ArcaMax

Turbulent times can make people feel helpless and hopeless, but we have more agency than we might think. We can still choose to live life on our own terms -- whatever that means for each of us individually. This is what the McCaffertys did. "So many people have fallen prey to this idea that what they do doesn't matter and that we're all doomed ...Read more

Too many American voters thought Donald Trump was the better choice for president. By doing so, voters put their name on their values and showed the world what this country really stands for. And why not? It's about time we dragged all of that American ugliness and fear out of the darkness and into the light so we can see it for what it really ...Read more

Sitting at dinner in a local restaurant, I saw breaking news come across the TV screen near the bar. It read, "Washington Post says its editorial board is done with presidential endorsements." This was on the heels of LA Times editors resigning over the decision not to endorse a presidential candidate.

It's interesting to me that this is ...Read more

One of the great things about being a parent is getting to witness your child become who they are. The process can be scary, though. Kids try on different personas in attempts to figure it all out while in an environment that is inherently unkind: school. Peers can be brutally honest and not very kind. Parents naturally want to protect their ...Read more

Not everything you try will be right for you. But you'll never know if you never try, and you'll learn a lot either way. Don't let the uncertainty stop you.

I quit my day job as a newspaper editor of the opinion section. People are disappointed and some are even angry, but I have to do right by myself, and forge my own path according to my ...Read more

By pure luck, I traveled to Walt Disney World with my husband and my son just last week between hurricanes Helene and Milton. Milton made landfall in Florida as a category 3 hurricane. We planned this vacation months ago according to our son's fall break from school.

This trip was our first family vacation that didn't revolve around also ...Read more

Someone recently told me, "The minute I took this job, I became part of the problem." I'd never thought of it that way before but instantly understood what they meant. They work within a government system, a completely different profession than me, but I couldn't help but come back to that phrase again and again. It also applied to me and ...Read more

Last week I met a man struggling to understand the world and his place in it. We'll call him Bo. Bo's having marital problems and is contemplating divorce. My husband has been spending time to help him sort through it. While talking with Bo, it was obvious that this man doesn't know who he is.

The worst part is that it's how he was raised.

By ...Read more

Gun violence is not just an urban issue. As rural community members along I-75 near Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky say things like "this is unheard of here" after a gunman shot at cars driving on the highway, they are forced to grapple with the fact that this American atrocity has found their door.

Gun violence does happen there. It ...Read more

The cheap shots are everywhere now that we're in the thick of election season, and it matters. It's everywhere. It's on social media and even on television "news" and commentary shows. People we look to for thoughtful election analysis are wasting valuable time making fun of candidates over things that are not relevant. Whether it's making fun ...Read more

Some parents like to say, "School is my kids' job." School is important, sure, but I preferred work to school as a teen. It gave me access to a seemingly adult world where I could learn job skills, hone communication skills and build confidence in my abilities.

I'm not cut out for the classroom. I'm more of a learn-by-doing person. This made ...Read more

When I told my neighbor that my son had sisters 15 and 19 years older than him, her eyes flew open. She wasn't shocked; she was so relieved to hear this and had questions. Her son is about to turn 2 and she's been feeling the pressure to have another baby now instead of waiting. Women hear so much advice when it comes to children, and one of ...Read more