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.
 

 

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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With Bread

May 4, 2026

 Love. With Bread. ✧✧✧ I live in a very progressive city. But, not everyone is of one mind. In fact, three houses to the north live Merrilee and Sardar, who, prior to the 2020 election, posted a “Trump—MAGA 2020” sign in their yard. The day Biden was elected, I texted them that a number of my friends and I were

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77% Weekly Newsletter
77% Weekly Newsletter