For myself, and for you. — To the jasmine first, then to the lilies. Whisper to the tomatoes: Did you know already? Did you know before me? The bougainvillea are hardy listeners. The jacaranda won’t judge. They’ll say: What a beautiful way to be — some days purple, some days green. The fig and avocados will…

It’s one of our core responsibilities, as parents, to hold space for such discussions, however uncomfortable they may be — A few days ago, I was talking to a few of my parenting friends who all have kids between the ages of 8 and 15 about talking to our kiddos about the end of Roe v. Wade. …

I am bruised and aching, but I am trying to ground myself before I wake up my teen child to the news — From the New York Times, Friday, June 24, 2022: Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade The decision, eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion after almost 50 years, will lead to all but total bans on the procedure in about half of the states. From Forbes, Friday June 24, 2022: Clarence Thomas: Court Should Reconsider Gay Marriage, Birth Control Decisions Next After Overturning Roe

Knee surgery, mini-haunted houses, and horror dolls, oh my! — I know, I know, it’s not October yet. It’s not even September. It’s early August, technically closer to mid-summer (also known as Lammas) than mid-autumn, and we still have 85 days to go before Halloween. But I don’t care. I’m starting. See, we do Halloween big. No, I mean BIG. …

Either way, I’m back in bed for a while — Well, here I am, back in bed with another orthopedic injury. The actual tear happened as I went to sit on the ground to start my yoga practice. Note that I wasn’t even doing yoga yet. I just sat down and turned funny, and then I heard pop-pop-pop and felt…

With gratitude for the gifts of writing and connecting — I started committing to writing on Medium last December. I had hit a low point in my chronic pain journey (it’s thankfully better, though the ups and downs are constant). Writing has always been a source of support and healing, and after this low point (and months of not writing)…

Bringing Back the Wild to a Domesticated World — In Webb’s image of Stephan’s Quintet, we see 5 galaxies, 4 of which interact. (The left galaxy is actually much closer to us than the rest of the group!) These colliding galaxies are pulling and stretching each other in a gravitational dance. …

Infected spider bites, COVID, and stingrays, oh my! Yet still, there is magic — — The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of: an awesome six-day staycation with my BFF and her kid visiting from Chicago: we went to an amazing Manga bookstore in Little Tokyo, followed by delicious dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant (Cascabel in Toluca Lake for you L.A. locals); we…

On finding creative inspiration in every waking moment — I have long been inspired by contemplative practices and how they intersect with the creative process. I am excited to introduce Annelise Lords, as the second guest in my most recent series, The Creative Contemplative Interviews. Learn more about the Creative Contemplative Interviews here: The Creative Contemplative Interviews Do you have mindfulness practices that inspire your creative process? I want to interview you!medium.com