Brenna
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The Life-Affirming Need for Spontaneity
Spontaneity is one of the most life-affirming traits we can cultivate, but our fear of novelty and love for control holds us back.
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You Are Responsible for the Care and Feeding of Your Ideas
When I was younger, libraries and bookstores made me melancholy. Every time I entered a bright roomful of books, a sinister little voice told me, “Here are at least ten million ideas that smarter, sexier people beat you to. What’s the point?” You too may have experienced this melancholy. And after years of writing and
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In Defense of Daydreaming
Our outer lives are short, but our inner lives are nearly limitless — thanks to our ability to daydream.
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The Thorny Balance Between Love and Freedom
Freedom and committed love are two things most of us want and need. Can we find a balance to achieve both?
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On the Need to Live and Love the Questions
One of the greatest skills we can cultivate is the ability to embrace uncertainty and, in the words of the poet Rilke, “live the questions.”
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The Illusion of Being Special
None of us is free from the risk of harm or misfortune, but “cheerful pessimism” can help us better cope when misfortune strikes.
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On Finitude: the Beauty of a Horribly Limited Life
Finitude is the definition of human existence. Instead of hating the fact we’re limited, we can find comfort within those limits.
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How to Spin Your Fate: On Habits and Self-Control
In order to form lasting habits and change in ourselves we must first understand who we are and confront our limits.
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The Quiet and Urgent Case for Hope
Hope is the lifeboat that keeps us afloat in a world of despair. It’s also too often maligned and misunderstood as naive or unfashionable.
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Alone Together: The Truth About Lasting Love
Lasting love requires a shared foundation, but it requires something else just as important that almost no one talks about.
