I’ve reflected a lot in the past days on a passage in Sara Hendren’s book What A Body Can Do: Amanda would say she is disabled—not differently abled, not specially challenged, or any other similar variation.* Like many people in the disability community, she would use that term by choice, preferring it even to person … Continue reading On the term “disabled”
Category: Thinking Hat
On the pending ending
Endings sneak up on you. Which is strange—as they’re so obvious in retrospect. Obvious enough that you feel a fool for not seeing the early signs, the hints and suggestions. Perhaps it’s because endings live in the long view that so many of us struggle to see. The long view is hard not only because … Continue reading On the pending ending
On celebrating eight years as a cat person
My wife and I celebrated eight years of cats this week—we adopted Lizzie and Jane on 9/11/15 and I have been a cat person ever since. This was a little weird because, before adopting two kittens, I was a dog person. I had my doubts about cats. I had no cats growing up, only dogs. … Continue reading On celebrating eight years as a cat person
On an attempt to explain proposal marketing
I tried to describe proposal marketing today. Just to myself, I should clarify. And, maybe it goes without saying, I struggled quiet a bit. To explain such a foundational nugget of my job is to think back to square one…which is darn hard to do. I was reminded of an early pandemic experience, when I … Continue reading On an attempt to explain proposal marketing
On wondering what education is for
An article that's been floating around my head a lot over the past week is David Brooks's recent cover story for The Atlantic—"How America Got Mean." The article covers a lot of ground, but there's one thing that jumped out at me: the question of what education is for. It got me wondering: Why did … Continue reading On wondering what education is for
On becoming generous
Can one become generous through a desire to become generous? To word it otherwise: must generosity be an end in and of itself? Or it is possible to be generous while desiring to be such? Ever since completing the stupendous second season of Enlightened, one exchange has stuck with me: Do you actually want to … Continue reading On becoming generous
On beach time
I don’t wear a watch. I gave it up a few years ago when my leather wristband wore through. I put my watch away in a drawer and made vague plans to order a replacement. And I never did—I got used to the naked left wrist, and didn’t miss catching the watch on corners and … Continue reading On beach time
On thinking more about boogie boards
A whistle. I looked up at the lifeguard stand and the sunglassed teenager was waving me off. I turned around and tramped up the sandy incline to with my boogie board. “No boogie boarding?” The kid nodded in assent. “Two yellow flags,” he said. “Rip currents right now.” “But we can swim?” “Yep, you can … Continue reading On thinking more about boogie boards
On hunting for seashells
As a kid who grew up on the East Coast and spent many a summer day at the beach, I never cared for seashells. I would pick up the quality shell, of course, but combing the beach was never a pastime. I was happier digging for sand crabs and getting walloped by waves. So it … Continue reading On hunting for seashells
On the joy of the ocean
I’ve missed the ocean. That makes it sound like I went all the time when I lived out on the East Coast—I didn’t—but I went at least a few times every summer to sit on the beach. A good hike in the mountains comes closest, but its at the seaside where nature demonstrates its most … Continue reading On the joy of the ocean
Taylor Coe 