Melissa Kirsch

We think and dream and fuss and project entire worlds into existence. Meanwhile, the earth’s orbit continues and the sun goes on shining.

Sometimes, our preference for certitude, our need to define things with conviction, closes us off from possibility.

New York City’s temporary transformation by the Knicks’ resurgence offers a glimpse of a kinder, more connected world.

We like it when projects are completed, but what if we could abide comfortably in the toiling and striving it takes to get them there?

The tension between sticking to what we know and seeking out new experiences is one of comfort versus novelty. How can we have both?

Today, let’s set our ambitions for summer reading.

It’s a holiday weekend, three days to ease from one seasonal mind-set into the next, even if it feels too soon.

It’s graduation season, a time of aspiration and anxiety. Today is about the aspiration — the wisdom to be gleaned from great commencement addresses.

Why does it feel worse to be early than to rush and stress and arrive a little late?

How often do you talk to strangers? What’s stopping you?

Our lives are governed by wondrous phenomena that we don’t often stop to consider.

With spring comes the urge to spring-clean. It’s about so much more than just organizing your closet.