I’ve always been drawn to Amartya Sen’s idea that our choices, not just our circumstances, are what shape who we become. It’s a notion that resonates with me on a deep level, especially as I navigate the complexities of post-grad…
I’m making coffee when I notice Mr Whiskers’ food bowl is empty. This would normally trigger an immediate response because Mr Whiskers has developed a sophisticated notification system for an empty food bowl consisting primarily of standing beside it and…
Elizabeth Jennings. Her name has been etched into my mind, but not for the reasons you might think. It’s not because of her historical significance as a conductor on the first African American women-led passenger train or her pioneering work…
I’m standing in the kitchen with a cup of coffee that stopped being hot sometime during the previous administration when I notice Pandora’s breakfast plate sitting on the table. There is nothing particularly unusual about a plate sitting on a…
Incorporating small moments of movement into daily life is a more effective way to improve mobility than relying on dedicated workouts alone. This approach challenges the common assumption that mobility requires a significant time…
I first notice it at work when Karen asks Dave if he has a minute. Under normal circumstances, that wouldn’t mean anything. People ask other people if they have a minute all the time, and usually the correct response is…
Robert Lowell’s life has been on my mind a lot lately, probably because I just finished college and am trying to figure out what comes next for me. As I reflect on his experiences, I’m drawn to the tension between…
For the past week, Pandora has been getting out of bed at exactly 6:45 every morning, and I realize there are people who will hear that sentence and wonder why I care. Those people have clearly never lived with Pandora.…
I’ve been thinking about Maria Zambrano a lot lately, and I’m not entirely sure why she holds my attention like she does. At first, it was her writing that drew me in – the way she wove together philosophy, poetry,…
I’m making breakfast when I notice the toast is thicker than usual. Not dramatically thicker. Nobody else would walk into the kitchen, look at these two slices of toast, and immediately conclude that something had changed. But I make toast…
On her bathroom counter, a dizzying array of skincare products sprawled out before her, each one promising to address a different concern, from fine lines to hyperpigmentation. The woman stood frozen, unsure which ones to use and in what…
I’ve always been fascinated by Bronislaw Malinowski, a Polish-British anthropologist who lived in the early 20th century. What draws me to him is the way he approached his work, which I see as both refreshing and problematic. Malinowski’s ethnographic approach…
I’m sitting in the living room watching Pandora type on her laptop when I smell something strange. At first I ignore it because Pandora has been working on the same project for weeks, Mr Whiskers is asleep on the windowsill,…
Wislawa Szymborska – I still find myself drawn to her poetry, like a magnet to metal. Maybe it’s the way she weaves together the mundane and the monumental, making me see the world with fresh eyes. Or perhaps it’s the…
Mrs Jenkins knocks on the door sometime after dinner carrying a plate of cookies, which is normally the kind of event I support without requiring additional information. She says she tried a new recipe and made too many, so she…
A person stands in front of their closet, surrounded by clothes that no longer feel like ‘them’, yet unsure of how to edit or refine their wardrobe for quieter moments. The clothes, once carefully chosen, now seem overwhelming and lacking…
Hugh Kenner’s name keeps popping up in my mind, usually when I’m stuck on a sentence or trying to articulate an idea that’s been swimming around in the back of my head. It started with his book on Pound, which…
I’m sitting in the living room watching Pandora type away on her laptop. She’s been working on the same project for weeks, and I can tell she’s getting frustrated because every few minutes she stops, stares at the screen, sighs,…
I’ve always been fascinated by Severo Sarduy, the Cuban writer who defied categorization. I stumbled upon his name while researching Latin American literature for a class, but what really drew me in was the complexity of his work – it’s…
A refined daily beauty routine prioritizes restraint over excess, focusing on essential steps that deliver noticeable results. This judgment replaces the inadequate standard that a beautiful and effective daily beauty routine requires…
