Laura McKinstry

Cancer researcher. Mother to M and A. Partner to J. Dog lover. Always searching for ways to get more sleep.

[noor୨୧ @wottheberry]

i took a 45-minute uber ride home from the airport last night after a brutal, three-day business trip.

i was completely emotionally and physically drained, and my social battery was at absolute zero.

when i got into the car, the driver.. an older guy named kabir.. didn't say the usual "how was your flight?" or turn on the radio.

instead, he just handed me a small, laminated piece of paper attached to the back of his headrest.
it was a literal "ride menu."
it said:
1. *the silent ride* (total quiet, no pressure to talk).
2. *the therapist ride* (if you need to vent about your day, i am listening).
3. *the tourist ride* (i will tell you cool facts about the city).
4. *the radio ride* (we just listen to old jazz and coast).

i smiled, pointed to number 1, and whispered, "silent ride, please. thank you."

he gave me a warm nod in the rearview mirror, adjusted the AC, and drove the entire 45 minutes in absolute, beautiful silence.

it was the most peaceful, therapeutic boundary i’ve experienced all year. i felt my entire nervous system finally reset.

when he dropped me off, i gave him a massive tip and told him, "that menu is a genius business idea. you must get amazing reviews."

He looked back at me and said, "i didn't make the menu to get better tips, dear.

my daughter has severe social anxiety, and she told me that the hardest part of her day is navigating small talk with strangers when her brain is tired.

she told me it feels like running a marathon.

i made the card so that anyone who gets into my car can feel completely safe dropping the mask for a little while."

i walked into my apartment and just sat on my suitcase.

we live in a world that is constantly screaming at us to perform, to network, to be "on," and to over-communicate.

but sometimes, the deepest form of love and respect you can show another human being is just creating a small, safe pocket of silence for them to rest in.

pay attention to the people who give you permission to be quiet. they are rare.

[Laura McKinstry @lamckins]

@AMAZlNGNATURE Another reason why women constantly choose the bear.

[Laura McKinstry @lamckins]

@jessicajrabbit @LoveisBlindShow I thought they were funny!

[Laura McKinstry @lamckins]

@syndrome22q1 @catturd2 @RepMTG @mtgreenee @GuntherEagleman @AngelaBelcamino @TaraBull @lindayaX Hi Justin! I am from Massachusetts but have lived in Seattle, Washington, for 25 years now. So a big hello from Seattle!

[Laura McKinstry @lamckins]

@elonmusknews30 A

[Laura McKinstry @lamckins]

Jordon is one of the best LIB contestants. Joe is literally one of the worst. #LoveisBlind9

[Laura McKinstry @lamckins]

@dijahhpatel I almost turned it off, too. It was torture watching those poor babies. My heart breaks for them.

[Laura McKinstry @lamckins]

@UrOysterBae It’s so disappointing! The show peaked at Season 4 and then went downhill. :(

[Laura McKinstry @lamckins]

@UrOysterBae It’s honestly the worst season ever. I think it will be my last. I am literally cringing through every episode!

[Laura McKinstry @lamckins]

Love is Blind peaked at Season 4. It’s been downhill ever since. #LoveIsBlindS9 is awful.

[Laura McKinstry @lamckins]

@stephdizzle11 Um, Andrew!!

[Mario @PawlowskiMario]

Trump officially entered the psychotic emperor phase. He’s not coming back. The Pope image was it. That was the line. He crossed it and kept walking.

This isn’t trolling anymore. This is clinical delusion. The tariffs on movies. Reopening Alcatraz. These aren’t policies. This is a man deep in a psychotic loop thinking revenge is leadership and trolling is governance.

He’s in a feedback loop with his cult. Every time he does something more insane, MAGA cheers louder. And every cheer convinces him he’s still the chosen one. So he takes it further. And further.

He’s not trying to win. He’s trying to feel worship. He’s not making decisions. He’s playing dress-up in his own hallucination.

And the worst part? His cult loves it. Because they’re broken like him. Because in their minds, every delusion he has is another way to “own the libs.”

This is the loop now. The psychotic, delusional, final act. And MAGA is clapping along like it’s a church revival. No one’s driving the bus anymore. They’re just throwing gasoline and screaming kumbaya and Hallelujah.

[Laura McKinstry @lamckins]

So Milly likes Oscar, Oscar still had some feelings for Alicia, Alicia is interested in Tim, and Tim is seeing someone else. Got it.

#LoveIsBlindSwedenReunion

[Laura McKinstry @lamckins]

LoveIsBlindSweden has had great success with multiple marriages and a pregnancy each season. The US Love is Blind franchise needs to get more mature adults who are really there to find love and make it work. We all want a good love story, not more influencers!

[Laura McKinstry @lamckins]

Karin and Nikolas’s vows were probably the most beautiful I have ever seen on any Love is Blind franchise.

#loveisblindsweden

[Mike (not a) Rothschild @rothschildmd]

It is legal to criticize the president. It is legal to criticize the president's actions. It is legal to criticize the president's advisors. It is legal and patriotic and the blood of a healthy society to hold those in power accountable, and even to mock them. Remember it.

[Laura McKinstry @lamckins]

#LoveIsBlindS8 I hope they discuss Ben’s social media drama at the reunion because they definitely glossed over it on the show

[Mohamad Safa @mhdksafa]

It's the Gulf of Mexico.
Canada is not a US state.
Gaza is not a real estate trade.
Greenland is not for sale.

The world is not American.

[George Takei @GeorgeTakei]

Stand with science. Always.