I Drank a Warm Cup of Tea Every Morning to Fix My Morning Dread. Here’s What I Learned

There was a time when my mornings started the same way: Before my eyes had adjusted to the gray light filtering through the blinds, my thoughts were already filling with tomorrow’s obligations, each one quietly draining the small reserve of ease I had carried out of sleep. To cope, I would lie still beneath the … Read more

When People You Care About Are Merely Going Through the Motions During a Subtle Emotional Downturn, They Often Retreat From the Small Relational Rituals That Hold Their Closest Bonds Together

The subway car was unusually empty for a Sunday morning, bathed in that pale, underground light as we rattled toward the museum to see the new Van Gogh exhibit. Jane sat next to me, her coat neatly buttoned, her eyes tracking the digital stop announcements with perfect regularity. When the train lurched, she adjusted her … Read more

Eckhart Tolle Said That We Live Under an ‘Assumption That the Now Needs to Be Filled with Something All the Time,’ and That Made Me Think About How Much of My Free Time I’ve Spent Choosing Distraction Instead of Cultivating Attention

Twelve years ago, I deleted every tweet I had ever written and walked away from my account, leaving behind a blank profile. I did it because I was worn down by the constant chatter of a platform that demanded my attention every hour. Yet, even now, the urge to log back in visits me during … Read more