Family

The relationships you did not choose, at the ages nobody prepares you for.

My Brother and I Have Almost Nothing in Common. We Speak Every Week.

For a decade I assumed the relationship was thin because the overlap was small. What changed was giving up on finding common ground and finding a common activity instead.

Carmen RuizSep 2 — 2 min read

Relationships

The Visit Goes Better When It Has a Shape

Years of visits that dissolved into television and mild tension, and the small structural changes that fixed most of it without anyone having to discuss anything.

Carmen RuizAug 28 — 2 min read

Relationships

What I Learned About My Family From Running Their Group Chat for Four Years

Someone has to be the switchboard, and in most families it is the same person. Four years of being that person, and what changed when I stopped.

Carmen RuizAug 15 — 2 min read