Best wishes for the new year, Ben! Reading this piece surfaced for me what is special about your writing, which is difficult for me to describe, though I'll try.

Lots of writers describe the world they see. Lots of writers share their experience of the world. The former can be impersonal, and the latter can be too personal.

You find a middle ground, where a reader's interest in the world and a reader's interest in other people are both satisfied.

Your generous attitude toward the world, yourself and your reader are perhaps what makes this middle ground an engaging place to be.