Latest essays

09 of 29
Gouache illustration of a closed leather journal with a fountain pen on top, a cup of coffee, and a small stack of papers on a sunlit wooden desk

Twenty Things I've Come Across This Week

My new weekly running list of what is actually happening in the world — twenty stories from AI, medicine, senior care, money, and the bigger picture that caught

Personal Growth·May 29, 2026
Editorial illustration of an open notebook with handwritten notes, a coffee cup, and a stack of newspapers and printouts on a wooden desk

Twenty Things I've Come Across This May

A running list of what is actually going on in the world right now — twenty stories from tech, AI, medicine, and senior care that caught my attention in April a

Personal Growth·May 19, 2026
A worn hardback of Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography on a wooden writing desk beside an open leather notebook and a pen in warm tungsten light, editorial still-life photograph

Reading Steve Jobs at Forty: What Walter Isaacson's Biography Taught Me

I am rereading Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs. The first time was in 2011, fast, slightly stunned. This time, in my forties, with a pen. These are my

Personal Growth·May 17, 2026
A small antique brass lantern hanging from a low pine branch in a misty forest clearing at dawn, warm amber light spilling into the swirling mist, pop-surrealism dreamlike illustration

Our Deepest Fear: What Marianne Williamson and Akeelah Taught Me

Marianne Williamson wrote that our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. I first heard the line i

Personal Growth·May 08, 2026
Colby-Wan Kenobi, a Holland Lop bunny in Jedi robes holding a blue lightsaber inside the Jedi Temple

Colby-Wan Kenobi Jedi Bunny

May the 4th calls for a tribute. Erin has a new bunny named Colby, so naturally he had to be inducted into the Jedi Order.

Personal Stories·May 04, 2026
A reading table with newspapers, articles, reading glasses and coffee in warm morning light

Things I've Come Across About Getting Older

A roundup of what I have been reading about aging, senior care, Alzheimer's research, caregiver burnout, and why a 100-year-old woman celebrating her birthday a

Senior Living·Mar 09, 2026
A small Filipino provincial kitchen at late afternoon with a cast-iron frying pan on a simple stove and golden light through an open window, vintage archival photograph in faded Kodachrome tones

Papa

He was just Papa. Always had some house project going on. Always heading to the market after a full day of work. He taught me how to cook, how to show up, and h

Personal Stories·Mar 06, 2026
A single empty wooden rocking chair on a wide wraparound farmhouse front porch at dusk with a warm porch light glowing softly and light rain catching the light, cinematic editorial photograph

What Nobody Tells You About Running a Memory Care Home

Eight years running memory care homes in Michigan. The emotional toll nobody warns you about, and why that devastation is exactly what makes it worth it.

Senior Living·Mar 04, 2026
An endless dirt trail winding through a misty pine forest at dawn, the path disappearing into a golden patch of warm light in the distance, pop-surrealism dreamlike illustration

The Process Is the Reward — What Andrew Huberman Got Right About Motivation

Dr. Andrew Huberman's research changed how I understand motivation — dopamine rewards the pursuit, not the finish line. The process is not something to endure.

Personal Growth·Mar 02, 2026