What we’re reading: You can’t wait until later
A selection of Medium stories you may have missed this week
As we enter mid-May, I’m struck again by the swift passage of time. The year, which seems like it only just began, is already more than a third of the way over.
One of the most affecting pieces I’ve read recently on Medium is a meditation on time’s fast flow, and our unfortunate tendency to think we’ve got an endless supply of it. Writer Ryan Holiday implores us to remember why we can’t bank on waiting for the future to arrive when it comes to connecting with the people we love. In “This Is Why You Can’t Wait Until Later,” he writes about an email he never got to return to a close friend and mentor. “I’ve tried to take from this experience a relatively simple lesson,” writes Holiday, “I tell people how I feel about them when I have the chance.” Simple, but powerful.
What’s moved you recently? What’s changed the way you look at the world, or think about the limited, magical time you have in this life? Leave a response to let us know. We’d love to see them.
And as always, thank you for reading.
Scott Lamb
VP, Content @ Medium
Your weekend reading list
“A Tough Covid Challenge: Reinforcing Our Wall of Immunity” by Dr. Tom Frieden, former CDC Director and NYC Health Commissioner
The waning of protection and the unwinding of the public health emergency have raised questions and highlighted lingering challenges. Can a spring booster help? Who is still at high risk of severe Covid now? There are no easy answers.
“The Emergence of the Growth Designer” by Verna Bhargava at Adobe Design, in Thinking Design
Don’t be too precious with your design ideas. You may have the most intuitive, considered concept, but users might not be ready for it, the hypothesis might not be right, or its success could hinge on solving some other part first. Maintain high quality standards for your designs, but stay curious and open minded about alternative solutions.
“You Cannot Put a Human Being to a Vote” by Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Columnist and author of ‘Trainwreck’ and ‘Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers’
Trans lives are not ideas, and trans questions are not abstract questions. They’re often very specific, and bodily, and (above all) personal: What shape I want my chest to be, which medications I take in the morning, which bathroom stall I use. No-one else can make those decisions for me, and no vote can determine which decisions I should make, because I am the one who will have to live with the consequences.
“A Farmer’s Advice on Gardening” by Eliza Milio, organic farmer and educator, via Paul Greenberg
The great thing about growing plants is…say it with me now…PLANTS WANT TO GROW! You don’t need to invest in fancy planters or equipment to be successful. You can repurpose plastic food containers, reuse soil from deceased indoor plants, and search free street piles for pots or wooden boxes to plant into.
“Why Japanese Websites Look So Different” by Mirijam Missbichler, design writer
Over the years, I have had many encounters with Japanese websites — be it researching visa requirements, planning trips, or simply ordering something online. And it took me a loooong while to get used to the walls of text, lavish use of bright colors & 10+ different fonts…
“ChatGPT Gives False and Even Dangerous Health Advice” by Robert Roy Britt, Health and mental wellness writer, author of ‘Make Sleep Your Superpower,’ in The Generator
Below are the questions I posed, and ChatGPT’s answers, word-for-word in their entirety. False and misleading passages are highlighted in bold, followed by the reality in each case with a link to an article for more information.
“California Poppies” by Caroline Mellor, poet and essayist
This winter, it rained in California.
The downpour temporarily reversed a decade of devastating drought.
The result: a superbloom. Fields and hillsides awash
with California poppies, suncups, milk thistle and goldfield,
so vast and dazzling that they can be seen from space…
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“What We’re Reading” is a weekly roundup of insightful stories and perspectives from across Medium. Browse previous editions here.
