2024
Taking the Next Step: Preparing for Penny’s First Solo Flight
I just got off the phone with Delta Airlines. I explained that Penny—our 20-year-old daughter with Down syndrome—will be flying on her own for the first time this summer. We…
Telling Our Story of Down Syndrome
I mentioned last week that I have been thinking about a response to the controversy over YouTuber Jesse Ridgway’s announcement that his wife chose to terminate her pregnancy due to a…
PC: Daniel Schacht
Racism, Greed, and the Good Life with Malcolm Foley, PhD
REIMAGINING THE GOOD LIFE PODCAST S10 E5—Where does racism come from? Many of us assume it's rooted in hatred or fear, but what if it’s actually rooted in greed? As…
Image by by pitchwayz from Getty Images Signature • Canva Pro
When Life Doesn’t Turn Out as Planned: Finding Belonging Beyond Unfulfilled Dreams
I never got a Ph.D. I never became a school chaplain. The life I planned is not, in many ways, the life I got. There are other losses too. I…
What Is a Dugnad? The Surprising Connection Between Happiness and Social Change
I learned a new word, and I love it: DUGNAD: A uniquely Norwegian cultural concept that refers to a collective coming together for community, voluntary, and unpaid work. It involves…
The Life You Planned vs. the Life You Got with Karen Swallow Prior, PhD
REIMAGINING THE GOOD LIFE PODCAST S10 E4—Do you ever wonder what your life would look like if you had made different decisions a long time ago? Author Karen Swallow Prior…
What I Want for My Son as He Graduates: Letting Go, Growing Roots, and Looking Ahead
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity in the Becker household. We’ve attended parties and prize nights and championship meets. We’ve offered words of encouragement in the…
The R-Word and the Language of Disability with Christina Cipriano, PhD
REIMAGINING THE GOOD LIFE PODCAST S10 E3—The return of the R-word is about more than language. The words we choose both reflect and shape our moral imagination. When disability becomes…
Image courtesy of Ryan Thomas • Pexels • Canva Pro
How Disability Changes the Way We See One Another: Interdependence and the Ideal Human
“For blind travelers, it’s like reading a book; for sighted ones, it’s more like watching a film.” I listened to an episode of The Daily over the weekend where Michael Barbaro interviews…
The Spirituality of Weariness with Tish Harrison Warren
REIMAGINING THE GOOD LIFE PODCAST S10 E2—What do you do when you’ve done all the “right” spiritual things and still feel exhausted? Tish Harrison Warren, a writer and Anglican priest,…
