You have to burp the pickles every day,” I said, pointing out my jars of home-pickled carrots, kale and lemon lined up neatly beneath the microwave. “Otherwise the CO2 will build up and the jars will explode.”
“Put it on the list,” my boyfriend, Alex, said. He remained sprawled on the couch, remote in hand.
“See all these plants? These need to be watered every three days. Water the two in the bathroom once a week. Don’t touch the succulents. And the ones on the fire escape—”
“On the list, Mari.”
I bit my lip. God, I asked, is Alex even listening to me? Doesn’t he care about how I want things done while I’m away?
Alex and I were wildly different. He was so unlike the well-educated, middle-class public servants I’d grown up among in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Alex had been born in Soviet Ukraine a year after the Chernobyl disaster. His family immigrated to New York when he was six, and his parents had a hard time gaining a foothold in this country. He’d enlisted in the Navy at 17, struggled with alcohol and gotten sober. I had a master’s degree and was working on my second. I thrived on tackling new projects, making order out of chaos, planning. He was happy to let things pile up around him, totally at peace as the world turned. He did his thing, and I did mine. We coexisted comfortably.
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The Legacy of Flight 93
An Army officer remembers his cousin Rich Guadagno and the other 39 heroes who died in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11
The List
After two divorces, did I really know what I wanted in a relationship? Did I even know who I needed to be?
“God Will Bless Your Business
George Turner was sure the pandemic would spell the end of his struggling bike shop. His pastor had other ideas
The 46th Peak
We decided to do this last hike of the challenge together. Partway down, I heard my husband scream
Challenge Yourself to...Connect More!
Eager to emerge from the loneliness of lockdown and socialize again? We’ve put together a list of 15 challenges for reconnecting with the people you care about—and making new friends too. Focus on a few activities, or pick one each day to try over the next two months. Pay attention to how your relationships flourish!
Reason for Hope
I feared my son would never get off drugs. Until an art class changed my heart
Pistol
He was the dog I always wanted. But he came with baggage, a little like me
ALONE WITH MY FAITH
The pandemic left a lot of us feeling isolated. Including me. But it opened the door to something deeper in my music and in my soul
Brought Together
How two strangers found friendship and healing as they came to terms with the legacy of slavery
70 Years of Hope & Inspiration
Elizabeth Sherrill’s life as a writer has been a journey of the soul, a journey that also became the very soul of Guideposts magazine
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Beautifully designed, too
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Fighting Goliath
Before last summer, no climber had gone the distance with California's Goliath Traverse, spanning 60 brutal peaks of the Sierra Nevada. A crazier challenge? Do it in eight days.
Alex Honnold – How We Dad Now
Dads have made damn good progress. We're more involved than ever; we understand the assignment. But let's not pat ourselves on the back. Certainly not as we claw our way out of a pandemic that's altered everything about the way we live our lives. It's high time to ask the knotty questions about raising kids, the ones you've only dared to ponder with your partner or your closest friends, or even just yourself. Because let's be honest, parenting is as terrifying as it is joyful, and sometimes you worry so much that you might just pee your pants. So we did just that. (Posed the questions, not peed ourselves-yet.) The answers we received, on the pages that follow, will teach you a thing or two-the good, the bad, the meconium-tinged ugly-about what it means to be a caring, supportive, badass dad today.
Memories of Our LEGENDARY DADS
THE CHILDREN OF SOME OF AMERICA’S MOST BELOVED ACTORS CELEBRATE FATHER’S DAY BY SHARING HEARTWARMING STORIES WITH CLOSER
RUSSIAN WAR DOG SWITCHES SIDES!
Fighting for Ukraine after being deserted on the battlefield
Farmers' Market Finds
Load these seasonal standouts into your tote.
Lending a Hand in UKRAINE
Amid the brutality and destruction, people around the world have reached out to help those caught in the crossfire. Here are a few of their stories.
A Peek at New Eye Science
SMART CONTACT LENSES MAY DO FAR MORE THAN CORRECT VISION.
Returning to Nevada
Imogen Binnie’s first novel became a staple of trans literature. Nine years and one new reissue later, how much has changed in the culture?