TIME CAPSULE 005

Infinite Unified Existence


There are stories that explain our existence, but they don’t answer all the questions we have about what we are doing here. Some say that before we were even born, there was a plan. Our creator, or Source, had decided when we would enter this realm and what family we’d be born into. Our home would be named Earth, and she’d be mostly water and some land.

Born a millennial and having thrived through many mass material events, I was left with more questions than answers. The subtle but not-so-surface-level question at first was, who am I? As I experienced more life, I realized my only question wasn’t who am I, but what is my purpose?

Born on Earth Day, it couldn’t be a coincidence.

I think back on the days in the country and how I used to be afraid of bugs. Little did I know that I’d carry the memory of a dragonfly surrounding me as I slept in the backseat of the car. I remember waking up in a panic. I didn’t remember falling asleep on the way home from Savary Park in Digby, Nova Scotia. We always went on a picnic when we went to visit Nanny.

Thinking about that dragonfly had me realizing that, all along, they were an extension of my own being.

Fast-forward to years later, and dragonflies come to visit me, especially during the summer solstice. Who knew that those long summer days in the city would always bring me back to the country?

At first, it started off as a visit here and there. Then came one day last July, the most transformational month. That particular day, I had gone to the beach with one of my sisters and my niece and nephew. A bright green dragonfly flew over and sat right on my hand as I was playing and lowering myself to be free from the fear of drowning.

That particular day was more special because I also ended up seeing my son with his cousins on his dad’s side at the same beach. My sister made a joke about returning from the water with my son, but that day was no coincidence.

Over the last few years, life has surprised me with how easily I became less fearful as I became more and more of myself. I was intentional about my way of living. I started to recognize my own patterns and the environments around me. I began to open my heart up, only to discover that I actually have a rainbow sitting there, making sure I bend in ways that suit me while still feeling worthy of showing up as my true self.

Spending time outside is natural to me. It always has been. I used to run around the freshly mowed lawn, barefoot and ready to run. I was born a free thinker. I was never meant to be confined to a box. I know my Nanny knew it, too. She, too, was an Earth angel.

She never minded any bugs in her house except the flies. They were a distraction way before I knew which vibration they were clinging to.

But each summer and into the fall, I always get a visit from the bees, butterflies, and ladybugs. It is in those moments when time feels like it’s lapsing, but I’m actually participating fully. I talk to them; they respond in meaningful ways that only the moment itself can tell me I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.

My latest encounter with a praying mantis had me more grounded and still because I had stooped low to meet it with my eyes. Our eyes met, too. As it slowly moved its legs in a fanciful manner, it paused and looked back.

Yes, I was still there, appreciating its very existence alongside mine.

“Go ahead,” I said. “Show me how you move.”

At last, I stepped back and let it live its truth.

TIME CAPSULE 004

An Autumn Apple and a New Moon


Another apple-picking field trip, but this time, it was my choice.

After spending six years in the same school community and leaving with an immense amount of joy and fulfillment, I spent the summer preparing for what fall may bring me. I spent many days out in the warm sun, walking around my neighborhood, spending time by the water, connecting with nature, taking myself out to eat, reading, writing, drawing, and curating a life that helped me see that this was a set up and not merely a set back.

July was the most transformative. I was met with energy I never thought I would encounter, but I remained rooted. Like I’ve been saying, “I am the stability, and I bring it with me.” Those are the words that keep me grounded. It is my voice, aided by the deeply unseen, and still, I remained full.

August came and went, and before I knew it, September had arrived. I felt more alive than I did last September, but this time, I had no school community to return to, just a home that needed tending to.

So I invested. I invested in creating a routine that works for me, not the typical 9–5, but one that allows me to remain who I am at my core, no matter what community I may be stepping into.

Then October arrived, and I quickly started to feel a pivot, but graciously, I wanted to keep my own vision in mind. The work of a humanitarian isn’t about a person or a place, but the system, the steps, and the disruption necessary to see the change I am currently living.

