We often imagine storytelling as a grand act — a sweeping account or treatise of who we are, where we’ve been, what we’ve survived, and what we’ve learned. Something cohesive. Something definitive. Something that explains everything. But that kind of storytelling — the autobiographical, whole-of-life summary — is not only daunting; it’s also rarely where … Continue reading The Story Told Is the Story Known: On the Power of Small Stories
Author: Kirsten Macaitis
The Seduction of Choice: Why life is more than the choices you make
A contemporary definition of freedom is the power to choose what we want to do. The more options, the more autonomy. Our societal interpretations are built on this premise: agency vs. structure. We champion and idolise the idea that agency is the highest good, the mark of a valid and flourishing life. Jobs we choose, … Continue reading The Seduction of Choice: Why life is more than the choices you make
On grief, grown up: The power of triangulating our story
It's the second week of May. This time of the year is always heavy with sentimentality; It's our wedding anniversary, it's mothers day, and it's also the anniversary when dad died. Lots of intersecting emotions all in the same few days. So here I am again, thinking about them, once again. Maybe, hopefully, another story … Continue reading On grief, grown up: The power of triangulating our story
You know this is weird, right? On recognising, sharing – and perhaps challenging – your familiar
One of the core concepts we talk about in sociology is making the familiar unfamiliar. Familiarity is present countless times in our everyday life. The route to work becomes so familiar that it feels like we don't drive it. The recipe that has been handed down in your family takes no time or effort to … Continue reading You know this is weird, right? On recognising, sharing – and perhaps challenging – your familiar
What is your Everest? And maybe, why you don’t need to climb it.
I don’t understand why people climb Mt. Everest. In some ways it’s obvious: a monumental challenge of the body’s limits, conquering the tallest mountain in the world. But I don't get it. Maybe it’s more accurate that I understand why people want to climb the tallest mountain in the world, but I think it’s a … Continue reading What is your Everest? And maybe, why you don’t need to climb it.
If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing properly: On Fathers’ Advice.
Something about fatherhood awakens the heart of the advice giver. From the pun to the straight talk, from the dry humour to the analogy, this Father's Day we acknowledge and give thanks for the advice - whether lessons hard won, clichés oft repeated, or earnest dreams to spare loved ones the pain of error. When … Continue reading If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing properly: On Fathers’ Advice.
Tradition: peer pressure from dead people?
The places you have walkedI consider holy groundAnd I will love the things you love despite my prior thoughts about – You in everything, Gang of Youths. In an album replete with songs reflecting his father’s passing, I was struck by David Le'aupepe's lyric. For me it speaks of a question that many of us … Continue reading Tradition: peer pressure from dead people?
“As long as they’re healthy”: On when you don’t get the [parts of the] kid you wanted
It's a classic exchange between an expectant parent and an acquaintance: "Do you know what you're having?...Do you want a boy or a girl?" and we offer the refrain "As long as it's healthy!" ...But what if they're not? In so many - if not almost all - of these circumstances, this conversation is harmless. … Continue reading “As long as they’re healthy”: On when you don’t get the [parts of the] kid you wanted
When we want others to learn a lesson: Litmus tests for truth telling.
Have you ever been in a situation when you're hearing something powerful, or learning a lesson, and thought to yourself; "I wish such and such were here to hear this!" Or likewise, when you observe someone's poor decision or reactions, and want to nail some truths to their door. Maybe we see relationships friends and … Continue reading When we want others to learn a lesson: Litmus tests for truth telling.
On insulation: When compartmentalisation hurts as much as it helps
I was in a moment praying a while ago, asking for wisdom and guidance, and a weirdly specific and innocuous image came to mind: Insulation. Styrofoam peanuts. Bubble wrap. Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com Random, right? Perhaps not. For what does insulation do? Protects. Surrounds. Insulation keeps things safe. It stops breakage. It … Continue reading On insulation: When compartmentalisation hurts as much as it helps
Better With Pockets 