Hey Reader! My grandfather was fond of telling me, “Knowledge is power.” He’d ask, “What’s the strongest muscle in the body?” And to his delight, I’d shout out, “The brain!” But one day I learned that the brain isn’t a muscle, it’s an organ. The next time Grandpa asked me about the strongest muscle, I told him it was probably the jaw. When pressed, I added that the thigh and buttocks were also very strong muscles. “It’s the brain!” he said angrily. I patiently explained that the brain is an...
11 days ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader! Warning: If you’re under the age of 10, you shouldn’t read this. I’m about to make a big-person confession here. I’ve always been curious, eager to learn and quick to assess situations. I have great instincts, which give me the confidence to act impulsively. And being autistic, I’m blunt and assertive about what is and isn’t true. These qualities have served me well as an entrepreneur, team leader and artist. But they worked to calamitous effect during the Christmas season of...
18 days ago • 4 min read
Hey Reader! I’ve got a story for you: About ten years out of high school I went home for the holidays. I went to a bar with my brother, expecting a low-key night out with people I’d known forever. I ended up running into a pack of cheerleaders from my grade who’d been super-popular. Immediately I devolved from a confident, self-assured New York City professional into a chip-on-my-shoulder, wildly-insecure teenager. They greeted me with genuine enthusiasm, but I was suspicious of their intent....
25 days ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader! It’s been a particularly brutal and polarizing eighteen months in America. We’ve survived one of the nastiest presidential elections since Andrew Jackson’s in 1828 — and they didn’t have incessant TV ads assaulting them. There are 258 million adults in America. About 29 percent voted for Donald Trump. Roughly 28 percent voted for Kamala Harris. And 43 percent of the adult population didn’t choose a side. That means you’re probably only going to see eye-to-eye with one out of every...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader! Last week, a friend pointed out that all religions have one thing in common: angels. Angels appear as helpers and messengers. They signal that we're not alone. And the best part is they don't all wear wings. We're all surrounded by flesh and blood angels. How do you know your angels? They appear when you need them. They help when you ask. They make everything better, just by being there. Call in your angels. Especially if these uncertain times have you feeling vulnerable and...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader! If you've managed to escape the hysteria surrounding the current US election, congratulations! If you haven't, you have my condolences. Because we're locked into a narrative reinforced by media and hysterical voices from both sides insisting the world might end if the other side wins. The truth is that no matter which side wins, life will go on. No matter what happens, we will remain ourselves. So, center yourself. Take a deep breath. And surround yourself with people and things...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
ARE YOU IN THE ATLANTA AREA?CLICK HERE TO RSVP FOR MY NOV. 7 EVENT Hey Reader! Over the summer, my brother and I disagreed on something. After arguing for longer than either of us wanted to, he said, "You have a point, but you're never going to change my mind." It was frustrating to hear. But it was true. Once his mind was made up, no amount of facts, persuasive arguments, or appeals to common decency would change it. If you've been arguing until you're blue in the face, stop. We can't go...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader! Three blind men in the same room were asked to describe the animal living there. The first took hold of a long, skinny piece of flesh. He insisted the animal he touched was similarly shaped. The second wrapped his arms around a leg so vast that he reported grappling with a dinosaur-sized creature. Writhing coils ensnared the hands of the third. “I’m holding a snake!” he asserted. Three very different truths were born from a single experience: touching an elephant. But the men...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader! Beloved stories have happy endings, good music comes to a satisfying resolution — but that’s art. Life doesn’t resolve until death. So when we expect a resolution — to know how they feel, to understand why they did that — we’re going to end up disappointed. There is no resolution. And that’s the point. We’re not meant to neatly close a chapter and then begin another. We carry our past with us like a blanket until we shake it off. Sometimes it chokes; other times it comforts. We...
2 months ago • 1 min read
