The older I get, the more I fall out of love with efficiency. I’ve struggled enough mentally to know that many of the experiences that are most edifying and healing for me are slow and full of friction—cooking dinner with my bluesy women playlist rolling out of the speaker, a bottle of beer, and a cookbook dotted with sauces open-faced on the count... See more

no, it isn’t entirely sensible to take thousands of pictures of your life (or to undertake many of the projects that captivate us); and, no, you’re not likely to wring transcendence out of the mundane on a regular basis. You can, however, learn something about yourself and your world by doing or attempting to do these things. Even amateur hour beco... See more