I’ve been practicing yoga now for thirty years and while I have some level of muscle memory, I still have a beginner’s mindset. As a child, I remember watching tv while bending myself into a pretzel. I often wanted to show my parents how I could put my legs over my shoulders and balance on…
Read more 50 Stories, Week 47: Beginner’s Mind
It has been one full year since I shaved my head. Clearly I was prescient in knowing that the whole world was about to implode so I thought I’d make a drastic move in anticipation. Over the summer, about six months in, I still had people asking me But WHY? Why did you do it?…
Read more 50 Stories, Week 41: A Close Shave
Once upon a time, there was a girl who dreamed of moving to California. She would write in her diary at ten years old that she was going to live in Malibu, like Barbie. When she was a teenager, she would write about how she was going to live in Hollywood and make movies. And…
Read more 50 Stories, Week 32: California
When I think about the original intent of this 50 Stories project, a sort of reverse bucket list, I realize that many of my most memorable moments would not have been possible without the love and support of my girlfriends. I only wish I’d had this wisdom early on. When I was little, I was…
Read more 50 Stories, Week 27: To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before, Part 1
Oh, summer! I ate your nectarine that spilled across my hand, almost too sweet to finish. I resisted the urge to buy all of your dark cherries. I used your fresh watermelon juice for my margarita. It reminded me of the huge watermelon boats my mother used to make for our family cookouts. Helping her…
Read more 50 Stories, Week 16: Ode to Summer
In June of 1993, I was pregnant – again. Despite having been on the pill for years and using a diaphragm correctly, this was the third time my body tried to make me a mother before I was ready. I was slated to spend my summer working in Yellowstone National Park and my boyfriend Richard…
Read more 50 Stories, Week 13: Yellowstone Summer
This week of pandemic was rough. Maybe I needed a glass of wine to get those words down, but so be it. I’m not sleeping much. My dreams, like many of yours, have been absolute batshit crazy – like last night’s combo of befriending Kelly Clarkson while working at a dress shop and never being…
Read more 50 Stories, Week 9: Things That I’m Unreasonably Afraid Of (aka Anxiety 101)
I’d dreamt of visiting Paris for as long as I could remember. My grandparents were Canadian and while their French was nothing like the language I would come to know and love, I was smitten with even the idea of it. Growing up, I watched An American in Paris, Funny Face and Casablanca with my…
Read more 50 Stories, Week 3: Strangers of Sacre Coeur
Before I get into my trip to Italy, I’ve had something else on my mind this past week, this trip, this lifetime. Being understood. I read a quote recently that “being loved is great, but being understood is profound.” I heard that and I thought YES! Of course we need love but we also need…
Read more You feel me?
Hari Om! I arrived in Rishikesh Monday afternoon and promptly took a five hour nap. This jet lag has been worse than usual. I’m both tired and excited so pushing myself to stay awake and then crashing, hard. I got my first full night’s sleep in a week and then like clockwork, woke up with…
Read more Recovering in Rishikesh