On the yoga mat I become contemplative. Maybe it’s got something to do with the constant reminders of slowing down the breath. I breathe in through my nose. I breathe out through my mouth. And like a fish newly plucked out of water, my thoughts thrash between the ephemerality of life—breathe—and what I’m going to have for dinner tonight. Breathe. In shavasana, as in the practice of meditation, we are instructed, repeatedly, to keep coming Read More …
Cradling the AR-15, I pressed its rear firmly against the soft spot between my clavicle and right shoulder and peered through the front sight. I shuffled back and forth on my feet, shifting my weight from my right foot to my left all while trying to level the red dot to the small blue circle on the target sheet hanging 30 feet out in front of me. Dread filled my stomach and sweat beads formed Read More …
It was the best of times and it was the worst of times. Ramadan 2018 was one of the easiest and in some ways, one of the more challenging years for me. Easy, because I was busy. I was so busy, I didn’t care to wake up for the pre-dawn meal, preferring to risk early onset of hunger to conserving my energy for work instead. I was so busy, the hours some days flew by Read More …
At 80 miles per hour on a motorcycle, you feel the elements literally shudder through you. The wind finds a way to seep into your nose, snake its way down your jacket and sweatshirt, and dance on your chest. There isn’t room in the rear view mirror to search for the immediate past or for answers as to what you did—or should have done—two weeks ago—just enough to catch glimpses of your hair flapping wildly behind Read More …