Matthew Dicks's Blog, page 22
March 1, 2025
Resolution update: February 2025
Every month, I record my progress on my yearly goals to hold myself accountable and occasionally seek help and advice from readers willing to offer insight, ideas, and solutions.
Here are my results from February.
PERSONAL FITNESS/ATHLETICS1. Don’t die.
One of my students accidentally kicked her shoe off into my head, but I survived.
2. Lose 10 pounds.
I gained nine pounds in 2025, primarily due to a lot of excellent eating while on vacation in Palm Beach and a lack of exercise during that time. Then, I promptly lost those nine pounds and one more.
So I’m down one pound so far in 2025, but it feels like a lot more.
3. Do a targeted push-up workout at least four times per week.
Done.
4. Complete 100 sit-ups four times per week.
Done.
5. Complete three one-minute planks four times a week.
Done.
6. Cycle for at least five days every week.
I completed 22 rides in February — another lower-than-usual number for me. Traveling to Florida for four days and performing in New York City and Boston following work kept me off the bike as much as I’d like.
Still, I managed five rides per week except for the week of vacation.
7. Try at least three new vegetables I have never eaten before or do not like.
No progress. Does anyone want to suggest a vegetable?
8. Get a DEXA Scan and VO2 Max test at least once in 2025.
Local facility identified. Appointment will likely happen in the summer.
9. Lower my handicap to 19.9.
I took three golf lessons in February, and my progress is excellent. We are breaking down my swing quite a bit, but yesterday’s lesson showed exceedingly positive results.
Snow and ice on the ground kept me from playing the game.
WRITING CAREER10. Complete my eighth novel.
No progress.
11. Write, edit, and revise my golf memoir.
No progress.
12. Write my “Advice for Kids” book.
Solid progress.
13. Write/complete at least three new picture books, including one with a female, non-white protagonist.
No progress.
14. Write about my childhood in partnership with my sister, Kelli, at least once per month.
No progress.
15. Write a new solo show.
Work continues. I have an outline of the show and am now working on the actual stories, jokes, and transitions.
16. Submit at least three Op-Ed pieces to The New York Times for consideration.
No progress.
17. Write at least four letters to my father.
No progress.
18. Write 150 letters.
A total of 20 letters were written in February to students, the parents of students, museum staff, and clients,
A total of 58 letters have been written in 2025 so far.
19. Write to at least six authors about a book I love.
No progress.
STORYTELLING/SPEAKING CAREER20. Launch a new Homework for Life app.
Excellent progress, thanks mainly to my digital wizard partner in this project. We worked on final design decisions in February, and the building of the thing has begun.
I can’t wait.
21. Record and publish at least 25 videos to my YouTube channel.
Three new videos were posted to my newly re-branded YouTube challenge in February.
22. Perform a new solo show.
Dates have been locked in: May 4 and 5 at TheaterWorks in Hartford.
Save the date! Tickets on sale soon!
23. Revise my free Storyworthy Academy.
Done. Thanks primarily to the work of my partner and production manager, we have an outstanding free academy for anyone who wants to learn more about storytelling.
Check it out at storyworthy.com.
24. Record and produce at least three new Storyworthy courses.
Courses have been determined. Recording begins soon.
25. Produce a total of six Speak Up storytelling events in 2025.
I produced a Speak Up show in collaboration with Yale Univerity at District in New Haven on February 7.
We have now produced two shows in 2025:
January 11 at the Connecticut Museum for History and Culture.February 7 at District in New Haven.Our next show is slated for May.
26. Submit pitches to at least three upcoming TEDx events, hoping to be accepted by one.
No progress.
27. Attend at least eight Moth events with the intention of telling a story.
I did not attend a Moth event in February. Travel kept me from one of my favorite places in the world last month.
So far, I’ve attended one Moth event in 2025.
28. Win at least one Moth StorySLAM.
No progress. I have yet to take the stage at The Moth this year.
29. Win a Moth GrandSLAM.
I had to pass on February’s GrandSLAM invite. I will be on a plane during the show.
No progress thus far.
