“This Is Water” is a speech by American writer David Foster Wallace to the 2005 graduating class at Kenyon College. I’m reminded again how we are all just people being people and doing people things, and that we are all in this together. Hopefully this brings you the same...

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about all the time I wasted when I was younger. I wish I could go back ten years and tell myself all the things I know now. It seems I’m not alone in that. I put a call out on Twitter, explaining I was writing this blog and was there anything...

A year ago today I wrote:   Words just seem so futile at a time like this. The entire dictionary - even every word ever uttered - can’t describe what’s going on right now. A nation sits in shock. This isn’t our burden, surely? This isn’t our event? This is what...

Reading the weekly Postsecret offerings is a bit of a ritual in my world. As I think about each one – sometimes in passing, sometimes at length – I often see reflections of myself. I found one particularly touching: As I read it, I felt really sad. I lived in a swamp for a long...

If you’ve ever studied a tree stump you’ll know all about the rings. Looking over them is like caressing a lifetime. You can see exactly how different events in the tree’s life affected it. The grafting, the pruning, the good years, and the bad years – they are all...

The thing about baggage is that it falls into one of two categories: You’re carrying it because you’re going somewhere, or because you’ve been somewhere. If you’re like me, carrying baggage because you’re off somewhere is great. Your suitcase is tidy, full of...

There’s an old saying: Don’t judge till you’ve walked a mile in someone else’s shoes. It’s true. And we often forget it. Today I spent a little bit of time with a friend who is in a rough place. Her work, home, and love life aren’t quite going to plan, and she’s struggling to...

After watching a few “It Gets Better” clips, and seeing “Dear 16-year-old Me” I’ve been inspired to share my own list of things I think teenagers should know. You are young, so enjoy it: Make mistakes. Work hard. Party hard. Have fun. Study. You’re probably...

“You need a lot of passion for what you’re doing because it’s so hard. Without passion, any rational person would give up.” – Steve Jobs, Apple CEO I’ve been thinking a lot lately about passion. It’s probably an overused word, much like ‘hero’,...

Today a friend and I went to Mission Bay for a swim – we were in the water at 10am and had enough by about 10.30. She was content to lay on the beach but I wanted an ice cream, so I left her to search one out. Ice cream store: Closed. What? It’s summer, and the shop was closed? I...