Featured Posts
Finding Joy in the Unknown
“The true test is not whether you can access other realities, have connections to other worlds, sit perfectly in ceremonies, knows the right prayer, or access the guidance of divine masters. // The true test is whether you can sustain the vibration of Love amid life's most painful experiences and struggles.”
Cannamom Break Stereotypes?
Kimberlee Kesterson and Jessica Carroll have been cannabis users for longer than they’ve been parents—but both facets of their identity dovetail in STL Cannamoms, the social organization that they founded three years ago. And it turns out there were a lot of other parents just like them looking to connect and improve their well-being.
Trusting Your Life to Golden Coils of Grass
Does it take courage to be the first one to cross this one-of-a-kind bridge, re-woven from grass every June? Or does it take trust in the craftsmanship of one man, descended from five centuries of bridge-builders? I’m completely fascinated by this story from Eliot Stein’s book “Custodians of Wonder: Ancient Customs, Profound Traditions, and the Last People Keeping Them Alive.”
Community IDs for New Residents Suddenly Make a Splash
I’m guessing that most of the folks who renew their resident card each year in my suburb don’t know any of the backstory about municipal IDs and wouldn’t connect the card they scan at the pool to the wider conversations around immigration, trust in law enforcement, access to healthcare, support for the arts, and more.
Reporting from the Squirrel Cooking World Championship
This story from Eater about the World Champion Squirrel Cook Off is my favorite kind of writing: quirky, fun, but ultimately very respectful of the unique people and traditions that make our world so wonderfully diverse.
One Year Into a Heartwarming Journey That No One Wants to Be On
In 2023, a little boy named Logan was hit by a car. But I don’t want you to think about his life as a tragedy. He is full of joy, and his grandmother is full of determination to help him achieve his full potential. I’m honored to have been entrusted with their story.
‘Tis the Season for Fireflies and Glow Worms
An Australian journalist details his search for the first fireflies of the season in a New South Wales park in 2023. His guide is a bioluminescence chaser who also points out glow worms during their excursion.
Being Arab in My Suburb in the 1970s
Our suburban school district has a reputation for not having much diversity. And it has always irked me. On our street alone, there are people from Ecuador, Mexico, and Vietnam. A man from Ireland who used to live down the block just moved houses. The catch is that most of these people don’t look like they’re from somewhere else. And that’s why I love the title of the book “But You Don’t Look Arab: And Other Tales of Unbelonging” by Emmy Award-winning international journalist Hala Gorani, which includes cameos from folks I actually know.
Translating the Sights of the Holidays for Those with Vision Impairments
When my son was diagnosed with red-green colorblindness as a teenager in 2019, fall colors were at their height. I suddenly understood why he had always been meh about the changing leaves—unless they happened to be vibrant yellow. In the past three years, I’ve learned a great deal about my son’s visual experiences, and I’m better (but nowhere near perfect) at skipping past colors and identifying the many other sensory delights during the winter holidays.
5 Paths to New Outdoor Adventures
My first time rappelling happened in France. I was with a longtime friend and her cousin, who only spoke French. He suggested something that I vaguely understood to be an outdoor activity. My friend agreed with gusto for both of us. And that’s how I found myself strapped to a rope and descending off an abandoned railroad bridge to practice. Then it was off to the real adventure on the cliffs of Ardeche.