30. Pitch “You’re a Monster, Matthew Dicks” or my new show to six theaters in 2025.
No progress.
31. Produce at least 24 episodes of our podcast Speak Up Storytelling.
No progress.
32. Perform stand-up at least six times.
No progress in Feburary,.
I’ve performed stand-up once in 2025.
33. Pitch three stories to This American Life.
No progress.
34. Submit at least three pitches to Marc Maron’s WTF podcast.
No progress.
35. Send a newsletter to readers at least 50 times.
Eight newsletters were sent in February — to my Storyworthy community.
I’ve sent 16 newsletters in 2025.
HOME36. Organize the basement.
A smidgen of progress. Some additional items have been thrown away.
36. Clear the garage of unwanted items.
Negative progress was made as my family managed to add items to the garage that don’t belong.
37. Replace our backyard shed.
No progress.
38. Get the hardwood floors refinished.
No progress.
FAMILY/FRIENDS39. Travel to Europe.
Waiting on possible tour dates to Australia and Portugal before we finalize European dates.
We’re also traveling to Canada in April, so we must finalize those vacations first.
40. Text or call my brother or sister once per month.
Done. The texts were short and pathetic, but they happened!
41. Bring my brother, sister, and me together at least twice in 2025.
No progress.
42. Take at least one photo of my children every day.
Except for days when I was away and unable to take the photograph, done.
43. Take at least one photo with Elysha and me each week.
Done! Two months in a row! Real progress for me.
44. Plan a reunion of the Heavy Metal Playhouse.
No progress.
45. I will not comment positively or negatively on the physical appearance of anyone except my wife and children to reduce the focus on physical appearance in our culture overall.
Done.
46. Surprise Elysha at least 12 times.
I surprised Elysha twice in 2025:
I sent flowers to Elysha six days after Valentine’s Day. We were flying to Florida on February 14, so I didn’t want to send flowers that she could not enjoy, so I sent them after we had returned to work the following week.
I also gave her a gift of some clever and amusing office supplies — including clear Post-it notes and an eraser in the image of a man who goes bald as you use the eraser — that I held back for a day when I thought she could use a tiny boost.
Surprises in 2025 thus far:
A surprise birthday party on January 4Post Valentine’s Day flowersClever and amusing office supplies47. Play poker at least six times.
No progress.
48. Spend at least six days with my best friend of more than 30 years.
No progress.
MUSIC49. Memorize the lyrics to at least five favorite songs.
No progress.
50. Practice the flute at least four times per week.
No progress. I’m an idiot.
MISCELLANEOUS PROJECTS51. Host at least three dinner parties where I cook.
No progress.
52. Develop a course on self-confidence.
Progress continues. Strategies are being collected, an instructional outline is being developed, and I’m interviewing people for thoughts and ideas.
53. Develop a list of strategies to help people deal with loneliness and produce it in some form.
Progress continues. I am collecting strategies and talking to many people about their possible efficacy and any additional ideas.
54. Read at least 12 books.
I read one book in February:
“Simply Said” by Jay Sullivan
I’m currently reading:
”Miracle and Wonder” by Bruce Headlam and Malcolm Gladwell
“Revenge of the Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell
Books read so far in 2025:
“Unreasonable Hospitality” by Will Guidara
“Schtick to Business” by Pete McGraw
”The Humor Code” by Pete McGraw
“Catching the Big Fish” by David Lynch
“Simply Said” by Jay Sullivan
55. Finish reading TIME’s 100 Best Children’s Books of All Time.
No progress in February.
I’ve read five additional books in 2025, bringing my total to 44 total books read off the list.
56. Edit our wedding footage into a movie of the day.
No progress.
57. Digitize a pile of DVDs that contain dance recitals, plays, and other assorted moments from the past.
I’ve assembled the material. It’s still sitting in an annoying pile on my desk.
58. Memorize three new poems.
I’m currently memorizing “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost.
I’ve memorized “This is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams.
59. Post my progress regarding these resolutions on this blog and social media on the first day of every month.
Done.
