Hold on to something
There’s a line in Train Dreams when someone tells the main character—played with grace and aplomb by Josh Edgerton—clearly: “Hey, you better hold on to something.”
The phrase is literal and metaphorical at the same time. What are we holding on to in order to keep us grounded and stable amongst tumult? More importantly, what fleeting moments of our days are we holding on to in order to tell the story of our lives?
The start of the year is a time where we build narrative; we tell the story of the year gone by, and try to plan out the story of the year to come. When you are crafting that tale, what are the moments that stayed with you, that will resonate—indeed, what are you holding on to, what will you hold on to?
It’s a guiding question in the movie, and one I’ll carry with me as I go through the year ahead. Last year, I made a list of moments of joy—moments I held on to as the days passed—and this year I may do the same. It’s my small way of grasping hold of what’s important, and of being able to tell the story of a life well lived.
Happy new year, everyone.
A poem
i am running into a new year
Lucille Clifton
i am running into a new year
and the old years blow back
like a wind
that i catch in my hair
like strong fingers like
all my old promises and
it will be hard to let go
of what i said to myself
about myself
when i was sixteen and
twenty-six and thirty-six
even thirty-six but
i am running into a new year
and i beg what i love and
i leave to forgive me
Some links
Keeping these links brief today.
To start: my favorite books, tv shows, movies, and albums of last year.
Also: my media diet for the end of the year, and a few things I learned at the end of the year.
Erin Kissane’s tour de force piece on how we know things is one I’ll be revisiting: “Human knowledge is always collective—more literally than I think most of us want to admit.”
“We should build more computer interfaces that serve the way humans experience the world—through their five senses.”
A beautiful story about the transformative power of typewriter repair. Makes me sad I got rid of all my typewriters several years ago.
Food isn’t just about what we taste with our tongues: we eat with our eyes, our ears, our fingertips, even our emotions.
Had the best phở of my life at The Lunch Lady in Vancouver a few weeks ago, so I really enjoyed this piece on discovering the origins of phở.
Charli XCX has an email nrwsletter, which is awesome, and I enjoyed this missive on what it’s like to be a pop star.
Delivery apps are killing restaurant culture: “In 2024, nearly three out of every four restaurant orders were not eaten in a restaurant”
As someone who used to work in tech (albeit on the non-technical side) but no longer does but still wants to, a little, I ask myself this: how the hell are you supposed to have a career in tech in 2026?
