Ellen Koneck | Wit & Delight | Designing a Life Well-Lived

How I’m Preparing for My Second Season of New Motherhood

Ellen Koneck — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 11:00:00 +0000

As I count down to the birth of my second son, I'm preparing for this season of new motherhood a little differently. Here's how.

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Ever Wondered What It’s Like to Be a Twin? Here’s Your Answer

Ellen Koneck — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Today's article answers the relational question that curious minds have long asked: What is it really like to be a twin?

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Return to Yourself: A Practical Guide on How to Retreat

Ellen Koneck — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Today's post explores the benefits of taking a retreat, along with ideas for how you can plan a retreat for yourself.

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How You Can Rediscover the Power of Play as an Adult

Ellen Koneck — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 15:00:00 +0000

One writer is sharing principles that will help you rediscover your sense of playfulness, plus a couple of activities to truly embrace what it means to play.

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How to Pay Attention (an Unofficial Guide)

Ellen Koneck — Sun, 16 May 2021 15:00:00 +0000

Today one writer is exploring the topic of attention fatigue, and what activities in particular help them get to the other side.

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Decluttering the Mind: An Ode to Morning Pages

Ellen Koneck — Sun, 21 Feb 2021 16:00:00 +0000

"What was a cluttered mind is often cleared after this exercise, and I can move through the day focused on the things I chose."

We're sharing an article on the powerful morning pages practice that can help you begin each day with more clarity and ease.

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Individuality, Solidarity, and What We Owe to Each Other

Ellen Koneck — Tue, 29 Dec 2020 16:00:03 +0000

"As we consider the final days and weeks of this strange and trying year, I just keep coming back to the term solidarity. . . . We’re bound to people precisely because of what we have in common, and what we don’t."

Ellen Koneck is writing about the difference between individuality and individualism, and one of the most important lessons we can take away from this year.

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On the Other Side of Boredom is Contemplation: How Quietness Can Help Center You

Ellen Koneck — Sun, 09 Jun 2019 15:00:08 +0000

If summer is about urging ourselves to slow down, then giving into spells of boredom is one of the best parts about this season. Today we're sharing a post contributor Ellen Koneck wrote in 2018. In it, she explores the inner workings of boredom and silence, and why it's so important to integrate both into our lives.

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Crying Over Spilled Milk

Ellen Koneck — Thu, 23 May 2019 15:00:25 +0000

You know that feeling you get sometimes? Where, for a solid few minutes at least, you realize tasks are getting ticked off your to-do list, things are falling into place, and you maybe have everything under control? It's a beautiful illusion that lasts until it doesn't—until something happens to throw the balance off-kilter once more. Today contributor Ellen Koneck is writing about one such something, and, more broadly, about navigating the occasionally turbulent waters of being a first-time parent.

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Getting to Know Your Newborn

Ellen Koneck — Wed, 26 Sep 2018 15:00:16 +0000

At 2:47 AM on Sunday, August 5, after a long labor and little sleep, I met the person I’d been carrying around for the previous 38 weeks and 3 days. The person for whom I (ahem, nobly) gave up deli meat and sushi and alcohol; the person whose mere existence exempted me from lifting any […]

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Stigma, Suicide, & Our Stereotypes Around Mental Health

Ellen Koneck — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 15:00:26 +0000

“How many siblings do you have?” It’s a normal get-to-know-you question on first dates or during casual watercooler talk when you’re new at the office. (Is watercooler talk still a relevant cultural reference? Please LMK.) Maybe being an only child is your fun-fact during icebreakers. Or maybe you celebrate “national sibling day” with such intensity […]

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When New Beginnings Just Won’t… Begin

Ellen Koneck — Mon, 07 May 2018 15:00:46 +0000

This morning, the sun was shining. The birds were chirping. And by some supernatural force, morning DJs on local radio stations were playing music. But not just any music. As far as I was concerned, they were playing all my favorite songs and artists. A veritable litany of meaningful-to-me tunes for the entire duration of […]

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On the Other Side of Boredom is Contemplation: How Quietness Can Help Center You

Ellen Koneck — Sat, 24 Mar 2018 15:00:32 +0000

You’ve undoubtedly heard the narrative about this particular moment in culture; this particular feature of our era: that we need instant gratification. We demand immediate feedback, immediate results. We don’t have the attention span to read longform essays, let alone books; we can only focus long enough for bullet-point lists and Sparknotes. We boil water […]

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When Self-Care is Plural

Ellen Koneck — Sat, 03 Mar 2018 16:00:23 +0000

I’m always late to resolutions. If you’re anything like me, the holidays (including the total lack of any discipline or routine) inevitably seep into January, and suddenly (it really always feels sudden) the demands of life forcefully start up again, well before it feels like there’s been any time to actually rest or reset So I ease […]

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From the Big Apple Back to the Minne-Apple

Ellen Koneck — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 16:00:28 +0000

I’ll admit that it seems like a strange place to accidentally end up, but I never really intended to live in New York City. I know other people—lots of people, in fact—need to live there. To check it off a bucket list. To see if they can make it. To really earn their status as […]

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