February 28, 2025
I agree with Pedro Pascal
When it comes to the transgender community:
If you want to discuss transgender participation in sports, I’m willing to listen to all sides with an open mind.
It’s a complex issue.
If you want to discuss the appropriate age to allow for hormone treatments, gender reassignment surgery, or gender education in the schools, I’m willing to listen with an open mind.
It’s also a complex issue. Also, since I’m not a medical professional, I will likely defer to medical experts and parents.
Why should I have any say in the healthcare of another human being?
Still, I’ll listen. Perhaps I can learn something.
If you want to discuss restroom use for transgender people, I’m willing to listen with an open mind, even though I routinely use gender-neutral restrooms with my female friends when we perform and attend performances in places like Boston, New Haven, and New York City and think nothing of it.
Still, I’m willing to listen. It seems a little less complex, but perhaps I can be educated on issues I don’t yet understand.
But when it comes to the words spoken by bigots regarding transgender people and Donald Trump’s recent change in passport policy as it related to transgender people, I think actor and activist Pedro Pascal said it best this week:
“I can’t think of anything more vile and small and pathetic than terrorizing the smallest, most vulnerable community of people who want nothing from you except the right to exist.”
This sounds just right to me.
Pedro Pascal – whose sister is transgender — received a lot of positive and negative feedback about his statement, but to his credit, he doesn’t give a damn. He knows what is right and is willing to say it, even if it means a bunch of ignoramuses and hate-mongers might not watch his films and television shows.
We need more people like this in the world.
February 27, 2025
The worst people
I’ve discovered that several companies sell high-level accounts on MMOs like World of WarCraft for players who don’t want to start at the beginning of the game and work their way up.
Some of these accounts sell for as much as $10,000.
One company — Overgear — is generating $1.6 million in sales monthly.
These companies will also pay 10 to 20 players to surround and protect an in-game item so that they can keep it for a paying client.
This essentially allows for players with enough disposable income to begin their adventure where they likely began life:
On third base.
In other words, there are probably some of the worst people.
Mind you:
I have no problem with people beginning life on third base.
If your parents paved your way in life with a debt-free college education, tutors and coaches, a position in their company, connections that allowed you to step onto the career ladder rungs ahead of most, a downpayment on a home, a car, or any other financial assistance, good for you.
As someone who hasn’t received a dime from his parents since graduating high school and has been financially independent in every possible way since he was 18, I envy you.
I only loathe these people born on third base who pretend that their achievements were derived solely from their intellect and hard work. I can’t stand these want-to-be bootstrap monsters — like Donald Trump — who attempt to minimize the impact and even the amount of money and advantages they received from parents, inheritance, and the like.
Then again, I’m a white, straight, neurotypical American man with no physical disabilities or mental illness. I am the most genetically and geographically lucky type of human being to walk the Earth. My path has been made remarkably clear simply because my gender, skin color, sexual preferences, and health have afforded me unwarranted and unearned privilege, regardless of what these whiny, good-for-nothing losers who share my same good fortune might think.
I wasn’t born on third base in terms of my economic standing in the world. I wasn’t even on the field of play when I started life. Still, many of my other unearned qualities helped me rise above what might have been expected from a teenager suddenly thrust into the world alone, with no financial assistance and no secondary education in sight.
It certainly wasn’t an easy road, but I suspect the path would’ve been even more difficult had I been a woman, a member of a minority group, disabled, neurodivergent, gay, or some combination of them. I did not suffer the struggle, bigotry, and sexism that these groups routinely face.
In many ways, I was very lucky when I found myself alone at 18.
Still, purchasing a privileged position in a video game strikes me as especially loathsome and pathetic. As a former gamer who spent many hours with his friends battling opponents in search of digital fame and fortune, I can’t imagine discovering that I might be battling someone who paid for their character’s position, strength, and wealth.
The only saving grace would be knowing that somewhere, deep down in the pit of their soul, these third-base losers must know how pathetic they are, in the same way so many people born on third-base in real life attempt to mitigate, underscore, or even lie about their privilege.
