About Me
I'm joining Service Space because ... I want to reflect and connect deeply myself and others.
A good day to me is when ... I go on a walk with my children and we see butterflies and feel the sunshine.
My hero in life is ...My Mom & Dad & Pancho :)
My favorite book is ...The Tao of Pooh
One thing I'm grateful for is ... all the children in the world
Quarantine Changed My Relationship With Cooking!
May 18, 2020, 2 comments, 4 smiles
As a busy mom of three, I often felt I never had a enough time to cook for my family. We would have a pretty decent breakfast in the morning, like steal cut oats with berries, but then lunch came around and I usually just grazed all day sort of mindlessly, and then in the evening I would be SO TIRED that it was almost impossible to organize dinner. I was cooking to get through it and hopefully getting something reasonably healthy on the table.
So as the quarantine started, I adjusted like the rest of us and started flowing with whatever was showing up. I did feel a lot of relief when my schedule slowed down and didn't have to run around as much, and something did open within me (and I recognize that this isn't the case for many).
Something miraculous happened! I started to really enjoy cooking for the ... Read Full Story
Food Revolution: A Course On Nonviolence & Food For
Apr 06, 2020, 1 comments, 1 smiles
My Soulforce co-youth leader & friend Blaine and I led this 10-day food & nonviolence course for middle schoolers in early 2019. I had never published this blog but had intended to last year, and recently discovered it when I was teaching a new community lesson on Cesar Chavez online to children during this Coronavirus time. It feels a bit odd to publish now more then a year later and also during coronavirus time, but also sentimental to reflect back on that, and see that this work has continued as a thread in my life, and to also consider what future offerings to young people might look like. Blaine and I wrote this together.
Food Revolution: An experiment with middle schoolers….
What does it look like to explore self-transformation and justice with middle school students?
Blaine and I were sitting there asking ourselves.
There was an opportunity to apply our Soulforce curriculum ... Read Full Story
Thank You Arun Dada For Your Fearlessness!
Apr 22, 2019, 14 smiles
Last night I had the privilege and honor of attending a sweet gathering for local social change leaders in the house of Mahendra Uncle whose picture hung up above the fireplace, and whose daughter, Kala, honored us by having all of us gather there to welcome Arun Dada - a beautiful man who wanted to protect animals and went to jail voluntary for 13 years as peaceful protest and was a peaceful warrior bringing peace to war-torn areas. Arun Dada- now 86 years- walked into the room with such love and peace that I felt a shift in my body- a calmness settling in me and a joy emerging in my heart. Nipun mentioned the song of the day he has that sometimes reverberates with him and I felt I could almost hear that song. I felt Mahendra Uncle's original intentions he had years ago to invite Arun Dada, and ... Read Full Story
What Are You Doing This Summer? A Non-Month!
Apr 14, 2019, 1 comments, 9 smiles
As summer approaches, there is a flurry of activity for camps and vacations and activities. I partake in many of these activities too and understand why they are so necessary with busy working families. However, last year I decided to do a non-month for one month in the summer, inspired by a story I heard about in India, and I decided to do it again this year. I would go to my parent's home in LA (the home I grew up in) with my three young children and NOT have a plan. :)
Here is more about the non-month....
Last year a dear friend of mine on her own journey of self-transformation visited a school in India where she learned about the idea of a non-month from a school leader. I was intrigued!!!! Apparently the school leader was curious to learn what would happen if they took structure away entirely from the ... Read Full Story
The Sacredness Of Art In Schools...
Jan 14, 2019, 6 smiles
For 3 hours every week, students in my daughter's public elementary school leave their homeroom classroom to be with students across all grade levels and explore different art themes in small groups. They call this time Arts Focus. Themes include kinetic art, weaving, sewing, photography, drawing, sewing, painting, paper, global beats, 3D art, art and tech among other themes. The whole program is taught by parent volunteers and some themes stay the same and some change every year. Parents commit to teaching a course based on previous curriculum and their particular passions and skill levels. Every year the themes change depending on parents skills and passions. This year there was a parent who is a playwright, so they added a performance and art class.