Most people believe in luck and leave magic out of the equation, but life is truly magical for me on an ordinary day.

I missed “my kids,” my students, my little loves who are forever growing. I reached out to my previous school with no particular response in mind, but I remembered how apple picking was my favorite trip because the whole school went. It was also an opportunity to see my previous students.

So I volunteered, and I was present.

When I say the love was overwhelmingly satisfying, it was.

Here I am, walking down the same halls where the adults used to scatter when they saw me, now looking at me with joy. The children? Forget about it. As soon as I walked into the room, they couldn’t help but jump out of their seats and join in on the group hug.

They kept asking if I was there to stay or if I would be there with them next week. Some were upset, but I quickly reminded them that the day was theirs and that I would spend it with them, having fun and enjoying who they’d grown to be.

I met a few new faces, and they quickly found that the love I had for them was natural. So, they, too, wanted me to stay.

I read a book with one. I sat next to another. I took a few more in a small group as they ran down the orchards, grabbing apples until they couldn’t anymore. I could tell they just wanted to be close.

You see, one thing about me: I love them unconditionally.

Last year’s group are now fourth graders, and they weren’t too cool for me.

This trip reminded me that autumn is when things change. We are preparing, and we are moving toward the next season of uncertainty. Especially here in New England, where we can have 80-degree weather in October and many snowstorms by December.

The beautiful part about stepping into the same environment in this new season was that it taught me something: I must love forward.

Everything I accomplished there was just a stepping stone to what is near. It may not be clear now, but what is clear is that every life I’ve impacted has reminded me that my presence matters, even after an absence.

I am the stability, and I bring it with me.

And the human in me will continue to be a revolutionary.

TIME CAPSULE 003

City Girl Country Soul

Inspired by Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia


Gone Crazy in Alabama was a phenomenal book. Rita Williams-Garcia paints vivid pictures of the lives of the Gaithers, Trotters, and Charles family. Delphine, almost a teenager, is responsible for herself and her sisters. While in Alabama, she uses her keen observation skills, emotional awareness, and sensitivity to help her cope with the reality of her family.

I love that this book is intergenerational. Particularly in Black families, hierarchy is established early. We are constantly being told to “stay in a child’s place” or to shut up before someone gives us “something to cry about.” We were taught to listen to our elders and never talk back.

I love the chapter “Sad Irons” because it perfectly describes the feeling of going back to what you know to help you through what feels so hard to bear. It’s wild because I felt that, and as a sentiment, I understand the significance of the white cotton sheets. It was about purity, comfort, and survival.

In the book, Delphine braces for her mother to have a reaction. I particularly love the imagery of her recalling her mother’s past responses. I also love that Cecile held her own. I love how strong-spirited she is and how highly misinterpreted she is. Great mothers also make the choice to step away. And writing Delphine that letter was a beautiful declaration.

Lastly, I love how the story ends with a 900-mile car ride back to New York. My favorite part is the recollection of the memories they made while driving in that car. Though it wasn’t the end of their journey, a new baby would be arriving in their family.

The car symbolizes so much for me because I’ve had my car for 13 years, and it has just under 80,000 miles. We’ve had many challenges along the way, and somehow, she is still taking us places. Their car represented more than just a car; it was an antique, a museum, and a world of exploration. They have lived to see the bigger picture.

TIME CAPSULE 002

All American: The People for the People Who Became One


After 8 seasons of All American, I loved them all. In each season, I found myself in alignment with the story. I met myself through characters like Olivia, Spencer, and Layla. Even the disruptor nature of Coop had my head on a swivel. I remember watching the first 5 seasons over again before the next few seasons aired because I needed to feel more deeply into who I was becoming.

This show had me laughing and crying. Olivia’s fight for herself and her community landed softly in my heart when she felt like she needed to be someone other than who she was. Even in a state of panic and healing her way through sobriety, she showed up for her family and friends. My favorite part of her character development is that she allowed herself to be vulnerable to the end. It was beautiful watching her trust herself while everyone doubted her once again. Their projected fear is what made her fight for what she knew about Spencer become much stronger.