They desperately want to be seen as self-made, bootstrap success stories instead of what they really are:
People born into good fortune who enjoyed a lucky start in life.
Nothing to be ashamed of, but nothing to brag about, either.
February 26, 2025
I love good sentences.
I work in sentences.
I earn a living by speaking and writing. Whether speaking to thousands of people in a theater, a dozen in a workshop, or 25 children in a classroom, I earn my keep by communicating effectively.
As a result, I love sentences. When I find a good one, I hold onto it and use it often.
An excellent sentence is like a finely crafted weapon, always by my side, ready to cut away at the nonsense of the world.
Here’s a favorite:
When I criticize something that my school district might be doing — especially after I’ve already criticized it a dozen times or more — and I’m told that “Nothing can be done,” or “This is the direction we’ve decided is best,” or “You’ve already made your thoughts clear,” I say:
“As a public servant responsible for the safety and wellbeing of children, I am morally, ethically, and professionally required to speak up when I think we are failing to do right or best by our students, so I must and will continue to speak up until a change is made or I run out of breath.”
It’s a good sentence. Asserting my moral, ethical, and professional responsibilities requires my opposition to either tell me that I have no moral, ethical, or professional requirement as a teacher — which would be stupid and disastrous — or grudgingly accept my criticism again and again and again.
It works every time. Instead of complaining about my constant repetition, my opposition is almost always silenced.
Admittedly, I’ve sometimes needed a little more.
An administrator once told me, “I’ve heard this before from you, and I know how you feel. But why must you harp on it again and again?”
My response went something like this:
In 1986, one scientist, Allan McDonald, warned NASA that launching the space shuttle in cold temperatures could cause an explosion. He repeated this warning again and again but eventually gave up and allowed the launch to proceed despite his moral, ethical, and professional responsibilities.
Then the shuttle exploded, and people died.
Maybe NASA would’ve ignored that scientist even if he continued protesting.
I don’t know.
But I will never put myself in the position of wondering if I could have made a difference had I continued to lodge my criticism, as that scientist continues to wonder today.
That wasn’t one sentence, but it was a damn good response.
I know so because the administrator stopped complaining after that.
A sentence is a small thing—a few words adorned with a punctuation mark.
An anecdote or example is slightly larger — a collection of sentences — but it’s also pretty small in the grand scheme of things.
But when you find the right, they can be wielded like weapons and sometimes be impossible to defend against.
Whether I’m engaged in debate or verbal confrontation, trying to explain a concept to a fifth grader or a management team, or trying to convince my children or a CEO that I’m right, I’m constantly, relentlessly looking for the best sentence or sentences to do so.
When you find the right collection of words to explain an idea, deflect criticism, push back on stupidity, or make a point, hold onto them.
Their value can be enormous.
February 25, 2025
A brand new Robert Frost poem — 107 years old
“Nothing New” was written by Robert Frost in 1918 and was published for the first time in The New Yorker’s Anniversary Issue.
More than 62 years after Frost died.
It’s not my favorite Robert Frost poem, but what a delight to receive something from one of our greatest American poets long after he scribbled his last line.
I have an unpublished book of poetry — mainly because no one was clamoring for it and poetry isn’t exactly awash in money — so in the unlikely event that I die someday, please feel free to drip those poems out — one at a time — every decade or so, to keep my publishing career alive, too.
Nothing NewBy Robert Frost
Amherst 1918
One moment when the dust to-day
Against my face was turned to spray,
I dreamed the winter dream again
I dreamed when I was young at play,
Yet strangely not more sad than then—
Nothing new—
Though I am further upon my way
The same dream again.
February 24, 2025
Confidence is born from nonconformity. And conformity, too?
PsyBlog posted a roundup of research related to conformity.
It’s a topic that means a lot to me.
Conformity has never really been my thing. In fact, it could be argued that much of my success has come from my desire to be different.
The research cited in the article about social approval was especially interesting.
The authors wrote:
People use conformity to ingratiate themselves with others. Conforming also makes people feel better about themselves by bolstering self-confidence. Some people have a greater need for liking from others, so they are more likely to conform.
