Author Archives: g24khamr

IT WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THIS. We were supposed to be on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., not in our Orange County living room. We were supposed to clap and cheer and laugh and cry as our daughter … Continue reading →

WE ARE SURROUNDED BY INSIDE VOICES. They are voices filled with empathy and compassion. They are eager to be more helpful, anxious to be more connected, willing to be more human. Listen to the inside voices laughing together as they … Continue reading →

“We are supposed to change, aren’t we? I’m not the same person I was 10 years ago or even 10 months ago. I’m sure you’re not the same person you were as a kid, and you won’t be the same … Continue reading →

“Tell a real story. Talk like a goddamn real person…stop all the countless bullshit we marketers create to make us sound more important than we really are.” I wrote that years ago, long before social media became the behemoth it … Continue reading →

THE INFECTION IS SPREADING. We see it not just every day but every hour, it seems almost every minute: a quarantine here, a new case there, a sports league stopping play. It’s a disease made for the Internet age, moving … Continue reading →

THERE’S A REASON WHY WE READ THE NAMES OF THE 9/11 VICTIMS EVERY YEAR. Nearly 3,000 people died that day in 2001. But 3,000 means nothing — it’s just a number, far too big to comprehend. It’s a data point, … Continue reading →

THE BEST THING ABOUT WRITING A BOOK IS ALSO THE WORST THING. You’re glad it’s done, it’s even hard to believe. An idea on a scrap of paper becomes a few sentences on your Notes app becomes a title page … Continue reading →

WHAT I REMEMBER MOST ARE THE SHOES. Piles and piles of soul-filled skyscrapers, spread high and wide, the colors muted by time. All shapes and sizes, some worn and others barely used. A monument to madness.  There are images more … Continue reading →

SHE WAS A DARLING LITTLE GIRL in a black and white photo, holding a tiny flower, a face blooming with innocence and wonder. I picked it up from my desk and walked to the next office, where I thanked my … Continue reading →

SO AN ELDERLY CHRISTIAN GRANDMA WALKS INTO A BAT MITZVAH. I know, you’re thinking “what happens next?” Does she lead the Hora? Sing Hava Nagila at the top of her lungs? Do the Electric Slide? Well yeah, sure, she pretty … Continue reading →