the WHY question

We don’t have an ocean in Ohio. We don’t have centuries-old ruins or tourist magnet cities. We’ve got good things, though, if you know where to look. So, a few weeks ago, when my husband and I decided we desperately needed a weekend to ourselves…

My kid Max likes to draw. Seeing as how it doesn’t require a TV or mobile device or Wii remote, I encourage him to draw his little fingers off. Lately, my husband and I have been the beneficiaries of his creative outpouring. He spends Saturday…

One of my goals as a writer is to sell an essay to the “Lives” column of the New York Times Magazine. If you haven’t read Lives, it’s the magazine’s backpage essay that tells a short personal story. (Here’s a great collection.) It’s not…

Twenty-eight years ago, Stacy Burns made my life hell. I had just joined the gymnastics team at the local Y, and Stacy was a tomboy who liked to tease in a gruff, unfriendly way. At the time, I thought she was a bully—although now, of course, I see it…

Apparently the sun is dying. It will run out of fuel, explode into a ball of fire and consume the earth. And that will be that. In five billion years. Now, I admit, this is not a great scenario. But I wouldn’t say I’m too worried (mostly…