But have you noticed that non-conformers are less likely to care what other people think of them?
Nonconformity and self-confidence also go hand-in-hand.
As a non-conformist, I find this supremely interesting.
Confidence — in my almost never-humble opinion — is one of the most important qualities a person can possess. Students who lack self-confidence have a far more difficult time learning because their willingness to take risks, make mistakes, and experiment with new ideas is significantly reduced when they don’t feel good about themselves and their work.
I spend more time than you could possibly imagine helping kids develop more self-confidence. I think it’s one of the most important things I do as a teacher.
Possibly the most important thing I do.
The same holds for adults. Confidence can be a game changer for a person, so I also spend an enormous amount of time trying to build the confidence of the adults with whom I work, and there are a lot of them:
Storytellers, writers, corporate executives, business owners, entrepreneurs, artists, colleagues, and many more. A lack of self-confidence often prevents people from challenging themselves, trying new things, taking advantage of new opportunities, and doing things unknown, difficult, or anxiety-producing.
Confidence is a secret sauce that allows a person to be what they’ve always wanted to be long before anyone else agrees.
It allows a person to move through life with greater ease and comfort, taking risks, making mistakes, and challenging norms without concern over what others might think.
It allows a person to step boldly forward, absent the preparation that so many others require before taking the same step.
It saves time, energy, and resources.
It’s truly a superpower.
Conformity, it would seem, increases confidence, presumably by reducing friction in a person’s life. When you conform to those around you, you’re likely to experience less conflict and be far more likely to receive positive feedback from the masses, thus boosting self-confidence.
“I feel good about myself because the people around me look and act like me and feel good about me.”
But I’m not sure if this version of self-confidence is real.
If a conformist were to suddenly find themself in a state of nonconformity, would their confidence remain intact? If they were to suddenly move to a new geographic location, where the styles, attitudes, and dispositions of the locals are unlike their own, would they still possess self-confidence, or would their confidence only return once they adapt to the new surroundings and conform to the new ideals?
I’m not sure.
Conformity might make you feel confident, but are you expressing your true self? Are you feeling good about yourself or only good about how you compare to those around you?
I’m also not sure.
However, the research also shows that the willingness and ability to avoid conformity can also greatly increase self-confidence, which sounds right to me. I’ve garnered a great deal of self-confidence through my willingness and ability to swim against the stream, stake out new ground, and avoid the tug of the masses.
I was a Yankees fan in a family, town, and state dominated by rabid, insane Red Sox fans.
I was the only boy in my school who played the flute.
I was suspended during my freshman year of high school for “inciting riot upon myself” after passing out “Seniors are Wimps” flyers and buttons at the doors of my high school.
I was the first kid in my Boy Scout troop to attempt to cook a campfire pizza.
For more than a year, I read books upside down to annoy my teachers.
I didn’t drink alcohol until I was nearly 20 years old. Never smoked or used an illegal drug. Never entered a strip club. While my friends were doing many of these things, I did not. I would be mocked and teased at times, and a few of my relationships suffered as a result, but I always felt great about myself and my decisions, regardless of the peer pressure leveraged against me.
If you know me today, you know little has changed in terms of my willingness to resist conformity to traditions, expectations, and the opinions of others.
I routinely annoy and even anger authority figures with my unorthodox opinions and methods.
My clothing often fails to conform to the expectations of the moment.
I push back on conventional wisdom whenever I can.
I try to bend or break rules and traditions when I deem them counterproductive or annoying.
“Only you, Matt…” are three words I hear a lot these days—twice last week.
Nonconformity remains the fount of my self-confidence. Or perhaps the indication of it. Or both.
But here’s perhaps the most important part:
But the source of self-confidence is irrelevant. Possessing self-confidence is the goal.
For some people, knowing that they fit in appears to grow self-confidence.
For others like me, knowing that I don’t need (or even want) to do the same.
This fascinates me because my clients constantly ask me to teach them self-confidence. Industry titans — people who you would think are as self-confident as anyone on the planet — have routinely asked me to help them find self-confidence:
Develop a course.
