(ORIGINAL PUBLISH DATE: June 19th through my newsletter) Nearly a week ago I arrived here in Los Angeles. Presently, I’m sitting in a bronze metal chair at a round white table in my temporary Airbnb. There are small plastic “succulents” on a modern black tray. Garbanzo beans are boiling on the stove. It’s still early … Continue reading The Dance of Silence and Sound
Looking Down While Washing Dishes
(ORIGINAL PUBLISH DATE: June 12th through my newsletter) Growing up in Northern Vermont in the 1980’s, ethnic diversity was practically nonexistent. I saw people of color on Sesame Street, and I was a big fan of LeVar Burton on Reading Rainbow. But I mainly just knew ‘other’ ethnicities through the TV screen. I distinctly … Continue reading Looking Down While Washing Dishes
Note to blog followers
Hello blog followers! This is just a quick note to let you know that the posts you receive are from my newsletter, and they were generally sent out weeks or months before they make it onto my blog. I use this blog more like an archive of past writings than an up-to-date way to share … Continue reading Note to blog followers
Last Night’s Fire Ceremony and Your Bravery
(ORIGINAL PUBLISH DATE: May 8th through my newsletter) There's a great slash of early sun across my table as I write this, though I've been awake since the dark moments before the dawn. I spent last night dreaming vivid dreams after a powerful fire ceremony at sundown yesterday. The full moon in Scorpio rose, red … Continue reading Last Night’s Fire Ceremony and Your Bravery
Before You Can “Feel Better”, You Have to Be Willing to Feel
(ORIGINAL PUBLISH DATE: April 24th through my newsletter) It’s getting warmer warmer warmer in Joshua Tree and it feels amazing! While writing in my journal before dawn this morning, I opened the back window of the Scamp to invite in some fresh air. There was no chill on that breeze. Just the promise of a … Continue reading Before You Can “Feel Better”, You Have to Be Willing to Feel
The Sweetness Can Be Found Anywhere
(ORIGINAL PUBLISH DATE: April 10th through my newsletter) The sweetness can be found anywhere... Filling the air these mornings in Joshua Tree... wafting out of the creosote bush in the drizzle. It bursts from the small, yellow flowers that pepper the creosote’s branches. (I recognize it as sweetness, because it tugs up the corners of … Continue reading The Sweetness Can Be Found Anywhere
The Dilemma Yoga Teachers Now Face… and The Way Through
(published April 3rd through my newsletter) It is a chilly morning in Joshua Tree. The windows of the Scamp are fogged with condensation that’s just starting to glow gold with the rays of the rising sun. Waking up before the sun is one of the happiest practices for me. I don’t set an alarm, I … Continue reading The Dilemma Yoga Teachers Now Face… and The Way Through
Walking Alone Down Long Empty Roads
(published March 27th through my newsletter) When the subject line of this note came to me, I was, in fact, on a walk down a long empty road. But upon hearing it I thought, oh shoot. NO ONE is going to open an email with a subject line like that! C’mon, can I get a … Continue reading Walking Alone Down Long Empty Roads
How Ariel’s Preparing For… Whatever We’re All Preparing For
(published March 13th through my newsletter) It is a seriously apocalyptic feeling day here in the high desert. Usually it’s sunny out. The most extreme weather generally comes in the form of whipping winds. But today there was a big rumbling thunderstorm! It darkened the sky, pelted rain at Scampy, and rocked this little egg … Continue reading How Ariel’s Preparing For… Whatever We’re All Preparing For
What it’s Like Back in NYC After 5 Months in the Desert
(published March 6th through my newsletter) Well, I’m back in New York City for a brief stay - presently up at my mom’s place in Washington Heights. From her living room I can hear the rush of the Westside Highway, and see the gray broth of the Hudson River with a slow line of trucks … Continue reading What it’s Like Back in NYC After 5 Months in the Desert