This focus on art keeps the parents and students alive, while teachers get a chance to plan. There is a buzz in the air when arts focus ... Read Full Story
Acts Of Kindness With Kiddos During The Holidays
Dec 03, 2018, 1 comments, 9 smiles
Awww yay!!!!!
Last weekend, my dear friend Ritu suggested we figure out some way to make the holidays about service again. I was touched by her reaching out to other moms like this.
We discussed how so many feel helpless about the world, but by doing something tangible with the kids that we could help ease some of the pain of this helplessness.
So Ritu had a great idea to meet with our kids and fill bags of food to donate to a food pantry. I added to this idea and suggested we also make a kindness calendar for the month of December--an idea I saw on the internet.
We held a circle for our kids and attempted to do these two activities. The adults had great intentions. :)
I decided that we should hold a circle, as I often do when I find myself upon a group of kids. To my surprise, (since they ... Read Full Story
Poetry About The Spiritual Pursuit Of Learning
Sep 10, 2018, 6 smiles
I shared this poem I wrote to a new friend who held what I shared so lovingly, and encouraged me to share. This summer I had a love affair with Rabrindhra Tagore's writings and poetry. One evening I wrote this poem to help me capture my vision for learning & education and synthesize so many of the themes I learned through his work. This poem helped me capture the magic I imagine true education to be about. Thank you for reading :)
I believe in a spiritual world.
We are born into a world where we are already in harmony with it.
Children are lovers of stardust.
They thirst for sunlight as flowers do.
It is where instinct is born.
In trees.
In nature.
Where the sunset and sunrise and the silent glory of the stars are not ignored.
The teacher and student are both in study of the eternal life.
They eat food together.
They learn ... Read Full Story
The Joy & Freedom Of Unstructured Painting In The Park!
Mar 20, 2018, 6 smiles
Yesterday was a beautiful day of painting in the park with children.
It begin with a day off for my daughter, some large canvas, paint, and tarp set up on the green space in front of our house.
Some beloved neighborhood children came by and saw what me and my daughter were doing. We realized we only had one large canvas, and my daughter without thinking twice invited the older two girls to paint with her. (how beautiful to witness this moment to share!)
I made a request that we do this in silence so we could connect with the artwork that was emerging with us. They were intrigued and ready to try it out. I played some nice music for us. This was the only condition set for the day.
The children figured out quickly they would have to collaborate without words through the colors of the art.
I immediately felt so relaxed. I ... Read Full Story
Angels Of Hope Amongst Us
Mar 16, 2018, 5 smiles
This is part 2 of my story meeting Joshua as I wrote about in Revolutionary Amongst at Kindness in the Park .
We see our brother Joshua again at Kindness in the Park the following week! What a joy to see him!
As we stand chatting, we stare at my youngest daughter playing freely by the tree. She is looking up at the sky. She is making funny expressions and practicing difference stances and walks. We were both looking at her while we were talking and catching up and laughing. I was telling him a bit about my family and he was telling me about his. As we Indians and Africans both do, it was important for us to talk about our family history.
It is important, he says, to tell me about the meaning of his name and all the names of his children and parents. They all have meaning. He said ... Read Full Story
A Revolutionary Amongst Us At Kindness In The Park
Feb 19, 2018, 10 comments, 8 smiles
He came walking toward us.
I said “Here. Please take a flower.”
He said “oh wow. I will, but I have nothing to give back.”
We said that is ok. There is no agenda here. It is kindness in the park. My sister Marie holds space like this regularly in the park. We call it Disruptive Kindness.
He said he comes from South Africa.
He had lived in the US for many years, but then he went back to his home in South Africa. He is now back in the United States just for a few days to finish up some work.
He has no place to sleep, he said casually and with a big smile on his face. He said he is facing some hard times. Again that smile. He said: “Challenges are opportunities upside down, right?”
You really made my day, he said.
His smile got bigger.
He said he would tell his family back home ... Read Full Story
