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”

In My Igloo

By: Gabriela Yareliz I remember making the snow igloos at recess during those Michigan freezes. I would strap on my snowpants, which I did not like, and after we came in from recess, they would be hanging on the hook in line with everyone else’s. The drip-drip of the snow melting off of them keepingContinue reading “In My Igloo”

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”

Warm Wishes

By: Gabriela Yareliz First Star I See Tonight. I Wish I May, I Wish I Might, Have the Wish I Wish Tonight. “Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars? Because I could really use a wish right now.” B.o.B. ft. Hayley Williams, “Airplanes” Yesterday, I saw bright specs hoveringContinue reading “Warm Wishes”

Scrapbooking In My Brain

By: Gabriela Yareliz Just had a blast from the past collecting some olds writings that pre-date this blog. I saw old comments, old posts, old photos, people from the past, people who made it to the present. I saw my old journal entries. I got a little emotional. I won’t lie. There I was, bareContinue reading “Scrapbooking In My Brain”

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”

The Unfinished Attic

By: Gabriela Yareliz The current dropping temperatures and howling wind remind me of winter as a kid. I would take my favorite Christmas catalog and set a cushion or pillow by the heater vent on the floor (old Northern houses), and I would bring a blanket and get cozy and read. Every girl or dollContinue reading “The Unfinished Attic”

Destiny

At the age of twelve, the word “destiny” began to fascinate me. I think Billy Shakespeare did that to me. I began thinking about it in a nuanced way, intertwined with the idea that we all have free will and always have a choice. The word “destiny” then sort of was replaced by “purpose.” IContinue reading “Destiny”