You're telling me Dunkin Donuts is selling coffee by the bucket.

The amount of trust that goes into pairs figure skating boggles my mind.

"I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest" is one of my favorite romantic lines in all of English literature.

A reminder: if you're a leader, it's vital that you're involved in something you're not in charge of and not naturally good at. It's a regular, valuable reminder that your gifts and skills don't reign supreme, that you have something to learn from others, and that we all need each other.

The early days of spending time mutually engaging with someone are a good time to keep your eye out for potential red and green flags. How to Make Friends in 2026, Part 4

OPINION: Branwell Brontë would have been deeply involved in the manosphere.

I can only describe my codependent relationship with Microsoft Word as extremely toxic.

I'm now all in on The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion.

While in the process of making new friends, a vital component is remembering to take a step back and wait to see if the other person matches your enthusiasm for connecting. At a very basic level, this means waiting for signs of mutuality.

"If the only time you see someone is when you initiate, can you truly consider it a mutual friendship?" How to Make Friends in 2026, Part 3:

Home printers are amazing unless you need them to work.

To say that writers must use AI or "lose the race" is just such a weird framing. Writing is not a race: it is a craft, and other writers are not competitors. They are colleagues.

Sooooo good from LM Sacasas

If you’re thinking that initiating a Friendship DTR sounds awkward, I understand. But I've found it so helpful.

If the price of coffee keeps going up at this rate, I'm going to have to start foraging in the woods and grinding my own chicory.

More than anything...this approach has helped me identify potential friends; transition from hanging out to confirming a mutual, committed friendship; begin to build strong bonds; and move forward with confidence in creating lasting relationships. How to Make Friends in 2026, Part 2:

One thing I do miss about living up in that cabin in the mountains was the woodburning fireplace. I put a 10-hour crackling fireplace video on the TV, but it's just not the same. Mostly because the TV version doesn't smell good or emit heat and sometimes plays ads.

Just looked down at today's to-do list and saw that at one point I added a line item called "figure out things."

Friendship works best when we know who we are to each other—and why.

Good morning

I started working on this manuscript February 1 of last year, and today I finished the last major revision! Just one more pass through (🤞🏽🤞🏽) and it'll be ready to go to beta readers!

I read 12 books in January, but the shocking thing is that all but one of them were books I already owned.

How to Make Friends in 2026, Part 1

My grocery app thinks I should subscribe to parmesan cheese.

I'm not saying I'm stressed but I am saying I just started reading my 12th book of the month.

We're making new friends in 2026 y'all! Here's how:

In the path of more winter weather this weekend? Time to gather your snow snacks and book stacks!

Some people approach finding friends the same way a hungry person approaches getting seated at a busy restaurant. They’ll take whatever’s available. Which is fine if what’s available matches what you want. But what if it’s not? What if you don’t even know what you want?

Sitting outside in 23° next to a slab of ice on my back deck because I heard getting morning sunlight on my eyeballs is good for me. I'll let y'all know.

Relationships work best when both parties know who and what we are to each other—and why. How to Make Friends in 2026, Part 1

Some people approach finding friends the same way a hungry person approaches getting seated at a busy restaurant. They’ll take whatever’s available. How to Make Friends in 2026, Part 1:

TS Eliot was wrong about the cruelest month. It's most definitely January.

Part 1 drops Thursday. Make sure you're signed up for alerts & a copy delivered to your inbox!

Every day I have people texting me and telling me I'm not allowed to walk on the ice. I finally have a brand.

I went for a very slow and careful walk outside with my post lunch coffee which required me to walk across a sheet of ice on my driveway, which I accomplished without falling and breaking any bones or teeth, please clap

"So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?" For the past 24 hours, this quote has been running like a mantra in my mind.

One day I hope to be as excited about something as our local weather guy is about this storm.

I didn’t plan for a major life shift in my forties to upend my entire support system, leaving me to rebuild almost entirely from scratch. I am, however, grateful for the chance to learn, grow, and change—to create healthier, intentional rhythms around friendship. open.substack.com/pub/ruthbuch...

I, for one, have never needed a dictator.

Don't ever put your laptop on the floor for any reason. Among other things, you risk stepping on it. I will not be taking questions at this time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ERIN!

Nobody warned me how much of writing is looking up the exact terms for things. Grab handles inside car doors. Aglets on the ends of shoelaces. Snoods. Pips. Umbrella runners.

I'm planning to write publicly about friendship this year. Finding friends, making friends, keeping friends, navigating relational conflict within friendship. If that's something you could benefit from, please come join the conversation! Follow along here:

One of my strategies for surviving winter this year is that if I have anything productive to do, I accomplish it during daylight hours. The minute the sun sets, I collapse like a marionette with snapped strings.

Good morning, beloved. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” -Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Today is a great day to overcome evil with good.

A friend and I have plans on Sunday to get together, lie on the couches in her living room, drink soup, and read books.

No one will take your writing seriously until you do.

Writers! What's something you feel you do really well and one skill you're currently working on?

How do you fight cynicism?

Job: oh, that my words were written and enscribed in a book! Me (reading the book of Job): 👁️ 👄 👁️