We need your support—find out why.
We need your help. Please consider becoming a Sustaining Member or making a one-time donation.
Ian Bakke is the pseudonym for a TMN contributing writer whose mother would be aghast if she ever came across this essay while searching the archives for his real name.
As it begins, you’re pretty sure you’ve heard this one before. Wait, no, maybe this time it’s different. Maybe this time it’ll have an extra nugget of sage advice. Maybe? A catalog of favorite themes.