Other Mysteries

77% Weekly Newsletter

Other Mysteries

 

As I approach our parked 2010 blue Subaru Forester, I hand the remote and key from my left hand to my right.
 

Hardly thinking or noticing my actions, I insert the metal key into the door lock and twist. I feel the mechanism turn. I pull out the key, open the door, get in, sit down, insert the same key into the ignition, twist, and start the engine.
 

As my right arm returns toward my body, my foot on the brake, the engine running, about the shift from park, I realize something surprising.
 

I unlocked the door with the key!
 

I usually (always, except for this incident) unlock the car with the remote, not the key. 
 

Why?
 

Why did I do it differently?
 

WHY DID I DO THAT?!
I don’t know.
I’m trying to be okay with that.
And, other mysteries.
 

 

A Big Ask

May 27, 2026

Beloved, What I’m about to ask is a very big ask. You (probably) aren’t going to want to do it. But I’m still going to ask. Because it’s important. Very important. Stop hating.   ✧✧✧   “No one is born hating another person… People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to

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Slow Down, Good Sam

May 27, 2026

In 1973, researchers John Darley and Daniel Batson at Princeton University conducted a study based on the biblical story of “The Good Samaritan.” ✧✧✧ A little background on the story: Samaritans, in the biblical world, were not considered “good.” The phrase “Good Samaritan” would have sounded like a political oxymoron—something like “compassionate MAGA” or “patriotic liberal.” In the story, a

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A Letter

May 4, 2026

Beloved, Let me tell you something I often say when counseling those mourning the loss of a loved one. “Unless you are a rabbi or minister, you shouldn’t be good at writing eulogies.” And then I add: “Let me give you a pro tip—think about writing a letter. Because you know how to write a letter and this way you

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77% Weekly Newsletter
77% Weekly Newsletter