When I meet someone’s dog, I often ask, “What breed of dog is it?” The question is reflexive and asinine. It doesn’t mean anything to me what breed the dog is. I’m not a veterinarian or a dog breeder. The […]
Lace up those tennis shoes, tiger. I get it — you want quads like tree trunks and read an article stating that your legs will be bigger if you lift without shoes. This is a public gym, and I’m exercising […]
Does an artist’s political & personal preferences matter to me? I never thought much about the question. Yesterday, I read a well-written article by Joel Anderson about Ice Cube. The Slate.com story contrasted 90’s gangster rapper to the present-day individual, […]
The Seed by The Roots maintains a spot on my Gym playlist. Hearing the tune always reminds me of working at Urban Outfitters on Walnut Street in Philadelphia. The store often played the track. The job was part of my […]
Everyone has talents. That’s right, Matt, even you possess skills. Own it. I’m not adept at accepting admiration. I deflect and minimize. However, I enjoy giving sincere compliments and push back when the other person tries to parry my praise. […]
Mick Jagger was on to something when he sang, I can’t get no satisfactionI can’t get no girl reaction‘Cause I try and I try and I try and I tryI can’t get no, I can’t get no I lost more […]
A feeling of gratefulness to be alive abounds today. 19 years ago, I clung to life on a respirator as I lay comatose in a hospital bed in an intensive care unit. My body — from my brain to my big toe — was […]
This morning, I walked into the kitchen and expressed my frustration in a wordless growl. “What’s wrong?” “I must clean the dishes overwhelming the sink. But I just want to make my coffee and read.” I began the day by […]
Listen with the intent to understand, not the intent to reply. Stephen Covey I have a gnarly habit I am efforting to abandon: I interrupt. When I am in a conversation, and the other person says something that compels a […]
Rosie, my parents’ cat, bolted out their side door last week. The plump young feline pictured above has been missing ever since. (If you live in Havertown, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and see Rosie, please let me know.) With each passing […]