Strawberry Fields

I am so blessed to live in a small country town that boasts many different types of farms– dairy, Christmas tree, and produce (to name a few). Today, I went strawberry picking at a farm less than half a mile from my house.




Fresh-picked strawberries are like no other fruit. There's just something about that which has been perfected by the earth and rain and sun; and is attained in its unaltered state.





I am grateful for the sun, a warm day, fresh strawberries, the earth, humanity. 








Relax and Renew

Today was a good day. During my lunch break, my mom and I took a restorative yoga class at Downtown Yoga in Hartford. After such a hectic week, this class was exactly what I needed.



As opposed to Vinyasa or Bikram yoga, this class focused on breathing, meditation, and awareness. We “set” ourselves in each pose, mindful of each breath, concentrating on sending oxygen to every part of our body.

In the throes of fitness, it’s easy to get caught up in working towards our next goal, whether it is training for a race or finally nailing that scorpion pose. But equally important is the cultivation of our minds and self-awareness, which is what makes yoga so unique. Not solely a physical endeavor, yoga exercises our mind as much as our body.




At the end of the class, during shavasana, our teacher spoke to us about the importance of carrying over our session into the "real world". "Basketball players practice basketball for the game," he said. "A violinist practices his violin for the concert. And we practice yoga to translate it into our lives."

His words resonated with me, especially since I work in an industry so contingent on deadlines. It is so easy to lose oneself in the stresses and trials of daily life. But during our yoga practice, we find balance, awareness, and inner peace.


Namaste.

Mysterious Ways

Today started off like any other day– I got up at 6:30, dropped my puppy off at daycare, picked up my coworker for our carpool, and was in work by 7:20. The day progressed similarly, with the typical meeting or two, and my usual lunch break at the gym.

Then, just as I was about to leave work, I found out that a friend of mine had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma (a type of cancer). While I wouldn't call this friend of mine particularly close, he had been the president of a political club while I was the social media chair, which gave us many hours together in meetings and collaborations. This friend went on to become the president of his fraternity, and eventually our university's student government president.

Amiable and liked by all, this young man had the ability to bring even the most timid of conversationalists out of their shell. Such was his talent at communication that he was once interviewed on national television by one of the most watched TV networks on air. Even though he was still a junior in college, I was already preparing myself to vote for him in the 2028 Presidential Elections.

And I can't think of a person less deserving of this disease.

When I heard the news, I felt as if a heavy weight had just been dropped on my chest. I couldn't breathe. This young man has lived one of the most inspiring lives I've ever witnessed– now only to be marred by the terrible, awful, destructive force that is cancer. Regardless of the outcome of this disease, he will always bear the scars of its effects. He doesn't deserve it.

But if only wishing something could make it so. If only sending positive energy to another could heal their body.

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This news had saddened my day, but I had already made plans with another friend. Arriving early at our meeting spot, I wandered around listlessly, waiting for him to arrive.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman staring at me from a few yards away.

Her appearance was itself unremarkable. Diminutive with short brown hair, the woman appeared to be in her sixties. She wore sneakers, khaki capris, and a plain purple zip-up sweater; no logos, no badges, nothing. And there she was, walking towards me.

"Hello," she said. "I saw you walking by, and I wanted to let you know that God loves you."

Disconcerted, I wasn't sure what to say at first. This woman's appearance and mannerisms lent no impression of fanaticism or any unsoundness of mind, leading me to believe that she wasn't a proselytizer. Yet I wondered what she had seen in my face that made her stop.

"Thank you," I said, uncertain. "That's very kind of you to say."

"Are you Christian?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Good. I just wanted you to know that God loves you."

And then she walked away.

Utterly taken aback, I felt tears come to my eyes. Not knowing me, or who I am, or what I've been through, this woman saw me at random and chose to say those specific words to me.

My faith is something that I've always struggled with, being raised as Catholic but going through periods of agnosticism and even atheism. But having seen the things I've seen and experienced the things I've experienced, I can only conclude that there is a greater energy present that exceeds our known world. Now, I've come to accept my God as a force that transcends human understanding– eclipsing the words written in the Bible and any other mechanism created by man.

However, I have always struggled with guilt. Guilt that I was never kind enough, or guilt that I had ignored someone in need. And above all, the encumbering guilt from the monumental mistakes I've already made in my young life.

Especially today, I felt the guilt that such a disease had passed me by and manifested itself in someone who should have, by all that is good, been given a full, healthy life. Guilt that the cancer chose him, and not me.

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We exist in four dimensions. Our location in these dimensions is constantly changing. We may be anchored in a certain three-dimensional location for a while, but time is always moving. As soon as we experience one second, we move on to the next in a continuous flow of existence.

This is why I believe that everything happens for a reason; that there are no coincidences. For instance, think of all the seconds that have passed since the beginning of time. They are too great to count. If all of time was a line a million miles long, this day would be but a subatomic particle in comparison.

Then think of all the places that exist in our universe. Again, they are too many to count.

For this moment today to have happened, all four dimensions must have been in alignment– meaning out of the trillions of possibilities in each dimension and their infinite permutations, this one combination occurred.

To me, this is the Greater Force showing His hand.


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Call it what you will. I don't expect others to share my faith. For me it is God, but for others it is a higher energy or intelligent being. To scientists, it is the underlying law of the universe that eludes our comprehension. To Buddhists, it is the ultimate state of understanding– Nirvana.

Nearly every culture or group have their own explanation for the inexplicable. Each have their own name for the force that is greater than ourselves. But perhaps– just perhaps– it is all the same thing.

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I conclude my narrative by expressing gratitude for the place I am in right now. I have a loving family, amazing friends, a place to sleep at night, enough food to eat and water to drink, and above all– my health. 

Through the difficult times I've faced and the instances where I've felt there was no hope, I was still being led to the place of safety and well-being that I am in now. And today, I was blessed with the reminder that I am loved, and that there is always something to be grateful for. 



Making New Friends

Me and Emily

For my first post, I thought it would be fitting to express my gratitude for some of the most important people in my life– my friends. This weekend, we celebrated our college graduation in a night of swimming, Can Jam, and general revelry. 

An unexpected addition to our group was Wesley's longtime family friend, Emily, visiting him from France. Having studied abroad in France and being conversational in the language, I was excited to talk in French again.


Little did I know that Emily was one of the most open, easy-going people I've ever met. With a bright laugh always readily available on her lips, she and I instantly connected in a frenzy of bilingual communication.

In general, I find it pretty easy to talk to people I don't know well. I'm not shy by any means. But only after a couple of minutes, it felt as if Emily and I had been friends for a long time.


It's funny how life works out. There are times where I feel as if the mistakes I've made are insurmountable; that I wish I could go back in time and start over. But then something as simple as a new friendship– one that only could have arisen out of a precise order of circumstances– will validate the difficult times and lend hope to the future.





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