Cultivating Mean

Cultivating Mean

In third grade I’m the butt of jokes. I was the butt of jokes in first and second grade too, but this year is especially worse. I’m husky, also terribly shy, I’m wearing Payless brand tennis shoes instead of Nike Airs, and I’m not very good at math. I’m in math class...
Truth and Lies in JB’s “Love Yourself”

Truth and Lies in JB’s “Love Yourself”

Once, I banned talk of Justin Bieber from my classroom,— so, I cannot believe that I am going to say it — but I love Justin Bieber’s song “Love Yourself.” Why?  Take a look at two truths and a lie from the song. Truth #1: My parents and my friends might offer a...
Silence Makes Space

Silence Makes Space

We posed for pictures at graduation, wearing caps and gowns and sashes. We posed for pictures on my driveway, wearing t-shirts, a trucker hat and rucksacks. We posed for pictures on top of Mount Franklin, a high point on Isle Royale, a week later, wearing sunglasses,...
Golden State: Breaking Records, Breaking Hearts

Golden State: Breaking Records, Breaking Hearts

Embed from Getty Images Coming into their last game, the Golden State Warriors had a chance to do something no team had ever done: win 73 regular season NBA games. Despite the amazing record they were poised to set, I couldn’t make myself watch it. I grew up in...
My Back is Killing Me

My Back is Killing Me

Sitting anywhere lately for any amount of time has become bothersome. Variously these days I am hunched over my keyboard typing out theological missives, or cradled in the plush armchair of my room reading from the required course listing. No matter where I am,...
Where Are You From? It’s Complicated

Where Are You From? It’s Complicated

I often say I’m from Chicago. A little part of me dies every time I say I’m from Chicago. Don’t get me wrong. I love Chicago. It feels like a second home. But I grew up in Iowa, am currently living in Paris, and will soon return to Boston. I lived in Chicago five...