All Snacks

A Pleasure Hunt

It’s like a scavenger hunt, except you let delight lead the way. The purpose is to engage with the little moments of joy that are available to you, and only you, right now.

Prioritizing Play

Playing can start with small steps. Take your AirPods out on your next walk. Walk slowly and look at every house you pass. Pick up an old hobby or try something new without the pressure to improve. Play your instrument or struggle through another knitting pattern.

Playtime

The year I turned 5, my father spent the fall building me a treehouse. It had a working wood stove and windows that closed and opened and shingles on the roof. By November, it was time for my birthday party, and he was still nailing the last baluster on the porch railing as the families pulled up. I think a few of them decided right then and there that they wouldn’t let their kids play up in the sky like that.

One Dumb Phone

A few months ago, I made my smartphone a dumb phone. I switched the display to grayscale, got surgical about removing any app upon which I’d developed a penchant for scrolling (I’m looking at you, New York Times), and hung new wallpaper, an Apple-provided option: all-black fading to gray toward the bottom.