I love that she and Spencer ended up together with twins. Spencer’s legacy of being “the resource” marks the beginning of his new life while closing out a cycle of his old life. The timeline was merging right in front of our eyes. He was not only self-invested but community-affiliated. They poured into him as much as his family did.

As the story progressed, I still had my share of emotional combat. Fighting back tears because the feeling of being celebrated clashed with my feelings of being ostracized. I made it my personal mission to evolve in my own way. Looking beyond my rose-colored glasses, I got to see that my family was just my son and I. While my life had reminded me that I deserved more than being dependable, I became adaptable. My life became livable again.

Through my truth and deep understanding, “the resource” Spencer was referring to was not just himself but the embodiment of his inner union. Most people may mistake that comment for ego, but is it really? Ego doesn’t really share its shine with the grind. It usually is against it. It usually ignores all other hands and minds involved.

He knew that even with having the fastest legs and a strong throwing arm, his hand wasn’t the only hand that played football. It was about his legacy being more than just football but his family. His return home was the greatest return on investment because this is where we see the time-lapse of memories that created the story itself; the man and father he chose to be.

Then there is Layla.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Layla, somewhere between longing for a mom bond that she talks about and the ghost of a mother. Layla is a boss, but not your average boss. She’s the strategic manager. The one who picks up the subtle feeling in the room.

I’m proud of her after dealing with loss after loss in ways that almost broke her but didn’t. She learned to be vulnerable with herself while dealing with an inner dialogue that could have taken her life away. Her support system reminded her of choosing herself while pursuing her passions. She used music and producing to create a new life.

I’m happy Jordan became her husband because together they flourished, but as an individual she became more resilient, more bold, and more compassionate. Her acceptance of no control was her greatest comeback.

And then there’s Coop.

Coop is the hardest comeback for me because she moves between savior, survivor, and supporter. She struggles between selflessness and selfishness, and it comes at a great cost. As a natural disruptor herself, Coop’s realization of why she was fighting so hard in the first place became one of the most meaningful parts of her story.

From gang member to lawyer, her journey was fierce.

Coop is the backbone. She is woven into all of their lives when it comes to both tragedy and victory. She learns herself through many dark memories, and in the end, she chooses her community and family—and they choose her back.

Her creative alchemy was shaped not only by her survival but by her way of living that made it possible for Amina to step up. She became the community representative for both trauma and joy. She carried the parts of herself that knew what pain could do without allowing pain to become the only thing she could represent.

And that may be what moved me most about Coop.

She was able to hold her capacity for joy even after she thought she couldn’t see herself anymore.

This show took me down a path where I could have lost myself too. But like Coop, I represent the wound and what it looks like to live outside of it.

I learned when to put things down. Showing up for myself and choosing me has helped me cultivate a life worth living every day. And when the hard ways feel more difficult, I’m reminded of what I’ve already survived to become.

Maybe that is what I was really watching all along.

Not people who had perfect lives.

People learning how to become whole while still carrying the lives they had lived.

People learning when to fight, when to surrender, when to trust themselves, when to let others love them, and when to choose themselves.

People who became more than the wounds that introduced them to themselves.

The People for the People Who Became One.

TIME CAPSULE 001

The Tree, the Boy, and the Woman of the Trees

Locked in. Light and lovely.


“A story about giving, becoming, and learning what it means to remain.”

When we are children, we see the world differently. There is life constantly happening around us while we are simply existing and becoming products of the environments we encounter. I’d like to believe children see truth and innocence as the same, and rarely do they believe that their lives are being shaped by that short period of time.

Adolescence hits, and we think we know who we are, but we are taught to show up and conform. If you were a really special kid, people would find ways to make your unique way of living feel like it could only be happy if you shared it with them.