India: The Country of Contrasts

India is a country of contrasts. After traveling throughout South India for the past three months, we have witnessed so much poverty, pollution and poetry of existence. It is a beautiful, wretched, aromatic, putrid, nourishing and soul-bleeding place. The wave of emotions evoked by our experiences […]

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Time for an Adventure

In autumn, drops of sunlight are metered out for mere moments. During the darkening days of the pending winter, my thoughts turn to sunnier times. Travel to warmer climes is on the horizon. Adventure awaits us in Southern India at the end of December. During […]

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The dangers of wearing a mask

Wearing a mask is a dangerous thing. I realized this a decade ago as the mask grew heavy, the torment real. Looking good. Being good. Pretending everything was alright. We all learn to wear masks — or in other terms, to carry a role assigned […]

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The day the words were gone

Words, my faithful companions since day 1, flew daintily out the window over the series of days we call March. Perhaps they took it literally as Leap Year’s bossy February 29th delayed its entrance. “March!” the words must have heard as they awoke from their […]

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Unbroken

If you have lived on this Earth for a while, you may have experienced moments in which you felt broken. As if parts of you were floating around your own orbit in a mass of confusion. Experience may have taught you that something is inherently […]

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Dark clouds moving

The rain pattered against the panes. It was a grey late summer day and my thoughts matched the meteorological mood. Reflecting on the season of warmth and sunshine, I wondered now where the time had gone. Time itself is a construct we use to measure […]

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The sweaty, weepy work of a writer

The writer’s life is said to be lonely. Isolating. Somewhat intrepid. Alone with your thoughts and the voices in your head, shouting to be heard. Recorded. Eternalized. While I have had my share of loneliness throughout my career, I have discovered over the years that […]

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When being is more than enough

Sometimes the best thing we can do in life is nothing at all. Standing strong in the face of the storm. Observing. Watching. Casting no judgment. No shadows. No doubt. Letting things be. It is not easy watching someone you love suffer, knowing you can […]

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Closure

The year is ending. A new page will turn tomorrow. A new number to remember when we date letters, checks or memories. We ascribe meaning to the flip of the calendar. It gives us a sense of renewal, of hope to do things differently. To […]

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The dream interpreter

Dreams. They accompany us on life’s journey. Yet dreams can turn into expectations, which can turn into our worst nightmares. We dream about what our lives could have been. And what they still could be. We dream about what our children’s lives could have been. […]

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