Category Archives: Blog

I had the opportunity to speak yesterday with Sarah Chayes here at Yale, and I was delighted to hear about her current book project on corruption/kleptocracy in America. It was very helpful to speak with her, as we have both spent significant time living overseas in dangerous terrain, and I’ve been wondering if I should return across the oceans or stay put here in Trumpistan.

I had the joy of feeding the hungry tonight as a volunteer at my local soup kitchen in New Haven. Since it was “Spirit Day” at Yale Law School today, I still had on my Yale gear (as did some other volunteers). To my surprise, one of my fellow volunteers grew up in the Sultanate of Oman–so we compared notes on our years of living there (small world!). Feeding the poor tonight in Connecticut brought back fond memories of volunteering at Nourishing Kitchen near my apartment in Harlem and feeding Syrian and Palestinian refugees every night of Ramadan in Beirut. I’m looking forward to volunteering every week–it’s shameful how many Americans go to bed hungry every night, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to do my part.

When I volunteered tonight at my local soup kitchen to feed the poor, I learned that our van was donated by Tariq Farid, a Pakistani-American entrepreneur who founded Edible Arrangements International Inc. So we serve the food in a Congregationalist church parish, and deliver it in a van gifted by a generous Muslim businessman born in Pakistan–America at its finest. Now let’s end hunger.

After volunteering tonight at the soup kitchen near my house, I came back to my building to join the festive chocolate fondue party in our club room.

The strawberries were all gone, but there was still plenty of goodies to dip in the chocolate fountain–apples, bananas, rice krispie treats, pretzels, and marshmallows.

I did my community duty and got dipping–a joy to see my neighbors coming together to bond through the creative fun of chocolate fondue!

I snuck into an adjacent barn this week-end while on our women’s meditation retreat in the woods of Mystic and stumbled upon this fabulous old typewriter–since I’ve been typing up a storm writing day and night, it was the perfect find!

Our meditation retreat this week-end was just as relaxing for our guru Anubis as it was for all of us. He loved the constant attention, tracking the illusive chihuahua trapped in the mirrors, and being in the company of open-hearted and fierce women–all warriors, like him, in mind, body, and soul. May we all live such a relaxing life like him!

A joy to be connected to nature both inside our meditation barn and outside this week-end at our women’s retreat in Mystic…

What’s more relaxing than a meditation retreat in the woods? Grateful for an incredible women’s meditation retreat this week-end with sisters from near and far (and of course our guru Anubis)…

What a joy on our meditation retreat to commune at all hours of the day and night–especially when dusk descends.

No meditation retreat is complete without indoor swing meditation as dusk descends and dinner is prepared…

Anubis, facing himself, and asking that eternal meditation question while on retreat: who am I? And who are you?

Grateful for a relaxing week-end steeped in nature and meditation in the company of friends–both old and new…

Anubis really enjoyed his week-end meditation retreat in the woods, and he was particularly fond of the yoga…