Beep. Beep. Beep. It is seven in the morning, December 14th 2020. I walk into the hospital in New York, reviewing my appointments for the day. I smile when I reach my office and see a plaque that says Emily Cookson Pediatric Neurosurgeon. My office is a warm yellow and decorated with crayon drawings, all […]

When I was younger, I wanted to be a ballerina horseback rider. Never mind the fact that I hated horses, or that I wasn’t exactly sure what being a ballerina horseback rider would entail. That was my first dream. Once I hit four or five, though, I moved on, attracted by the possibility of another […]

“Do you see the lake!” my mother said, trying to capture my attention. “Ahuh.” I see it. “When are we getting out?” “Don’t worry, we’re almost to your brother’s dorm.” Driving along Bradford beach, with my nine-year-old nose pressed up against the glass, my eyes followed the people, places and atmosphere. My level of interest […]

I’ve been sitting at my computer, staring at a blank Word document for fifteen minutes. Thinking. The acidic white is beginning to make my vision blur, rolling out over the computer monitor and across the desk, and I can’t seem to choose an uncomfortable memory. And not from lack of experience—as far as awkward situations […]

When I was little, I hated crayons. I prided myself on my superior fine motor skills. I always colored inside the lines, and cut paper perfectly along the thick black outlines even if I took twice as long. I always had neat, legible handwriting that all the other first graders envied (or so I thought). […]

“Don’t take your shoes off, Jonathan!” The little boy in front of me was squatting by the stairs, tugging at his sneaker. “If you want to go outside, you have to keep them on!” I went through this warning every day. He never seemed to grasp that when he came home, he had to leave […]

How has a recent artistic experience affected your intellectual development? All 12 of us were huddled around a wooden post. I was bent over its hole, stirring concrete and helping to create a work of art. On a mission trip, we were struggling to build a deck for a woman in Ithaca, New York. This […]

“Anthony, come into the hallway for a minute.” My teacher eyed me, melancholy seeping unnaturally from a face used to calm and composure. It wasn’t because I had run in late from recess, either, because even that heinous crime couldn’t ruffle her. “Diego is sick.” “He…isn’t well.” Every word pulled her lips and eyebrows downward, […]

As I ski down the hill, I see the boy lying in the snow, shivering and pale. A first-year patroller is with him, and the concern in his eyes shifts to relief when he spots me. We discuss the boy’s injuries, and I carefully support his head to ensure he doesn’t injure it more. In […]

It always looked so easy when my dad did it. He cutsmoothly, his shoulder leaning so close to the water that his body lookedparallel to the cool glass. I had been itching to be free of my yellow trainingskis and ski on my own. I wanted to learn to fly over the water just like […]