What happens when you have no New Year’s goals? — Fresh out of the holiday season, a cozy New Year’s Eve, and a refreshing polar bear swim, I’m back here at my desk. But I feel rudderless. Scattered. Spread too thin. It’s not a slump. It’s not depression. Believe me, I’ve been there in other Januarys, especially during COVID. But…

Thrillers are robbing me of my sleep — Reading is my indulgence. My luxury. My escape. I’m not genre monogamous. I read a mix of books from crime physiological thrillers to historical fiction. I like a bit of light romance and nonfiction too. When I’m really into a good book though, I have a minor problem. …

Best of all, they are all stories that I also ENJOY reading aloud as a parent — As a parent, I sometimes wonder if I’m exposing my children to enough books. I know I read a lot, but am I hitting all the great children’s books? I guess that’s just a bit of the reformed over-achiever in me, but this FOMO isn’t helped by the fact that…

Each ornament reminds me of a past trip — I’m not really a collector. I don’t like trinkets cluttering my shelves. I don’t want to dust all of that. But I make one exception: Christmas ornaments. I don’t collect any old ornaments though. Instead, I buy ornaments while traveling. I love traveling and I love Christmas. I’m not sure…

Christmas isn’t Christmas without a sugar rush — Sugar cookies. Gingerbread men. Chocolate chip. Everyone in my family has their favorite Christmas cookies. Some are traditional recipes and some are more modern. And I have no idea the geographical origin of most of these cookies. But in our house, there is no fighting because all of these cookies…

Why getting out of the house has changed my life — I see an older couple that I suspect walks together every morning. Sure, I don’t see them walking every day, but I see them often enough to feel sure that this is their routine. They make it a point to walk daily. They prioritize it. Seeing them so many mornings…

But the surprise is that it’s not a new invention — Balance is the most important thing when learning to ride a bike. So it seems odd to teach kids to ride bikes with training wheels, which doesn’t promote balance at all. But this is the way I learned to ride a bike and probably every other kid growing up in…

And in the process, I showed her how I travel — Things that I’m a sucker for while traveling: a unique building, a nice park, and a spooky cemetery. I will go out of my way to see these. Even if it means traveling across an entire city. So years ago, when I was traveling in Vienna with my parents, that’s…

This Sicilian crypt is eerie, yet reverent — I have a dark little secret. Cemeteries and crypts are some of my favorite places to visit when I travel. Although some people might find that weird, I’m sure I’m not the only one. After all, the lines to get into the Paris Catacombs stretch around the block. Tours are…