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Resolved: To make my New Year鈥檚 promises (gasp!) publicNew Year鈥檚 resolutions are often soon abandoned. In recent years, I鈥檝e stumbled on a not-so-secret solution to sticking to them.
Rage against the (checkout) machine: Why I won't do self-service with a smileSelf-service isn't self-serving for those who struggle with technology. For some of us, it's downright impossible.
My muddle to mediocrity: When good enough is good enoughIt鈥檚 a revelation to do something for pleasure, not for accolades, to realize that excellence is not a prerequisite for enjoyment.
Cracking Icelanders鈥� frosty facade? I found the steamy secret.Six months of darkness would chill anyone鈥檚 demeanor. Here鈥檚 how I break the ice whenever I visit Iceland.聽
Ramen love: Rediscovering the flavors of my childhoodAn adulthood spent dabbling in culinary experiments led me to a deeper appreciation of the childhood foods of my ancestral home, Japan.聽
Sing along: 3 plungers plunging, 2 pterodactyls flying, and 1 bird hat monstrosity!Some people give candles, lotion, and socks. Not me. Lords a-leaping have nothing聽on the original gifts I make each year.聽
When what we have is enough: Lessons from the AmishI prize my trips into Amish聽country, where the pace of life slows and the lack of聽鈥渟tuff鈥� has real allure.
I dreaded cleaning out my freezer. What I found there was priceless.In hard times, training ourselves to see the good can be a gift. Our writer found unimaginable bounty under his nose and invites us to share in it.
Overwhelmed by climate change? I started by changing me.How can we counter climate change? Turn off the lights. Buy secondhand toys. We can鈥檛 fix it alone, but we can start right where we are.
Behind the stacks: The secret life of a librarianMy novel experience as a children鈥檚 librarian was not the quiet desk job I had envisioned. It was so much more.
A 400-lb tree weighed on our marriage. A smart solution lifted the load.My wife and I have gardened together for years without marital incident 鈥� until the great birch tree challenge of 2024.聽
Candy corn and leaf-pile cannonballs: Falling in love with fall, all over againCelebrating fall: The riot of russet tones, the brisk air, the crunchy leaves. The answer to what ails us? It鈥檚 often as simple as stepping outside.
Sending smiles across the miles: Care packages bring comfort in troubling timesCare packages are a gesture of love and a reminder that, in times of turmoil, goodness can still cross the threshold. Here's how to create your own.
At these interfaith dinners, Palestinians and Israelis share hope for peaceOur annual interfaith dinners bring together Muslims, Jews, and 海角大神s. After all, hate can鈥檛 survive across a dinner table we build together.
Paddling down memory lane: Our big fish storyThe dip and plunk of paddles, the ripples on the lake. For Dad and me, fishing is a beloved family ritual. Our biggest catch? Time spent together.聽
Mrs. Tippet鈥檚 school of life: The teacher who made me fall in love with writingWith her gold-tipped fountain pen, fanciful flourishes, and after-recess story times, my fifth grade teacher indelibly shaped my career 鈥� and life.聽
A bittersweet farewell: I鈥檓 a New Yorker, but Mississippi has my heartWhen a born-and-bred New Yorker prepares to move back to the big city, he discovers that Mississippi has made itself at home in his heart.
As summer wanes, I'm chasing flickers of nostalgia by the campfireI yearned for my childhood summers by the lake. With my son, I have a chance to revisit that enchantment.
Hot crabs and cold lemonade: A window into my Cajun childhoodFamily dinners are a powerful means of connection, anchoring, and belonging. For our writer, Cajun country crab nights brought a sense of kinship.
How a juicy Dixon watermelon helped me conjure carefree childhood summersProust had his madeleine. I had a juicy red watermelon to transport me to beloved summers past.聽