The spring solstice is upon us and every cell in my body can feel it. Longer days, shorter nights, more sunshine, less desire to be inside. The transition to spring always feels tangible to me—a feeling I can physically hold and spin around with until we both get dizzy and fall to the ground, laughing. I feel lighter, more inclined toward awe, more inspired to take my laptop outside, more likely to take multiple walks a day, just to feel the air on my skin. I find myself stretched out in my...

I am made of mountains. My nephew asks to have this book read to him again, and I wonder whether he loves the pictures, the words, or just the way his mom’s voice vibrates in his ears as he sits between her legs. I found this book as I walked the floor of Townie Books in Crested Butte, Colorado last autumn. The wind-blown hair, the mountain peak, the title all caught my attention and pulled me in. As I stood there flipping through, I marveled at the pages that served as tributes to our...

My parents bought the house across the street from me. For some of you, that sentence might make you recoil, thinking, That sounds terrible. Others might think it sounds kind of nice. Some of you may fall into the “neutral” category. I consider myself pretty lucky as I write that sentence. Both of my parents are still here, living and breathing on Planet Earth with me. They are in great health. They want to be close to me. And I want them to be close. I don’t take a single one of those facts...