Confidence and competence are at the core of what it means to be human. Unfortunately, for many of us, those two attributes are not equally distributed across areas of our lives. We might be…

I’m a big fan of grandmothers, and one of the things I admire them for is their colorful language. They don’t use technical terms or jargon like fancy scientists and writers— they use vivid…

Decluttering can be overwhelming. Have you ever experienced the sense of dread that comes with even thinking about decluttering? Maybe you’re just too tired after your work day or perhaps you’d rather spend your…

I’ll be turning 40 soon, and the event has me very reflective about life. In many ways, I still feel like a young man, but it’s clear that I’ve lived to see the full…

A few months ago, my wife and I decided to start inviting neighbors over to our home for Sunday supper. The idea was to build stronger friendships while enjoying a leisurely meal. It’s been…

I’m a late 30’s father of five kids— still young-ish, but officially in my late 30s! Growing up, I remember a time before Amazon was founded, before two-day delivery, and before nearly every item…

Sometimes we make plans that don’t work out. Even plans we’re convinced are leading us where we want to go. In the moment, it’s easy to see those plans as failures because they didn’t…

As the grandchild of a rural dairy farmer, I have a pretty strong sense of what life before screens must have felt like. My grandparents, having grown up without TVs and smartphones, cultivated a…

When we think of pleasure, our minds usually jump to nightlife, travel, and entertainment—experiences that are exciting, sensory, and of course, expensive. Most people spend the majority of their lives working, and that work…

Do you find yourself holding onto things even though you don’t use them regularly? The kind of thing you might reach for to use one day, or you might not. It’s what makes throwing…

There are some friends of mine who just seem to have it all together. They’re involved in interesting projects, pursuing their curiosities, and thriving in their relationships. In fact, many of them also have…

Riding around in my minivan, it seems the only things my children are interested in these days are the snacks they see me bringing along. But when I was their age, a person might…