Write a book.
Teach a workshop.
Coach me on becoming more self-confident.
Recognizing my self-confidence — through my willingness to say the hard thing, perform onstage without any nervousness, engage in storytelling improv in front of hundreds of paying customers, and always look to do the next scary thing — dozens of business people have repeatedly asked me for lessons in self-confidence.
Up until recently, I told them confidence can’t be taught.
I’m starting to think it can. Over the course of my career, I’ve helped many students become more confident.
So why not adults, too?
If you have thoughts, resources, or ideas on the subject, send them my way.
It’s why I’m reading, thinking, and writing about self-confidence. I hope to gather enough strategies and techniques to help others move through this world, feeling better about themselves and caring a lot less about others’ thoughts and opinions.
When you can ignore the opinions of others, follow your own internal compass, find balance through perspective, and enjoy the self-assurance arising from an appreciation of your own abilities, you can truly possess a superpower.
February 23, 2025
Jesse Eisenberg wisdom
In an interview, I heard actor and director Jesse Eisenberg say:
“I don’t understand why anyone with so much money doesn’t want to spend their life helping others.”
I love this thought. So simple and so true.
I met Jesse Eisenberg a few years ago at a book party. Miraculously, he knew me. “Matt the storyteller!” was how he referred to me as he struggled to get his baby into a stroller.
He had heard me on a podcast.
He was exceedingly kind and thoughtful that night, so it’s unsurprising that he would think like this.
And it’s a damn good question:
If you have a billion dollars or more—multigenerational wealth—how could you not spend your life helping others?
Happily, it sometimes happens. I work with two billionaires who have signed Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, and Warren Buffet’s “Giving Pledge.” This pledge asks billionaires to publicly commit to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropy during their lifetimes or in their wills.
The two billionaires with whom I work are in the process of giving a large portion of their money away within their lifetimes. They spend much of their time and energy determining the most effective means of philanthropy.
They want to spend their money wisely.
So good people with enormous piles of money do exist. I know some of them personally. They are not unicorns.
But there are not nearly enough.
For every billionaire who has signed the Giving Pledge, many—and probably most wealthy people—are investing in accumulating even more wealth and power.
The current Trump cabinet is filled with them. Thirteen of the fifteen cabinet secretaries are billionaires—far more than any presidential cabinet in history—and many are eagerly dismantling key federal government components built to help those in need here in the United States and abroad.
Sitting atop a pile of money, they are ending the funding for critical care initiatives.
Thanks to their efforts, greater numbers of poor and sick people will die in the future. And in the process, their piles of money will grow longer.
Eisenverg’s question is a good one:
“I don’t understand why anyone with so much money doesn’t want to spend their life helping others.”
A different way of phrasing that question might sound something like this:
“What the hell is wrong with these monsters?”
February 22, 2025
How many books did you read last year?
A new survey found that 20 percent of American adults were responsible for 75 percent of the books read in 2024.
These are our greatest American heroes. As an author, reader, and patriot, I salute these cultural and intellectual warriors.
Breaking down that data:
38 percent of Americans said they read zero books in 2024.
These are likely our serial killers, bigots, con artists, humblebraggers, New York Jets fans, people who use speakerphone in public, and members of the Trump administration
28 percent said they read one to four books in 2024.
These are our underachievers. They aren’t terrible people, but they are likely spending too much time staring at small screens, playing meaningless video games, and scheduling useless meetings. They must toss aside their childish and foolish ways and make more time for books.
14 percent said they read five to nine books in 2024.
These are good, decent human beings who spend a reasonable portion of their days engaging in meaningful endeavors. These people make for excellent friends, reliable coworkers, and are often beloved by their in-laws.
10 percent of Americans read 10 to 19 books in 2024.
These are our overachievers—admirable people who understand the value of accumulating knowledge, honing their ability to focus and attend, and having interesting things to say. These people are likely high earners engaged in many charitable endeavors who make outstanding marriage material.
7 percent reading 20 to 49 books in 2024.
