As adults in an achievement-based society, we can learn a lot about cultivating joy and presence when we humble ourselves, step outside of our comfort zone, and become beginners again.
I thought there was something magical about an adult ballet class in which grown-up people who had chosen one thing as a career, were consciously developing themselves in another area. It was so magnificent to me because it seemed purely internally motivated unlike so many things in our lives and society. Something about it was joyful.
The past weekend was a beautiful triad of experiences in nature. Each distinct, yet harmonious together. As summer transitions to fall, the outdoors were calling to be recognized. Sun and moon shine, day and night. For whatever reason, this weekend felt important and left me with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the place I am in and the people I am with.
Yesterday I arrived home, after a couple very long days at work, to a large brown amazon package on my doorstep. My kitten, Zéb, was thrilled about the three layers of boxes now available to him as playspace. I was overwhelmed by a very generous gift from my Aunt and Uncle for my recent graduation …
I originally wrote this article to submit to an online yoga publication, but I’ve been thinking about what the practice of savasana looks like in our lives a lot lately and decided to revive it from my Microsoft Word draft. — We often start our physical yoga practice in child’s pose, folded forward over our …
Before the sun rises in the morning, the birds and cicadas sing a symphony at the full volume of their voices. Then, slowly, the sun paints the colors into the trees, leaves, branches, and stone pathways of The Yoga Forest. By this time everyone gathers for a morning meditation. On our first morning waking up …
Since I moved to Pittsburgh almost one month ago I have been swimming in narratives of social justice. The program I am a part of, Repair the World, is a Jewish nonprofit that focuses on education justice and food justice in several cities across the US. I am an Education Justice Fellow, but many of … Continue reading
Once again, I’ve taken an almost four-month hiatus from publishing here without any forewarning. I’ve spent some time thinking about why I do that. Often in my life, having a place to publish the things I am processing forces me to clarify my thoughts and articulate myself in a way that I think others will … Continue reading
This piece was originally written for submission to an online magazine prompting authors to reflect on the power of simplicity. As I was writing my reflections on the seemingly simple days that make up my life in Haiti, I realized how problematic much of what I said was. With that understanding I tried to provide some more … Continue reading
When we tell visitors that many of the children at Espwa have living parents, they are surprised. When we explain that many people in Haiti choose which of their children they are able to support and leave the rest at an orphanage, they are appalled. “How could you choose to leave one child behind? That’s … Continue reading
A few months ago when a dental group came to visit, one of the Espwa students enrolled in university, brought a few of his friends to get checkups. We were pleasantly surprised when six confident, beautiful women walked in the gate behind him. As they waited in their chairs to be seen by the dentist … Continue reading
This time last year, I was living in the IF (interfaith) house on campus. I was preparing for my house project to recruit other students to take a national survey about whether they felt interfaith dialogue was happening at their universities. I was immersed and engaged in issues of my own faith journey and provided with many … Continue reading
At 8 a.m. Friday morning, I saw the toddlers headed to school in a line following the house mothers like little baby ducks. I ran to catch up with them and walk the short distance to the entrance. Today was Karnaval and the little ones weren’t wearing their traditional watermelon patch uniforms. Instead they dressed … Continue reading
Our last group decided to attempt a massive undertaking when they heard that many of the kids had never had a birthday party similar to many of their own children in the US. They set out to hold a party for all 450 kids that call Espwa home. Currently, Espwa has a small party each month for the … Continue reading
Up on the roof of the guest house on a clear night you can hear the chirps of crickets and the bleating of goats beneath a sky almost overflowing with stars. The solar-powered lamp just south of the house, dimly illuminates the gateway to the boy’s village where 400 kids sleep with no electricity in … Continue reading
The night before we left for the Dominican Republic we got yet another email from the US State Department about planned protests in Port au Prince the following day. We spent the afternoon trying to get in touch with the Embassy and talking to people at Espwa to decide whether or not it would be … Continue reading
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