#5SmartReads - March 29, 2023

America's airports are suddenly pretty good now (Axios)

Having spent the past few weeks in airports all over the country…I’d have to agree.

I was thrilled to spend over an hour in the LaGuardia’s Terminal B, bopping from the Centurion Lounge to my gate and easily finding a seat before boarding. Austin’s airport, even during SXSW, was an efficient dream with tons of food and shopping options (Tacodeli, I love you). And Columbia’s airport was a chill dream.

And it’s not just these airports. It seems like the neverending construction projects in airports all over the United States wrapped around the same time and gifted us enjoyable transit experiences for the first time I can certainly remember - and for travelers with disabilities, it may be the first time they have the features they need to travel with comfort and ease.

Here’s hoping that the bipartisan infrastructure bill funds the renovations for the remainder of this country’s airports - and a bit faster, if possible.

The Heaviness of Hysterectomy (Marie Claire)

Did you know that hysterectomies are the second most common surgery performed in women in this country? Nearly half a million patients get a hysterectomy a year.

The reasons certainly vary, from gynecological cancer treatment and prevention to the treatment of endometriosis and adenomyosis to fibroids. But like many things in women’s health, it’s something we don’t talk enough about, nor have we invested enough in different therapies or treatments in the many conditions that may lead to a hysterectomy recommendation.

This has been on my mind, relentlessly, for the past few weeks. I have lesions on my cervix that my OB-GYN has been monitoring with care (and annual colposcopies, and a LEEP) for the past few years. The most recent one had her recommending intervention, either in the form of a cone (where several layers of the cervix is removed to remove the lesions) or a hysterectomy.

Without intervention, my risk of developing a gynecological cancer increases dramatically.

I know for certain that our family is complete and I don’t plan to have any more children, but preparing myself for the physical and the mental recovery of such a procedure is constantly on my mind - and after this piece, the mental health elements especially.

I have an appointment with a specialist that my OB-GYN referred me to in a few weeks, and a ton of questions about both procedures. And after reading this article, I’ll also be asking for a referral to a psychiatrist who has experience working with patients facing similar choices/surgeries.

I’ve felt really alone since speaking with my gynecologist and preparing for my appointment. I don’t want anyone else to feel the same, so I hope this article and my story can help anyone that may be going through something similar (especially if they’re in this nebulous in-between stage.

I Asked “the Woman Who Couldn’t Define Woke” the Same Question Last Year (SLATE)

There’s always a bigger story behind every viral moment. And we rarely get that bigger story, choosing to pick a side and amplify this narrow slice as a whole truth.

I’m guessing you have seen the clip of Bethany Mandel’s struggle to define “woke” (a term that she devotes an entire chapter to in her latest book). Immediately after that interview, numerous takes were published on both the right (in support of Mandel) and on the left (criticizing Mandel and the right’s whole war on a term they can’t define). But this article - an in-depth interview with Mandel that was conducted a year ago about her children’s book series and the basis of it - grabbed my attention and gave me a better understanding of the basis of entire Moms 4 Liberty and book ban movement.

I will never agree with Mandel’s perspective on children’s books and find much of her argument and answers hypocritical - and that’s my opinion. But I credit Aymann Ismail for asking tough, detailed questions and appreciate Mandel’s detailed responses (when she easily could’ve defaulted to high level talking points).

One thing she brings up is how she perceived the message or lessons from some books as educational, and others indoctrination - and I likely would say that Antiracist Baby is a helpful, age-appropriate primer on how we live in an inequitable society and would find Education Vacation a dangerous message about public school education (especially the corresponding illustration of kids being gagged and a kid’s mind being vacuumed from their head).

This is a detailed interview that will not change your view on this issue, but that’s not the point of it. It shows how people come to their opinions and take action on them (and in the case of Moms 4 Liberty, raise a lot of money and influence school and library board elections as a result). I highly recommend reading it when you have the time and the emotional bandwidth to keep a boundary around your mental peace.

"Being mediocre sets you free" (The Hyphen by Emma Gannon)

I’m a mediocre needlepoint stitcher and crocheter (and a downright bad knitter). I’m a pretty good cook (when I actually cook). And while I’m an avid Philadelphia sports and F1 fan, I am far from the most knowledgable about the sport or my favorite teams.

And being okay/mediocre/casual about these things, as they bring me immense joy.

Farrah Storr’s words spoke to my soul, especially about the acceptance and celebration of being mediocre at something that brings you joy:

I’m immensely protective and noncommittal about all of these hobbies - when I can, I enjoy them to the ability I’m currently at, and I don’t beat myself up when I haven’t picked up a canvas in weeks or watched the last two Grand Prixes.

There is something so freeing about accepting being mediocre about something in a culture that has us striving for excellence on all fronts. And the best way to do it is getting a hobby. If you feel lost in finding one, think about what brought you joy when you were a kid, and start there.

ChatGPT is about to revolutionize the economy. We need to decide what that looks like. (MIT Technology Review)

I observed the launch of ChatGPT from the sidelines - reading the news, watching folks document their initial uses of it, and not giving it much thought.

But when Canva rebranded it as “Magic Suite” and included it in their very engaging platform, it grabbed my attention. Apparently I’m a sucker for clever branding and an attractive U/I - and I have to confess, it’s pretty magical indeed.

I didn’t think about the greater impact of a tool like this - on how we work and who will be left to work, the ethical impacts of tools like these (particularly if they’re developed by non-diverse teams and thus in a very narrow lens), and on culture and society as a whole.

This (very long) article is an excellent primer on ChatGPT and the greater impact it’ll have in areas we are thinking about, and areas we haven’t begun to fathom just yet. I certainly have thought how a tool like this can help automate my popular Q&A series on Instagram, and only now am I realizing that it could take it over completely.

This is a really important read. It’s more than the latest buzzy technology, but the overall direction we are moving as a society and a world.