Dear Me: 16 things I'd like to say to my 16-year-old self

Dear Me,

I'm your 36-year-old self. Our 20-year high school reunion is coming up, I've been reconnecting with classmates on this thing called Facebook, and I've been thinking about you and wishing I could offer some advice.

I'm presenting my thoughts in a futuristic format called the listicle. It's what writers in 2015 do when we're too lazy to write transition sentences and form a cohesive essay.

1. Spend less energy worrying about fitting in, and be a better friend to the kids who don't.

The Rolodex & The Airport Bar: How to handle LinkedIn Invitations

“I don’t know this person; why did he add me?”

“We worked together 10 years ago. Does that still count?”

“What about the weirdos?”

Every time I teach a LinkedIn class, I hear variations of the question “Who belongs in my network?”

The simple answer: Whomever you allow. You are the bouncer of your LinkedIn network. You get to hang the velvet rope, and you decide when to pull it aside.

Why I'm not giving up Facebook for Lent

It’s starting. Friends are posting their Facebook farewells, signing off until Easter, promising to spend more time in the “real world” with their families and their hobbies and nature and the important things.

…And it always stings a bit. Am I not important? Is our friendship not real?

I’m not giving up Facebook, but I think I understand why so many people do.

14 lessons from the summer of '14

It's September. The kids ran through the sprinkler this afternoon, despite the noticeable chill in the air. "It's our last chance," Evie declared. She's a sentimental kid, and she's very good at recognizing endings.

It happened again. Another summer breezed past us, and it's time to prepare the backpacks and set the alarms and pack the lunches for the first day of school. Tomorrow, Evie will be a 2nd grader, Felix will be a Junior Explorer, and I will be a mom who suddenly feels pressured to buy black boots and pumpkin spice lattes.

Before we jump into this season of homework and structure and caffeinated squash, indulge me as I reflect on all I learned in the classroom of long, sunny days.

Off the grid

I am writing this outside the little shop at East Rosebud Lake, hitched to a spotty guest WiFi in a remote corner of Montana. The sign at the lodge says Alpine. The nearest incorporated town is Roscoe, which boasts a population of 15. I'm not quite sure where I am, but it's small.

The Goan family cabin, just across the lake, has been home for the past few days, a week in all.

The uneventful miles

"You could totally bike that."

A coworker, whom I've never met, posted those words to me on a discussion forum 2 months ago. I work in downtown Minneapolis and live in an outer suburb, separated by 25 miles of busy freeways.

I am the highly suggestible type, and positive reinforcement works very well on me. That's why, today, I had a 2-hour, zero-emission, 1400-calorie-burning commute home.

After my coworker's bold assertion, I sent away for a map (a paper one!) of the awe-inspiring Hennepin County trail system. With the exception of a few blocks of city streets and a short jaunt near my house, I could make the entire trip on designated bike trails, safe from cars.

Frisbees and floor stains: The weight of 15 years

I'm typing this in a shiny, well-lit Macintosh computer lab in upper Sayles-Hill. 

It's very, very clean.

This room used to be a smoking lounge, filled with dark, ratty couches and overflowing plastic ashtrays and a stench that followed you home.