“I heard there was an incident,” I lead in gently. He was calm, lying back on his bed petting the cat curled up on his side, “Yeah, she was being disrespectful, and I told her as much.” “She was really upset; she was crying pretty hard,” I probed. “That’ll do her some good.” His words…
Three years ago I set out on a path to create change. My loose deadline: August 2017. My overarching goals: take a step back to get perspective on my career (and life) to date and find my new place in the world. What emerged in the first year: that I wasn’t looking for a job,…
“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” ―Ansel Adams When I was heavy into photography, what I loved most was the process. Starting with that first moment I looked through the lens, framing the scene around me from my unique perspective. Certain details would interpolate me: a shadow, a reflection, a mood. Certain angles…
My sabbatical year is over. A new year is here, full of promise. The final leg of my 3-year plan. The first leg of a new plan forming – the one that will concretize long-awaited change, introducing new challenges and experiences. False starts I sometimes wish that January 1 was a magical day that set…
One of my favorite metaphors for life is that part during the airline pre-flight safety demonstration when they say, “In case of cabin depressurization, an oxygen mask will drop from above.” No, not that part, the part afterward when they say, “Make sure and secure your own mask before helping anyone else in need.” Make…
When you think of a bubble, what imagery comes to mind ? Something weightless, fragile and transparent ? Or something enclosed, secure and protective? A bubble is often used to describe an area in our lives that can encapsulate us, sequester us, keep us single-mindedly revolving around what’s inside. It commonly refers to communities, but also to…
“It sounds like you don’t know what you want.” He wasn’t wrong, but his words stung and I sat in silence holding back tears until we pulled up in front of the house. I had gone on a day trip to Mazamitla with a new acquaintance, an American from Arizona who sold some kind of…
Zucchini quiche, zucchini bread, zucchini noodles, zucchini fries, zucchini muffins, zucchini frittata, zucchini chips, zucchini sticks, zucchini curry, zucchini au gratin, zucchini in ratatouille, chopped up in a salad or on a pizza, tossed with pasta, layered in a lasagna, used in a chutney, marinated, sautéed, grilled, sliced, diced, fried, steamed, baked, stuffed, as a…
I remember a girl who was fierce and free. A girl with an endless imagination who felt things deeply. She was fearless, despite so many things that she didn’t understand, so many adult things that she found strange and confusing. She thrived in her gymnastics class, hurling herself across the pommel horse with ease and…
When Siobhan McKeown put out a call for testimonies for a new book she’s writing on remote work, I immediately raised my hand. Not that I doubted she would get an overwhelming response, but because I think Siobhan is pretty fantastic and because I thought I could contribute something unique to her research. In the…
