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Last year, when my Grandma Annette died, my cousins and I got to pick out some of her jewelry to take home.I was glad to keep a few mementos of my grandmother, but I wished I knew the stories behind the necklaces and bracelets I’d grabbed. Which was her favorite?…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jae Park, a 32-year-old based in Las Vegas. It’s been edited for length and clarity.About a decade ago, I took a furniture-building class on a whim, and I loved it so much.I considered going into carpentry at the time, but after…

There’s a world of difference between raising a teenager and cohabiting with a verified adult. But sometimes they need to come back home, just like mine did. My own kids were eager to get out of the house and set up their own homes. Right now I’m sharing space with…

It’s never fun to be let go from a job, but finding out that you lost a role in what would go on to be a $197 million movie because your mom wouldn’t allow you to get a haircut? That one stings.In Hayden Panettiere’s memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,”…

I spent over 10 years at Meta, joining in 2012 when the company was still called Facebook and the newly acquired Instagram team occupied just two rows of stand-up desks in a half-filled Menlo Park campus.As a global director, I helped lead a creative group launching campaigns with Marvel, Disney,…

Several years ago, while driving behind a car with a “my-child-is-an-honor-student” bumper sticker, I said to my oldest son, sitting in the passenger seat, “I always wanted one of those.” Loading audio narration… He, then a college student, replied, “Why? It doesn’t mean anything.”He was right. In the greater scheme of things,…

We’ve all heard that we should eat more vegetables, yet the CDC estimates only 1 in 10 US-based adults actually meet the daily recommended serving. Loading audio narration… Even as a vegetable lover, I struggle to eat them as often as I’d like, usually settling for the lettuce on a…

When my son moved to New York City five years ago, many people reacted with concern. Loading audio narration… “Aren’t you worried?” People asked. “I don’t think I could handle that.”Now my daughter recently moved to Chicago, and I’m hearing it all over again.Here’s the truth — I’m not calm…

I usually travel with just a backpack. From short trips to two-week adventures, I find it’s easiest to get around and keep track of my belongings when I pack light. But my five-day trip to the Great Smoky Mountains in April 2023 was my first time backpacking in a natural environment,…

At 5 a.m. every Thursday morning, my phone pings with a text from my friend. This early morning communication is a yearslong tradition that began when we lived in the same time zone. My 5 a.m. is her 8 a.m., a much more reasonable hour for a check-in. Loading audio…