these small hands: a poem
A few years ago, I attended “The Names We Carry”, a poetry and activism workshop taught by writers, Minal Hajratwala and Shikha Malaviya. The art was part of the Rebel Legacy exhibition at the Asian Resource Center in Oakland, CA.
It was a truly unique experience, penning poetry in response to artwork that advocates for equity and social justice. This poem on child labor was inspired by Tanzila Ahmed‘s piece.
My word for the year (plus my 18 for 2018)
Happy New Year, friends! I wish for you bright and wonderful things in 2018.
How my 2017 mantra brought me joy and helped me achieve my big goal
At the start of 2017, I picked the phrase “step into the light” as a theme for the year. Rather than setting resolutions, I prefer choosing a word or a phrase that serves as my north star. I’ve practiced this way of goal setting in previous years and it’s helped me stay focused when I’ve needed to make a difficult decision or felt adrift.
June Favorites
We’re one month into summer vacation and with camps and activities and travel, life feels busier now than during the school year! But I’m not complaining. I love the longer days, the bountiful cherries and peaches of the season and watching the kids delight in staying up late and sleeping in.
The real prize
This past month, I watched The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, starring Julianne Moore and Woody Harrelson. The movie is set in the 1950s. It's about Evelyn Ryan (Julianne Moore), a mother of ten children, who supports her family by writing jingles.I’ll be honest - this isn’t a feel-good movie but it’s worth watching because it’s quietly inspiring.
Small moments of devotion
This year, for the first time, my family celebrated the Ganesh festival at home. Honestly, my heart wasn’t entirely in it. We had just moved into a new house, exhausted from weeks of planning and packing; we were still adjusting to the routine of the new school year and I found out that the startup I was working with, had run out of funding and I had lost a job I loved.
On beginnings
The start of the school year always feels like the start of a new year for me: freshly sharpened pencils, notebooks with shiny covers, new backpacks, and budding friendships. More than anything, it feels like I’m being given a second chance to do something, to start something. And so, this blog was born.