Tag: motivation

Brooklyn Girls

(originally appeared in Huffington Post)First, it was me and my mom. We were the original Brooklyn girls. From my earliest days, my mom was my partner when it came to navigating Brooklyn and its eccentricities. She had a no-nonsense and straightforward disposition that taught me that if you didn’t speak-up for yourself, then you risked living your life on someone…

Where are you going; Where have you been?

I moved. After ten years in one place, I displaced myself. There were mounds of clothes and books and stuff to give away. There were items to sort through—papers, letters, writings. I found over 60 short stories that I had written as an undergrad and later as a graduate student; often, there were endless drafts of each one, including notes on how to rework the stories…

Why We All Need to Practice More Yoga

“Life means to be living. Problems will always be there. When they arise navigate through them with yoga—don’t take a break.” –  B.K.S. Iyengar In Sanskrit, the word yoga means union. While it’s easy to get allured into perceiving yoga as a physical practice that burns calories and offers an outlet for cute clothes and gear, yoga, which can be…

Legacy

For the past five years, I have visited my mother’s grave weekly. Each time I stare at her name on the headstone, I journey somewhere inside that I don’t always frequent amidst my frenzied daily routine. I pause. I reflect. I think about the night before she passed away. Her faraway gaze. Her tone, which was both matter-of-fact and soft.…

The Road Ahead: 2017

  Back in the days of sleepaway camp, we had cheesy themes for each summer: “Super great in ’88.” “Feeling fine in ’89.”  You get the picture. With that in mind, why not aim to be “supreme in ’17.” We leave each year committed and convinced—or at least hopeful—that we are going to be better versions of ourselves the following…

So You Want To Write A Book

If I had a dollar for all of the times someone has told me that they want to write a book, I would be a millionaire many times over. Most folks have a story mulling around in their brains—whether it’s fact or fiction—and many seem to think that the world would benefit if their story was shared. Perhaps. One thing…