Perspectives

As September arrives and the days begin to shorten, the world gradually turns inward. For some of us, crisp air, early darkness, glowing windows, and the return of sweater weather bring not sadness, but an invigorating sense of warmth, refuge, and home.

Introversion, Sensitivity, Trauma, and the Need to Recharge Some people need more time alone than others. Not because they dislike people. Not because they are antisocial. And not because they are, as I occasionally remind myself, lazy ass slackers. For some of us, being around people simply requires a great deal of energy. I know what it feels like to need time to recharge my battery after talking all day or socializing with people who are not in my innermost circle. I need

The Roles We Inherit and the Freedom to Rewrite Them Families are very good at assigning roles. Sometimes nobody remembers holding the auditions. In my family, I accumulated a collection of descriptions over the years. I was the absent-minded professor. I was the professional student. I was the quirky dilettante. I was shy, maybe a little different, and generally more comfortable watching from the edges than marching into the middle of things. None of those descriptions was e

When the unthinkable becomes ordinary Lately, I have been wondering how much cruelty a person can witness before it begins to feel normal. Not acceptable, exactly. Most of us would still say that cruelty is wrong. So are dishonesty, corruption, violence, greed, and the casual humiliation of other human beings. We know this. We learned it when we were children, or at least we were supposed to. Don’t lie. Don’t cheat. Don’t take what doesn’t belong to you. Don’t make fun of peo