Health Tips Line

As a longtime copy editor and self-proclaimed “ grammar enforcer ,” I’ve always believed mistakes mattered. I side-eye every error I spot in books, magazines, Facebook posts and texts—even on restaurant menus. I’ve always thought that clean, correct writing wasn’t negotiable. Now, that expectation seems to be sliding. Messages are faster, looser and a lot messier. Lowercase letters slip in . Autocorrect goes unchecked. Terminal punctuation is left off. And instead of standing out, these imperfections often blend right in. In some cases, they even send a message of their own. So when I started seeing typos framed as a good thing—somehow signaling status or authenticity—I was horrified, and I had questions. Are people really embracing messy writing? Or are we just getting used to it? To understand what’s driving the shift, I spoke to Mignon Fogarty, aka Grammar Girl, and Amy Gallo, a workplace communications expert and Harvard Business Review contributor. Read on to find out wheth...

When I signed up for an online course, I wasn’t looking for new friends . I had just returned from my first trip to Jordan, and I was so inspired to share stories about a region often misrepresented in the media that I decided to make a career change from working in the travel industry to writing full-time. I needed to learn the business side of freelance writing quickly, so I joined a crash course. That’s when Jenna, another participant, popped into my inbox. I initially had the urge to duck under my desk. (Sorry, Jenna! It wasn’t you; it was me.) But Jenna’s enthusiasm and kindness quickly won me over. And before I knew it, we’d gone from virtual strangers to online besties. Despite the distance and time zones between us, we checked in regularly. Our conversations evolved from providing coursework feedback and sharing industry contacts to swapping stories about our families and divulging our deepest secrets. That was almost 10 years ago, and against all odds, Jenna and I are still...

I always bring a book when I fly. I like the opportunity to unplug (no in-flight Wi-Fi for me, thanks), and I welcome the uninterrupted time to escape to another place before I land in the place I’m going. Sometimes I bring my Kindle, but usually it’s a paperback. Easy, portable, and if I finish it while I’m away, I can leave it behind for someone else to enjoy … and make room in my bag for a souvenir—maybe a new book! But the last time I flew, I was tired, so rather than read, I slept. When we landed, I grabbed my bags and deplaned—only to realize later that I’d left my book in the seat pocket in front of me. Luckily, I wasn’t too far into it, and I’d packed my Kindle . But still! I’m not usually forgetful, but I was in a rush and forgot to check to make sure I had everything. I hope the person who found it read and enjoyed it! A paperback is one thing, but what about a computer, phone or other expensive item? And why do we forget these things in the first place, especially when we...

’Tis the season for spring cleaning, which means it’s time for me to muster up the enthusiasm for a deep clean of all the nooks and crannies I neglect the rest of the year. Cleaning while listening to an audiobook makes it all more palatable, although I have caught myself vacuuming the same spot on the carpet for too long when I get distracted by the story. Speaking of books: That’s the one project I look forward to tackling. Once a year, I take down every book, thoroughly dust the shelves, then reorganize my library. The shelves and spines get some extra love when I dust weekly. But is this cleaning routine really keeping my collection in good shape? I don’t have any truly priceless books that would require the care of a book conservator, but I consulted one anyway. Hey, book lovers will do what it takes to ensure their treasures are clean and preserved. If you’re an avid reader like me, you’re going to want to bookmark this. Ahead, I’m laying out expert-backed steps to keep yo...

Be honest: On a scale of unbothered to pure panic, how would you feel if you were traveling in an unfamiliar place and your phone died? Most of us would probably be uneasy, at best. We rely on our phones for navigation, communication, restaurant recommendations, transportation booking, boarding-pass storage and more. But it wasn’t always this way. I started traveling just before tech took over, and at the risk of sounding ancient, I miss those days! Sure, mobile phones and apps have made travel easier in many ways (printing maps and lugging around an actual guidebook could be a hassle), but not being tethered to a device or always knowing where we were going was truly half the fun. Some of my favorite travel experiences have sprung from moments when I allowed myself to get lost. Stumbling upon the tastiest curry of my life—cooked to order in a local home and served at a tiny roadside table—while wandering in rural Thailand. Sloth-spotting and toucan-watching while ...