I am writing this with Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” playing in the background. They don’t match, but they do. Nostalgia being the unifying factor. It’s Super Bowl Sunday, and while I never regularly watched football as a kid, I did watch the Super Bowls. Usually, it entailed a party with church people around. We wouldContinue reading “National Vibes”
Tag Archives: hope
Hello Sunshine My Old Friend
By: Gabriela Yareliz The local ABC channel was tracking our sunless day streak in NYC. Ten days without a ray of sunshine. My neighborhood was pure darkness. If I didn’t turn on the light, I couldn’t see what was in front of me. I took a walk yesterday in pouring rain. It looked like lateContinue reading “Hello Sunshine My Old Friend”
January 2024 Favorites
Hello, from the longest deep winter month. It was a productive first month of the year. I learned a lot from my coach and from Roma Abdesselam on caring for oneself. I realized that one of the most important things we decide is what something means to us. It frames everything, including our emotions. IContinue reading “January 2024 Favorites”
December 2023 Favorites
By: Gabriela Yareliz December was filled with walks to see the lights, revisiting old places, tree lightings and thoughtful gifts. There was Christmas cheer and magic in the air in Midtown Manhattan. These days, I have been planning and reading. My planner is jam-packed with little lists and scribbles. I am determined to make itContinue reading “December 2023 Favorites”
Pain, The Gift
Pain has a way of breaking us open, allowing space for us to see through the veneer at who we truly are. We grow numb to the world; cold like porcelain— but then, suddenly, pain reminds us we are alive. Pain strikes the nerve; its force and imposition felt like a live wire. Pain remindsContinue reading “Pain, The Gift”
November 2023 Favorites
This was a month that brought some magic. This month, I met one of my favorite writers and some pretty incredible women. I spent time in Manhattan, which I always love. I saw the homage to Matthew Perry at the Friend’s building. Speaking only for the city, we voted in the same criminals into publicContinue reading “November 2023 Favorites”
Reflecting on Courage and Rising
By: Gabriela Yareliz We near the end of this year. This morning, I came across the words, “Courage, dear heart,” written by C.S. Lewis. Those words came to mean something so much more profound to me this year. I read and held onto them before one of the darkest seasons of my own personal experience.Continue reading “Reflecting on Courage and Rising”
Daring to be Alive
By: Gabriela Yareliz There has been so much pain and heaviness this month. I have wanted to come close and write but have sort of been at a loss for words. The attack on Israel on October 7 was horrific to watch. Hostages are still being held and away from their loved ones. I couldContinue reading “Daring to be Alive”
September 2023 Favorites
Happy October! I ended September dressed like a storm chaser. I wore a poncho last weekend (bright blue, for those interested in fashion), and this Friday, I was one of the unfortunate souls to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge back home when the city canceled all train service due to flooding. I am grateful forContinue reading “September 2023 Favorites”
Thoughts on the First Day of Autumn
By: Gabriela Yareliz -The Strongest Virtue: Resilience- There’s a Russian saying that says something like, even the strongest piece of metal will break if it takes enough hits. Something like that. Do not quote me. I am not a Russian philosopher. This has had me thinking. The true virtue is not in being strong, butContinue reading “Thoughts on the First Day of Autumn”