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 —…

There’s something really special about a bad bath; and other things — I have had the stomach flu, and the stomach flu has had terrible timing. It came during my busiest work week — the first full week of teaching — of the year. Without getting into the nitty-gritty here, let me say that I have taken on more than I can…

The academic year’s ‘clean slate’ is actually a little dangerous. — The beginning of the school year is seductive. You might not be a teacher, or a student, or a parent of a student, but I’m sure you can feel the energy: Everyone gets new, sharp, unchewed-on pencils! Fresh backpacks! Blank day planners! …

The secret to experiencing joy is learning how to notice it. — In a vacuum, I don’t really like watermelon all that much. I mean, if I’m just sitting in this vacuum, devoid of context, at a neutral temperature and with no one around, and a robotic hand is placing foods into my mouth and having me rank them, one to ten…