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? And if you’re someone whose job IS staying home and taking care of the infinity of things there are to take care of when you’re a parent or a home-maker, how do…

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…