Two days after my high school graduation I drove with my older brother to Keystone, Colorado. Our plan was to spend the summer in the mountains before coming to UNT for the fall semester. Although “plan” is probably too strong a word, since we hadn’t thought to secure jobs or a place to stay before …
Category Archives: Friendship
A Fair Fight
A friend of mine grew up in a house of discussion, debate, and disputation. Every topic was a fresh opportunity for disagreement. They weren’t fighting with each other, mind you, just talking with passion. It was the family past-time, and they knew how to do it without hurting one another’s feelings. This same friend’s wife …
Minimalism of the Soul
I was recently provoked to envy by an Instagram post. I realize that is the main purpose of Instagram – to show us meticulously staged moments which make our own lives seem drab. But this time it was in the description more than the image that I glimpsed an enviable vision of the good life. …
The Case for Wonder
Why did humans ever begin to philosophize, to create literature, or to make scientific experiments? What has been the animating force behind this remarkable project known as civilization? Among the many possible answers, consider the case for wonder. Philosophy was, from the start, awe-inspired. Plato said that, “philosophy begins in wonder.” Aristotle agreed that “it …
A Feast for the Soul
Allow me to give you a piece of marriage advice: things will be easier if only one of you cares about food. Otherwise, planning for dinner parties becomes a battle of wills. Your spouse feels that a double-crusted turkey pot pie would be nice, while you want very badly to make 48 hour short ribs. …
How To Impress a Teenager
I recently read Paper Towns by John Green. The novel, which focuses on two high school students, was entirely inappropriate, demographically speaking. It departed significantly from the sorts of things that a family man in his late 30s is supposed to read. But I was inspired nonetheless. It challenged me to think about the art …