Fathers are guaranteed to affect a child’s life. There is no getting around that. Whether the father is loving or neglectful, competitive or laid back, driven or lazy. My dad has always been one with logic. When I was younger, it infuriated me. If I was scared of going to sleep upstairs he would assure […]

I can always tell when someone has been in contact with an orange. The thick, rough skin leaves a certain texture on you: oily and fruity. I can smell the citrus on your skin, on your breath, through the brown paper bag hiding your lunch, and with it your big, juicy orange. I know exactly […]

“I am an American Soldier. I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.” Hearing the words of a Soldiers creed recited by my cousin Justin Schmitt made my heart drop to the floor. This was a moment that I will […]

Nothing can imitate the place where soulful jazz makes feet move on their own, the cuisine makes it feel like a virtue to be gluttonous, or the natives give the feeling that they have known a stranger for a lifetime. A world and culture all of its own, New Orleans. An amusement waits around every […]

In a recent article by David Brooks published in The New Yorker, a neuroscientist is quoted to have said, “ . . . flourishing consists of putting yourself in situations in which you lose self-consciousness and become fused with other people, experiences, or tasks. It happens sometimes when you are lost in a hard challenge, […]

You plan to meet up with your best friend. Nothing is different. You are going to meet at the local coffee shop like every other Tuesday afternoon. Five o’ clock on the dot. Routine. But when you show up, she’s not there. You wait. And you wait. And you wait some more. She never shows. […]