A Mouthful of Beginnings
A second lost tooth, a teething baby, and the messy start of learning anything new. Tayvin on two tooth idioms that bookend a journey: where you begin, and what you commit to for the long haul.
English expressions
Chickens Don’t Have Fingers, I Don’t Have Teeth
A first trip to Raising Cane’s (named after a dog, named after an idiom) sets up two ways to get into trouble. Tayvin on the difference between raising Cain on purpose and playing with fire without meaning to.
All In on FiWi
A new WiFi network named ‘Find Your Why’ becomes a meditation on commitment. Tayvin on going all in: the sacrifices, the motivation, and the phrases that keep you moving when the road gets long.
Ketchup with a Friend
A month of chaos, a homemade spicy-ketchup habit, and a long-overdue phone call. Tayvin on the homophone that trips up learners (ketchup versus catch up) and the friendship gap worth closing.
All Tunnel, No Vision
One YouTube problem, five hours, and a whole day gone before he looked up. Tayvin on hyper-focus, ADD, and the fine line between being locked in and losing the big picture entirely.
Land of the Free, Home of the Diaper Change
Both parents working, no daycare, and a one-year-old who has decided she only wants Mom. Tayvin on the teamwork of new parenthood: pulling your weight, sharing the same boat, and learning to row the same way.
A Village of Borrowed Fathers
Recording the day after his first Father’s Day, Tayvin reflects on what it really takes to raise a child, and the people who quietly show up to fill the gaps a family can’t fill alone.
Death and Ceiling Fan Philosophy
What does a ceiling fan have to do with the meaning of death? A late-night Wikipedia rabbit hole and a Yale philosophy course collide, leaving Tayvin with two expressions worth knowing: how to ask what’s on someone’s mind, and how to slowly make sense of an idea too big to grasp all at once.
Blue Skies Don’t Show Which Way the Wind Blows
$7,000 lands on a credit card on an ordinary Thursday morning, completely out of the blue. A look at the windfalls that arrive without warning, and whether we’re ever really ready for them.
Buried in the Ground, Not the Back
What do you do with a grudge you’ve been sharpening for years? From having an axe to grind to burying the hatchet, a look at holding on, and finally letting go.