If you didn’t live in commuting range, it was mandatory at my college—and with very few exceptions—to live on campus and have a meal plan throughout the duration of your studies. And while this isn’t a post shaming the food service workers at the school (some of kindest people who were always quick with a smile or a joke) we did, naturally, tire of the rigidity of requirement.  I have a clear, clear memory of talking with my roommate about what it would be like to live in our own apartments...

After work last night, I walked to the grocery store. It was dark and drizzling. I put on my raincoat and my hat, tucked an umbrella into my bag, and thought about how nice it is to be prepared for the elements. And as I looped past the grocery store, catching up with my father on the phone, watching the water trip off my cap’s brim, I realized I didn’t mind the rain at all. It made me think about what else I more than don’t mind or rather, what else I am grateful for. It took less time to...

I ran my third marathon on Saturday. It was—just like the two before it—beautiful.  My first was in New York City, nearly two years after I’d moved there as a 21-year-old. Running the world’s biggest marathon is a dream. I will never forget what it felt like to be surrounded by tens of thousands of runners as I completed my first 26.2.  My second marathon was in Florida in December and I—foolish northerner—assumed that those two things cancelled each other out. When the sun rose about halfway...