There’s an unspoken contract when you roll into a drive-thru: you keep it moving. You get in line, you glance at the glowing menu board, you make your choice, and when it’s your turn at the speaker box, you order with confidence. That’s the deal and the whole point of a drive-thru. So tell meContinue reading “Rant No. 15: The Drive-Thru Novice”
Author Archives: John Berkovich
Why We Crave the Ballpark Dog: The Story of Baseball’s Iconic Snack
With the baseball playoffs down to crunch time, I thought I’d take a look at the humble hot dog and why and how it became a staple at every Major League ballpark. The relationship between baseball and hot dogs is one of America’s great love affairs. For many fans, a trip to the stadium isn’tContinue reading “Why We Crave the Ballpark Dog: The Story of Baseball’s Iconic Snack”
Rant No. 14: The “Reply All” Abuser
There’s a special kind of chaos that comes when one person, with a single misguided click, detonates the nuclear option in email communication: the dreaded Reply All. We’ve all been there. You’re minding your own business, sipping coffee, trying to plow through your inbox, when suddenly a little ping announces itself. Fine, an email. ThenContinue reading “Rant No. 14: The “Reply All” Abuser”
Struggle and Why Some People Don’t Know What It Means
I’ve always had a complicated relationship with the word struggle. Real struggle is grinding away at something with no guarantees, scraping by when the payoff is uncertain, and getting judged for it along the way. What pisses me off is when people who’ve never had to deal with any of that toss the word aroundContinue reading “Struggle and Why Some People Don’t Know What It Means”
Rant No. 13: Why Do People Have to Make Everything So Complicated?
Have you ever noticed how the simplest things in life somehow become the most unnecessarily complicated? I swear, half my frustration these days doesn’t come from “big problems.” It comes from companies, people, and situations that overthink something that should have been easy. Think about buying something online. You’d think clicking “Add to Cart” wouldContinue reading “Rant No. 13: Why Do People Have to Make Everything So Complicated?”
Why Your Own Best Work Never Feels Good Enough
It’s a familiar feeling for many creative professionals: the work you’ve poured your heart and soul into – the piece that has garnered praise from clients, readers, and colleagues – is the one you can’t stand to look at. You get compliments, accolades, and even a paycheck, but a nagging voice in your head tellsContinue reading “Why Your Own Best Work Never Feels Good Enough”
Why Do We Avoid What Makes Us Feel Good?
It’s one of life’s great contradictions: we know what lifts us, what fuels us, what makes us feel whole – yet somehow we drift away from it. We avoid it, procrastinate around it, or convince ourselves it can wait. And then we wonder why the gremlins in our head get louder. I’ve noticed this inContinue reading “Why Do We Avoid What Makes Us Feel Good?”
Working Through the Fog
This week, I’ve been doing the work, but I haven’t been feeling it. You know that difference, don’t you? When the motions and mechanics are there – emails sent, words typed and submitted, and based on the feedback, gold star work, appointments set, boxes ticked – but there’s a hollowness behind it, almost like I’mContinue reading “Working Through the Fog”
Why the Creative Mind Both Thrives and Suffers
It’s always struck me how many of the world’s greatest artists carried heavy shadows. Charles Schulz, creator of Peanuts, often battled depression. Hemingway’s brilliance came with darkness that eventually swallowed him. Beethoven poured both fury and beauty into his music while fighting deafness and despair. And that list could stretch for pages, featuring writers, painters,Continue reading “Why the Creative Mind Both Thrives and Suffers”
When Silence Becomes a Necessity
I don’t know exactly when it happened. Somewhere in the last couple of years, I went from tolerating the usual everyday noise of kids running around and doing laps in an establishment, stomping their feet while their parents do nothing, music playing a bit too loud, and a crowded room humming with conversation, to beingContinue reading “When Silence Becomes a Necessity”
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