Ask people what they want out of life and you’ll likely hear the big things: recognition, wealth, achievement, freedom, status. Ask them what they actually remember, years later, and the answers simplify: a meal, a friendship, a habit, a quiet place.

The structure of our culture makes the ordinary feel illegitimate. It’s treated as something you... See more

As anything scales too effectively - from fashion to restaurants to music - the market opens for more non-scalable alternatives. Once Starbucks opens on every block, many of us crave the artisanal coffee shop. Once our favorite Italian restaurant becomes a chain of three, we grow tired of it. Why? First, so much of what we buy and do is tied up in... See more