Written by Nancy Sleeth

“I love a clean house. I just don’t like cleaning.”

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Written by Ryan Pemberton

Fifteen months ago, after years of prayer and conversations, my wife and I gave our notice that we’d be leaving our jobs. We said goodbye to our home in the Pacific Northwest, drained our bank account for tuition, reintroduced ourselves to school loans in the worst economy since the Great Depression—and moved to England.

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Written by Tracy Lytwyn

It’s been a while since I’ve watched The Office. (After Jim and Pam got married, I think my heart broke in half, and I was unable to continue watching, knowing that Jim would never be mine.) But up until that point, I loved the show. When I started working in an office full-time, the summer before my sophomore year, the show started becoming a lot funnier to me. Understanding the dynamics of office interactions at an introductory level made the antics in every episode more interesting and, somehow, relatable. Of course, most offices (thankfully) do not run like they do in The Office. But nevertheless, I did learn a couple of worthwhile lessons about the working world from observing Jim’s daily life:

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Written by Rachel Cruze

When it comes to Black Friday, most people seem to fall into one of two groups. Some people love the thrill of looking for a good deal, being one of the few who find a $300 LCD TV and even standing outside in the cold at 4 a.m. Others think the whole idea of Black Friday is overhyped, materialistic or just pointless.

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Written by Ben Stevens

Why our purchases are never really our own.

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Written by Ericka Spradley

I am finding that one of my biggest challenges in life has been my own frame of mind.

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Written by C.J. Casciotta

About six months ago, Andrew started building hand-made wooden pipes out of his tiny garage in Orange, Calif. He had just turned 23, gotten married and rented a small duplex on the south side of town. After googling the process extensively, he bought some used equipment and set up shop.

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Written by Shannon J. Harmon

There I was, less than 48 hours post college graduation, back at my parents' house, sleeping in my childhood bedroom. The room seemed so much more confining all those years later. I settled in for what promised to be a long year. I wish someone would have warned me that graduating from college would not automatically lead to career clarity. I thought that snazzy college degree would lead to instant professional direction and gratification. As I started searching for jobs and planning my escape, it dawned on me that I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. My English degree failed to prepare me for any distinct career path. I felt I was at a dead end.

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Written by Michael Mahan

We spend almost a third of our week at work. With so much of our time—of our life—dedicated to work, shouldn’t it be a significant part of how we make a difference in this world?

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Written by Gina DeLapa

Okay. The first thing you should know is I’m in a lot of psychic pain right now, and my stomach feels like it’s about to explode. Serious stuff has befallen two people I care about, and I am—to quote Anne Lamott—“like everyone else, suffering like a sonofab----.”

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