Who would’ve known that leaves have a sound. You can’t hear the sound of the leaves in the city. Did you know that there’s a butterfly here that makes a noise? When did you last hear a hummingbird? They sing a song too.
If we are more depressed than ever, how are we supposed to be productive? I have found a one hour video chat with a friend every Monday sets an amazing tone for the whole week.
In the way we understand beauty in our current society, beauty is perfect. The current definition of beauty is one specifically in which everything fits neatly into boxes. “This is categorically beautiful,” we say. But is that right?
There is a particular, three hour hike on the coast of Italy that I did during a backpacking trip, right after I quit my job at 28. It was the beginning of the road to understanding chronic illness, the human body, and acceptance.
My husband woke up with an unshakable feeling that he needed to climb a mountain in Oaxaca. He asked me if I wanted to go, but it was his feeling, his task. If you wake up one morning feeling like you need to climb a mountain, you definitely should.
Not everyone you meet in your life is going to like you. There are billions of people on this planet and just one you. The odds of being liked by everyone you meet is literally impossible. But beyond logic, wouldn’t you rather be liked by yourself?
It was uncanny how my landlady and the lady in the market told me the same thing. “We hold them in our hearts.” On that day, I held my grandma in my heart, and stared into her photo. I was suddenly gripped with the distinct feeling that her eyes were looking directly at me.
“You have to stir it.” Growing up with an Arab, but also Mediterranean mom was in some ways lost on me. I love being Arab, but no one in my family called me a good cook. I had no appreciation for our food. But now, I see food as embedded in our tradition.
While you were on Instagram, we prepared for a hurricane and I got dengue. We bought a plot of land. I had a walk and coffee. I spilled something. While you were on Instagram, I was undoubtedly doing something in the real world, and whatever it was, it felt good.