How are you? A precursor to everything else. Before I judge your silence. Before I assume the worst of your frown. These are all withheld until I know, “How are you?” Until I’ve opened my eyes to see you: a fellow human.

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson Yes, the same man who went off to live off the land and build a cabin wrote this beautiful sentence. Was it the beauty he found in himself while laying down…

Today I’m two hours north of Ho Chi Minh in Bình Dương province. This is the hometown of my host family, and we’re celebrating their grandma’s birthday! If you’re wondering what a 68 year old birthday party entails in the countryside of Vietnam it’s a family affair with lots of food, karaoke, balloons, photo ops,…

Yes, you had good intentions. But how were they perceived? And did you read the vibe of the room and carry forward in a way that adapted to those threads or ignored them?

My voice has been replaced with a croak. I wake up with five little ducks playing in my head. The teaching trinity: stickers, fly swatters, microphone. Teaching is the perfect outlet for someone who compulsively buys snacks; there are always new friends to share with. As the teacher, do everything in your power to make…