Columnists

10/01/2026 · Roxboro

The Three-Breath Buffer That Keeps Your Day From Driving You

Before you answer the annoying email, open the news, or say yes on autopilot, try creating a tiny pause. Three deliberate breaths can give you back the choice you thought you’d lost.

09/30/2026

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The Bird That Keeps Singing: Emily Dickinson’s Small, Stubborn Hope

Emily Dickinson gives hope feathers, a perch, and one remarkable habit: it sings without asking for anything in return. Read this tiny poem today when you need courage that doesn’t make a speech.

09/30/2026

Column

Seneca on the Trouble We Invent Before Anything Happens

A Roman philosopher had a sharp diagnosis for modern anxiety: the mind is often more inventive in anticipation than reality ever gets the chance to be.

09/30/2026

Column

The National Ear: Washington Keeps Betting on the Last Minute

Congress still treats deadlines like personality tests, while families and employers absorb the cost of political theater. Meanwhile, regulators and courts keep writing the rules that will shape the next decade.

09/30/2026

Column

The Museum Audio Guide Deserves a Standing Ovation

Forget the blockbuster exhibition for a moment. The most underrated performer in any museum is the little plastic rectangle whispering historical gossip directly into your ear.

09/30/2026

Column

Stop Pretending You Need Another Prestige Drama. Watch “The Pitt.”

“The Pitt” is the rare medical show that understands an emergency room is not a metaphor for America—it is simply a place where everyone is tired, bleeding, and making terrible decisions. Plus: four things worth your time, and one expensive-looking dud to leave in the digital lobby.

10/01/2026