Welcome to the end of January. How are your 2018 resolutions going? One reason New Year’s resolutions don’t often work is we try to take a big step that we have not laid the foundation for. Tiny does not equate to insignificant. Little things can be big things when they are addressing the core of the […]
Reflections on what it means to self identify as a woman in a world still working for gender equality
Top Posts of 2015
Each year I look back at my blog posts, I am less and less surprised at which topics are well received. We as a society seem to need to talk about death and sex. We are getting curious about mindfulness and intentionality and defining less as more. These are things I think and write about. […]
Take a Number Sister
I’m living in a season of waiting. I’m waiting for the snow to melt and the sun to warm the atmosphere so I can go outside and run and play and take deep, cleansing breaths of fresh air. I’m waiting to roll my shoulders away from my ears without shivering. There is no rushing the […]
Rich
A severely incomplete list of things I am grateful for in the last week alone (it’s almost too much to bear): Eating Pie for breakfast with friends on Thanksgiving morning. 22 pies. One with bacon on top. Unapologetically, abundantly sweet. The humbling nature of writing. The other day I read a piece I had written […]
Malala’s World!
Malala is, as we say, blowing up. As she should be. A few quick thoughts on her interview with Jon Stewart. Happy International Day of the Girl! 1. Malala mentions her father a few times. In my work with girls in Kibera, so many of the girls who are doing well have strong fathers who […]
Menstruation Matters
One of the distinct highlights of preparing to speak at TEDxSLC was meeting and collaborating with Dr. Sayantani DasGupta. She is the kind of woman I aspire to be. After hearing each other’s talks in a practice session, we had several energized conversations about menstruation. It is so encouraging to meet people who think talking […]
3 Black Dresses
“Dan, it’s fashion show time.” “What for this time?” “Our work gala. Black tie optional. Men will be in tuxedos or suits and ties. They want us all to dress up.” “Okay, let’s see it.” I proceeded to try on three different black dresses of differing lengths and differing necklines, looking in the mirror each […]
Taxi Cab
The seatbelt wouldn’t buckle. I tried a few times just to make sure it was the seatbelt’s issue, not mine. It seems tempting fate not to wear a seatbelt, especially in a taxi in Kenya. But I let it go. We weren’t going far. Ryan and I were planning to meet a KGSA partner for […]
My Tempered Voice
When my sister and I were little, my parents would drop us off at my grandparent’s house every Thursday while they went and played in a mixed doubles tennis league. Our favorite thing to do on Thursdays was dress up in my grandma’s clothes and costume jewelry, put on old Polish records and dance around […]
The Art of Repetition
The Temple of Heaven Park in Beijing is full of people doing ordinary things like Tai Chi and Tibetan Dance. At least they seem ordinary to the people doing them. To me, it seems odd and beautiful that so many people are moving slowly, intentionally together in public. In the middle of the park, an […]