This is a preview of the type of weekly short-form writing published on my Substack. Currently, all “5 Things I Found This Week” content can be accessed by everyone.

About the Series:

Every Friday on Substack, I publish a short list of recommended open-source readings and resources with informal descriptions for each source. The purpose of this series is to force myself to stay “on track” by maintaining an “extracurricular” writing schedule. For more, see the initial post in the series.

Post Excerpt:

I am writing the bulk of this pre-scheduled post on Wednesday and Thursday because Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, starts this Friday (9/11) at sundown. Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the “Ten Days of Awe,” ten days of intense self-reflection that culminate in Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism. On Yom Kippur, Jews from all over the world, including many who do not self-identify as “observant” or “religious,” will abstain from food, water, sex, and most other activities or “distractions” and gather in community on a day set aside (in part) to confront the inevitability of death, the brevity of our lives, and how rarely that inevitability and brevity consciously impact the ways people choose to live in the moment. While I do enjoy cheerfully explaining to non-Jewish friends why someone who doesn’t believe in God might genuinely enjoy a holiday that involves being as physically uncomfortable as possible in a space where it is hard to avoid talking to complete strangers for hours on end (two states I generally try to avoid), I do sincerely find value in what I have come to call “scheduling grief.”

Want to read more? Read on Substack.