So, you’re in a new app on your phone, say a dating site or a sign-up for some software, and this long legal agreement pops up with an “I agree” or “I accept” button at the bottom. The agreement might be labelled “Terms and Conditions,” “User Agreement,” or “Privacy...
The conventional way we open formal correspondence in our culture is, of course, “Dear [insert name or title],” where the addressee’s name, if known, or their title is inserted after the word “Dear.” Thus, a typical piece of correspondence might begin “Dear Ms....
Giving Free Rein to the Child Within Us The expression “getting in touch with one’s inner child” is something of a cliché that refers to a desire to engage in thinking and behavior characteristic of childhood. It carries a positive connotation, the notion being that...
The sitcom Friends, which aired on NBC from 1994 to 2004, was and remains a cultural phenomenon. Over the course of ten seasons, it took us through the lives of six young New Yorkers, garnering huge audiences during its initial run, as well as its continuing...
Some years ago, I was on a date with a guy at a bar. He ordered his drink from the bartender, and then I ordered my drink which was different from his. To my surprise, he immediately changed his drink order to the drink that I was having. This may seem like an...
Recently, I started attending Quaker Meetings in New York. (The formal name given to Quakers is “The Religious Society of Friends,” and they refer to each other as “Friends.”) I had long been interested in Quakerism; the value it places on authenticity,...
