I don’t have a lot in common with my brother. I am a novelist and an at-large advertising creative director. He’s a stonemason and a recently retired New York City Firefighter. He’s a tall, physically imposing man and I am…not. When we discuss our professions his stories are invariably more interesting and rarely does a common theme emerge between us. However, near the end of his time on the FDNY he told me a story that, while radically different than anything I encountered in advertising, was surprisingly, finally, relatable.
Read MoreThis community provides so much inspiration and insight about how to live.
Recently my sister taught me how to die.
She had been sick for several years.
We knew it was coming.
She knew it was coming.
Her husband and children called me that morning and I drove the two miles to her house.
They sent me up to her room, where she lay half awake, listening to the Beatles.
Read More