Hybrid Vigor and Other Matters
My mother used the term “hybrid vigor” more than once over the years in a context that would be considered cringeworthy today. That said, her intentions were good, and her poin
You Did This (Thanks)
Seriously: you did this. And I’m so glad you did. You did it by making it clear that I haven’t in fact been shouting into the hurricane for the past four years, that the essays
The Most Important Work
Two years ago, the Monday after a job I had loved for more than a decade disappeared on me, I posted a photo of Karen and me at home with our grandchildren Nathan and Emma. The cap
The Remembering
I don’t remember when it was that I began to spend so much time remembering. This is in part because memory is cumulative and I’ve somehow managed to accumulate—no, that can
Absent Friends
It might be the most 2020 sentiment of all: I miss my friend. Lucca always felt like an old soul, even when his body was young. Maybe it was the eyes, big yellow saucers on his rem
Find Your Way Back
The black and white image has an iconic quality to it. The father leans in, embracing his adult son with both arms, turning slightly away from the camera to plant a kiss on his son
Choose Your Future
“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.”— E.L. Hartley One particular moment from the past has replayed in my mind over and over in recent month
Everything Is Heavier Right Now
The hardest part of the moment we’re living through isn’t the wait—it’s the weight. What a short time ago were the simplest everyday decisions now feel heavy with risk. Do
What I’ve Learned (So Far)
Many years ago Esquire magazine launched a series called What I’ve Learned, featuring famous people reflecting on their experiences and the lessons gained from them. In my previo
A Different Time
Last weekend—March 7th and 8th, 2020, just a week ago—suddenly feels like a different time. On Saturday our son brought our grandson and granddaughter over so he could take a l