Human Stuff

A small loop almost everyone recognizes You lock the front door, walk away, and then your mind throws up a picture of the stove knob.

You stop noticing it faster than you expect Someone walks into the office in London or Seoul and the scent arrives before they do.

A very normal blank moment You walk from the kitchen to the bedroom to grab something, cross the doorway, and it’s gone.

A tiny conversation with too much weight This isn’t one single rule from one place.

That moment you jump in You’re in a normal conversation and someone pauses for half a beat—maybe in a meeting on Zoom, maybe at a noisy café—and you.

The moment the room goes quiet It isn’t one single event that makes this happen.

Quick explanation A familiar moment in a noisy place You can be in a loud room and feel like your brain has given up on understanding any of it. Then someone says your name and it cuts through. This isn’t tied to one famous event or one location. It shows up at a packed wedding…

Quick explanation A small shift people notice without naming You can watch this happen in ordinary places, and it isn’t tied to one famous event. It shows up on a New York City subway platform, in a London office lobby, or at a family dinner where someone is about to speak. A person lifts their…

It can happen on a train, in a kitchen, or sitting still at a concert hall. A song hits a certain moment and the skin on your arms lifts.

A detail everyone “knows” but no one can source It’s a weird moment when a group agrees on a detail, and then the detail won’t survive contact with.