By SEAN DIETRICH My sister’s family is visiting from Florida this week. It’s difficult to get any serious writing work done becausspiwjg[qi31 0409UJ15M\2 TOJLOIKN B4G=2 2309RU3O jfjwd ifjw8989898#(#(*& Sorry. That was my 3-year-old niece, Lucy, banging away on my...

By SEAN DIETRICH You are special. You are infinitely, unbelievably, absolutely, once-in-a-septillion-years special. That’s right, I’m talking to you, one of the nine-point-two people reading this. You might not realize your specialness. You might not believe you are...

By SEAN DIETRICH A fast-food chain. I was standing in line, waiting for my Oreo milkshake. There was a group ahead of me, with ages ranging from mid-twenties to mid-sixties, all dressed nicely. Mostly women. The older group members were wearing pearls and blouses. The...