Before I moved to Thailand, I bought this beautiful wall tapestry with wildflowers that weave in and out of letters. They scatter themselves across the tapestry, making room for themselves rather than waiting to be invited. They don’t sit nicely in a vase on a table....
I live in this beautifully diverse and densely populated neighborhood on the north side of Chicago where the government resettles refugees and immigrants make their new home. Chicagoans know it as Little India. When you walk the streets of my neighborhood, you don’t...
Most of the time, I am a fish out of water in this neighborhood. I am the minority in a city and country where I am the majority. I speak one language in a place where most of my neighbors have at least two or three or six on their list. Often, I step into people’s...
Today I changed the background on my phone to this joyful shot of my niece and I adventuring around my parent’s house. The scene isn’t anything special. We took it on an ordinary day at an ordinary place, but these days—the ones full of quarantine and limited contact...
A few weeks ago, a dear friend and I met for ice cream. Never mind that it was 20 degrees outside or that we hid under layers of sweaters and coats. We braved the icy temps for the best ice cream in town and sweet friendship and connection. For the last year, I...
