I didn’t wake up this morning thinking “let’s drag the editorial board of a world-renowned publication in a Medium post,” but then I saw the Op-Ed by Joseph Epstein entitled “Is There a Doctor in the White House? Not if You Need an M.D.” (which I am not linking to, because it doesn’t deserve the traffic) and now here we are. I have been delighting in reading the brief rebuttals and sarcastic responses that Twitter allows. However, I do feel it requires a somewhat more structured response, and apparently I have both the time and inclination to write one today, so here we go. …

The first-timer, part 1 — the new adult. Their 18th birthday was a month ago, or maybe they just missed voting the last time around. This is the first time they’ve gotten to vote, and they are almost inevitably in line with their parents or their friends. They’re excited. They’re nervous. They’re ready.

The first-timer, part 2 — the new citizen. Not born here, but sworn here and for the first time getting to have a voice in who will speak for them.

The first-timer, part 3 — the new voter. Something about this year or one of the candidates or something else entirely has gotten them to the polling place for the first time. Changing behavior is hard. …

On Friday, like a large number of people in this country, I received a number of messages made up of a single expletive as news broke that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg had passed away due to complications from pancreatic cancer. My immediate reaction was disbelief, followed by bone deep grief. Both of my grandmothers passed away in 2017, and RBG has always reminded me of them. Her resolute demeanor in the face of challenge after challenge, her deep belief in and consistent advocacy for gender equality, her no-nonsense, practical approach to life, and her wry, intelligent sense of humor kept my grandmothers alive for three years after they departed this earth, and so losing her on Friday felt like losing all three of them. I can’t imagine I’m the only person who feels this way — so I’m going to tell you a little bit about my grandmothers and what they taught me, and why RBG meant so much to me, and I invite you to share stories of your grandmothers and your tributes to RBG in the responses. I want to hear from you. Grieving is a communal activity — people gather to mourn the passing of people who are important to them. …

I’ve always been a reader. I read voraciously as a kid all the way through high school, and even in college when I had reading to do for my classes I usually had a book going on the side. But I never tracked what or how much I was reading until 2018, when I set a goal to read 52 books a year or an average of one book a week. In 2018 I was way over — I read 87 books, and I wrote about that experience and some of the books I read in a previous piece. In 2019 I only hit 41, and that was almost entirely because I forgot to follow the steps I’m about to give you. …

Author’s Note: This encounter happened in May, which is when I first drafted this piece. I’m sharing this story with you now because I’m still very moved by it, and I hope it affects you in a similar way.

Social media gets a lot of flack for all manner of sins these days, and I’ll be the first to admit that quite a bit of that flack is justified. Social media pushes us to polish our lives for the consumption of others, to hide any hardship we might face. It’s polarizing, and it is too often used to spread disinformation and sow division. …

I have loved sports from the moment I learned what a ball was and and what to do with it. I spent hours as a kid playing football with myself — throwing a ball up onto the slanted roof of my childhood home and trying to catch it as it came tumbling down. I played on baseball and basketball teams through the Boys and Girls Club. At recess, I could be found on whatever field or court was available, playing my heart out, competing with kids who were sometimes much older and stronger than me. It never occurred to me to do anything else. …

First let me say — I know it’s May. I know it’s a bit late for a 2018 recap. To that I say — whatever, it’s still the first half of 2019! I know there are companies out there still doing their planning for 2019, and if they can do that then I can do a 2018 recap and a 2019 “to read” list, even if I’ve read a couple of the books on the “to read” list this year already. Also, it’s my list and I’ll do what I want! Let’s talk books, friends.

I read 87 books in 2018. EIGHTY SEVEN. That feels like a lot! (Though I admit this is my first year tracking this). This past year was also the first time I took pictures and wrote a little bit about the books I was reading. If that’s interesting to you you can find me as @theinkfish on Instagram and on Goodreads. …