Mary Schmich

When the history of the pandemic is written, it will record that some people called it “a lost year.” But for those of us who are still here, the year itself was not lost. It was time passed in an extraordinary way, in a different rhythm.

As we move deeper into this foreign territory of new mask recommendations, it’s important to remain respectful of people whose choices don’t risk harming us. A vaccinated person who still wears a mask is not a threat.

It’s tempting to think of this pandemic Thanksgiving as a curse, but it’s also an opportunity to think and act differently.

My fellow Americans. WTF?

The minute my ballot slipped out of my fingers, I felt two things. One was a pinch of worry. But the other, stronger feeling was relief, even exhilaration.

Of the 23 Democrats who have announced they’re running, hers is the name that comes up most, and not just with resignation but with enthusiasm.

You did what you came to do, which was to speak boldly in a world that so often silences women’s experiences of violence.

As a society, we understand sexual violence better today than we did when Kavanaugh was in high school, better even than we did a year ago. The only reason we understand it better is that we’ve begun to talk about it more openly.

Remember: There may be a few people eager for all the gushing details of your time off, but many would prefer a pithy "It was fun!" followed by "And how have you been?"

Think of our constant discoveries about bodies and minds and the universe, discoveries that reveal our vast ignorance of almost everything. Maybe the best we can hope for is the consolation of mystery.

If you stay in a bad relationship that you recognize is bad, honey, you're part of the problem.

The parable of the (expletive deleted) comfort dog

Clifford did put herself in a bad situation. But no woman -- no person -- "deserves" to feel obligated to have sex, regardless of the circumstances.

And a late-year reckoning there was for men who thought they'd gotten away with it, with more likely in '18.