Traveling is a sensory overload. I’m winding down on my international tour through Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Turkey. In a few days, I’ll be back with family in Bangladesh trying to build a whole ‘nother life on the subcontinent (though I’m sure my compulsions — book buying, tea drinking, and writing about people in […]
I’ve been working myself sick lately. Taking a step back from my commitments so that I can recommit to myself — a lesson that I am always in the process of re-learning, but that has especially come up since the month of Ramadan — has proved to be way more challenging than just canceling a […]
As I shared last week, there was a recent death in my family. As a result, I’ve been struggling to process the event while still keeping myself on a regular schedule, spending time with people as they return to campus, and getting ready for the new classes that started today. In some ways, the regularity […]
It is harder to live. You experience too much or not enough. You struggle uphill without a clear plateau in sight. Your priorities shift and what you’ve been working towards is suddenly invalidated. You stumble. You lose. You become covered in dirt and must wash yourself clean. You listen to sad music when your spirits […]
(Emoticon courtesy of Link3Kokiri on DeviantArt) Anger is an emotion that I have lived with forever, and many times I have felt consumed by it. When I fail to complete a small task or end up late at a meeting, I feel the anger reflected inward towards myself. When I view injustice towards women, Muslims, […]
I realized quite a bit late that most of my posts from last week were food-related, which was not necessarily a bad thing, but a little repetitive! So, this week I am going to avoid food and talk about something completely different. I have had one problem for pretty much my entire teenage and adult […]
Something that I have to remind myself of every day I take off: the meaning of relaxation is to not to think about its end. This vacation has been about that principle in a lot of ways – staying in the present and enjoying the minutes, forgetting (or at least being ok with the idea […]
(a selfish indulgence: homemade mac n’ cheese) Today, I did a lot of learning.Before you get snarky (that’s what college is for, Jordan), hear me out.So far, my college experience has been all about me. A somewhat selfish time to explore all the possibilities that I didn’t get in high school. I exploited the opportunity […]
I am theoretically happy.I say theoretically because it sometimes feels like I am in a vacuum, all light and sound collapsing around me. I am holding in all the feelings that I’ve made myself too busy to feel, and sometimes things implode without me noticing it.I have had mild depressive episodes since I was a […]
I’m going to the Grand Canyon! Ahhh! I am so happy!It was a tense battle of wills, but my father finally allowed me to go on vacation with Josh and his family. We are going to California and then to the Grand Canyon and, hopefully, there my creative output will be revived.There are so many […]