...that the trend to create justification back stories for villainous characters is directly connected to our need to rationalize our own shitty behavior.

...that empathy is a limited and local resource. Expanding one’s desire to empathize with an increasing number of people spreads it thin like too little butter on too much bread.

...that anxiety and grit are like two characters in a dark comedy—each one flawed, but when they work together, they can create something powerful.

...that being naked in your home is liberating and suddenly makes you feel better about your body.

...that if you reward people screaming at you by giving in to their demands, you train them and others to scream at you with impunity.

...that the fake Spring (always around the end of February or beginning of March) in Chicago is something special. All of sudden people are out in shirt sleeves and walking the lakefront. A week later, it’ll be like a dream we all had but a really good one.

...that one can make a lot of assumptions about the neighborhoods in Chicago but there is no escaping the fact that the Red Line smells like piss and weed and the Brown Line does not.

...that there must be a purpose of living beyond simply surviving despite the fact that survival is a heavy lift for most people. To find your purpose, look to the things that bring you the most joy and pursue.

...that telling people to calm down is less effective to actually getting them calm than the act of being calm in the first place. Lead by example.

...that, while the fascination with looking younger than people think you should look is a narcissistic vanity, it’s still pretty cool.

...that you can’t go back to who you were but you can go back to where you belong.

...that land acknowledgments are a collective pat on the back for people who want to seem aware without breaking a sweat. Trust me—money or land would mean more.

...that, with Ozempic making the stars of Wicked look like they are on heroin, it’s safe to say that body positivity is as over as DEI.

...that having ChatGpt roast you is a wonderful window into how potentially full of shit you are. It is a dispassionate revealer of how you appear to the online world and stings while pulling the veil aside.

...that ownership and use of Googly Eyes as a man approaching 60 is a sign of an absolute refusal to grow old. Older, sure. Not old.

...that, if taken through the lens of truck stops and gas stations throughout the Midwest, Reese’s has taken over the world.

...that the most body positive corporations on the planet are McDonald’s, Frito-Lay, and Kraft.

...that my favorite part of Love Actually (which, mind you, is like declaring my favorite part of a Sizzler sald bar) is the story about the aging rockstar who realizes he’d rather spend Christmas with his loyal friend than party with Elton John.

...that good judgement comes from experience and experience comes from poor judgement.

...that intense and deep aren’t the same thing even if you’ve convinced yourself they are. Intense is momentary and fleeting; deep is the result of time and energy.