The Build

Written mid-process, before I know how it ends. Childhood questions I can’t answer, Stoicism over tacos, and a lot of sitting alone in crowded places.

1

minutes of your attention

Picture this

There’s one hour a week where I’m supposed to just feel things. This week, I gave it timestamps and speaker labels. Then I sat there waiting for the summary.

What you’ll walk away with

A one-minute observation about therapy, transcription tools, and a generation that documents its feelings instead of processing them.

A woman wearing a gray baseball cap and black hoodie studies handwritten notes beside a sticker-covered laptop in a dimly lit café.

1

minutes of your attention

Picture this

I can barely remember my childhood. A few scraps, mostly blanks. But one question keeps pulling at me, and the strange part is that I have no good reason to answer it.

What you’ll walk away with

A short essay on forgotten childhood obsessions, Robert Greene’s idea of primal inclinations, and how the efficiency mindset quietly drains meaning from everything it touches.

Jen in Istanbul

1

minutes of your attention

Picture this

I gave myself a pep talk, left the house, and went to a restaurant to be around people. The place was packed. So packed that there was exactly one floor left.

What you’ll walk away with

A tiny story about going out to escape being alone and getting a private floor for your trouble.

Jen sitting in a restaurant