PAUSE: Postpone Action Until Serenity Enters.

A relationship, notably, is not an algorithm. It is a gestalt. Far be it from me to say that I’ve figured out what relationships really are or really mean, but I know there is an intangible force formed between the centres of people that sits beyond the limits of interpretation, that is larger than itself and both of you, that cannot be explained s... See more

I have thousands of photos of my children but few that I’ve set aside to revisit. I have records of virtually every text I’ve sent since I was in college but no idea how to find the ones that meant something. I spent years blasting my thoughts to millions of people on X and Facebook even as I fell behind on correspondence with dear friends. I have ... See more

A few more years and my mind wasn’t suited for much else. I was anorexic and had no friends; I was absolutely killing it online. I had developed all these health issues and begun posting hospital selfies, crying selfies, depressive bathtub selfies. I was sick and sad. I’m fangirling, a girl said when she recognized me on the subway. I’m spiraling, ... See more

The peak of my influence was also the peak of my misery.

Excellence is the war you wage until every trace of the struggle disappears

We adore quick wins these days: the kid on Youtube who goes viral and becomes an overnight sensation, the tech startup that goes from zero to unicorn in a year, the miracle makeover. At this point, the story of the tortoise and the hare is passé, and who really reads this to their kids anymore—I never have. We might as well rewrite the thing: the t... See more

I run slowly, I always have. I run for pleasure, even though I don’t like it. I run because it’s an easy way to get exercise with little time and no equipment. I run because it’s efficient, but I do it slowly, and I do it for fun, but I don’t like it. Sometimes people make no sense.

My problem is: when someone passes me, I always feel beaten. Even ... See more