It’s useful to take a moment and meditate: of those people in our lives who have had the most heartfelt impacts, how were those connections made? For me, they can almost all be traced to writing, essays, books. Put tangible things into the world, spoon in a dollop or two of vulnerability, do this again and again, and if you don’t find yourself communing with good people, then I’ll eat my shoe.

— Craig Mod, Meeting Kevin, Ridgeline, 2024