I asked my colleague and mentor Jill if she would help me get it off the ground by being an accountability partner. Could I send her some writing every week…

Make Habits, Too, of Rest and Joy — I love my planner. I am one of those. I use the Passion Planner (which was developed by Angelia Trinidad, who turns out to be a really nice person on top of building a business around an object that I would go out of my way to save in a…

Can you get there without beating yourself up? — I was 23 when I liked a salad for the first time. And we’ll come back to that. The honeymoon phase of a New Year’s Resolution can be an incredibly happy and instructive time. Personally, I love the New Relationship Energy (NRE) that comes from setting and initially following through…

The science is clear: listen to your emotions. — Here’s a real question for you: how do you decide you’re sick enough to stay home from work? …

Or: How to survive as you gather and gather and gather this season. — It’s the season of Big Dinners. We’re right in the middle of it. There’s a good chance you’re feeling emotionally done with it all. Historically, I have mostly hated a dinner party. I find them terrifying. It’s difficult not to take on the burden of everyone else’s happiness. But that’s…

On the joy of recognizing a tailwind — How have your ordinary days been lately? You know: your day-to-day days; the days that run into each other because the routine is happening without crisis or miracle. Dental cleanings where you don’t have a cavity; trips to the grocery store where you buy what’s on the list; commutes that…

And one of them will help you with your creative endeavors — Last night I couldn’t sleep, and so I sat by my window and tried to find a star. Finding a star has helped me sleep since I was little; I like remembering I’m small, and that there are giant burning balls of gas that are actually HUGE but that look…

A fixer-upper that is worth so much more than the sum of its parts — I’ve been spending a lot of time with my house lately. It’s with me in my imagination a lot. Our roommates recently moved out, so we have twice as much space to manipulate. I have so many dreams about long red curtains, crushed velvet couches, things that I think are…

And you can unmake it over and over — Our housemates moved out this week. They lived with us for three full years, through two human pregnancies and seven chicken deaths and a global pandemic. When they moved in, there were four of us; when they left, there were six. When my husband and I bought this house —…