I fit into this category.
I read 28 books in 2024.
My fellow readers and I obviously love reading and seek to expand our understanding of our world at all times. We are the people who know that the more we know, the more likely we are to succeed.
We are almost always the best people to invite to a party.
The most likely to rescue a puppy that’s fallen through the ice.
If your pilot and copilot both suffer from simultaneous bouts of narcolepsy, we can probably land the plane.
We are always good-looking, hilarious, and insightful.
We smell great.
We also don’t make excuses about not having enough time to read because we understand that time is simply a matter of prioritization.
For example, the average American spends 2 hours and 15 minutes on social media every day.
I spend about 5-10 minutes per day at most, which gives me more time to do many things, including reading.
You have enough time to read. You simply allocate your time to other terrible, meaningless, mind-numbing endeavors.
As Freddy Mercury once said:
“We are the champions, my friends
And we’ll keep on fighting till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
‘Cause we are the champions of the world.”
4 percent read 50 or more books in 2024.
I’m not quite sure what to think of these people. They are essentially reading a book per week. As someone who admittedly reads exceedingly quickly, I can’t even imagine doing this. As an English major in college, I was reading 2-3 books per week at times, but that was required reading, so it often sucked a bit of the joy from the process.
These are clearly dedicated readers, but I worry:
Are they leaving their homes?
Exercising?
Bathing?
Eating?
I hope so. But I worry that they might not be noticing the change of seasons.
Here’s some good news:
The percentage of Americans who read at least one book increased from 54 percent in 2023 to 63 percent in 2024.
I’ll admit that 63 percent is still a pathetic number, but it’s better than last year, so I’ll celebrate progress in hopes it continues.
February 21, 2025
I disagree with Shakespeare
“Abide the change of time,
Quake in the present winter’s state and wish
That warmer days would come.”
— William Shakespeare from “Cymbeline”
As much as I love Shakespeare — I’m currently reading “Measure for Measure” for pleasure — I don’t think “quaking” and “wishing” are the ways to address our “present winter state.”
And admittedly, it’s quite the “winter state” we face.
I’d advise something more active and productive.
Instead…
Do good work.
Help your friends and family.
Help those who can’t help themselves.
Speak for those who are afraid to speak.
Defend those in need of defense.
Advise those in need of advice.
Afford grace to those who have been misled.
Support those fighting the good fight.
Plan for a better future.
Find allies and rally support.
Make your enemies uncomfortable.
Resist whenever possible.
“Quaking” and “wishing” are what our enemies want you to do.
It’s far too easy to defend against quaking and wishing.
Instead, do every tiny and enormous thing you can to hold back the tide and bring forth goodness and light.
February 20, 2025
Why so many young, single people on the planet?
A recent YouGov survey found that 42 percent of adults are currently unpartnered.
No romantic entanglements of any kind.
That seems like a large number.
Almost half of adult Americans are not currently in a romantic relationship?
Even more surprising — shocking, really:
Young people are far more likely to be unpartnered than any other age demographic, with 88 percent of men ages 18 to 24 and 83 percent of women ages 18 to 24 reporting not having a partner.
That’s a hell of a lot of young, single people.
Thinking back on my life, the longest I went without a girlfriend (once I began dating in high school) was about a month.
Maybe two.
When I asked Elysha how often she was without a boyfriend once she started dating, she replied, “Never.”
Perhaps a little too quickly for my liking.
When I was 18-24, I think most of my friends probably would’ve said something similar.
So…
What the hell is going on with young people today?
I understand that some of those 18-24-year-olds in the survey were probably between relationships when they reported being unpartnered, but 88 and 83 percent are considerable numbers to all be unpartnered simultaneously.
I don’t think 88 or 83 percent of my friends were ever unpartnered when I was 18-24.
I don’t think half of my friends were unpartnered at any one time when I was 18-24.
I certainly had friends who struggled to find romantic partners, but most seemed to be romantically linked to someone most of the time.
Has dating collapsed — at least with younger people? Are romantic relationships dying? And if so, why?
What the hell is going on?
