R & R part 2: Nature is a Tonic

Nature is a tonic. I grew up with natural remedies and the kitchen cupboard apothecary, repurposed bottles containing various roots and spices steeped in overproof rum were a regular sight among the bathroom linens and back up stock of tp and toothpaste. But my experiences in nature were very few. Read more

By justk, ago

R&R

I stopped reading on the subway. It wasn’t a conscious choice. I’ve been lugging around a hardcover title for ten days. Normally I would’ve read this book in a week. It’s a good book. I like the author. But I can’t read on the subways anymore. My concentration is off. Read more

By justk, ago

Hair Raising Tales

Confession. I cannot braid cornrows. My mother couldn’t either. With great effort I can do a french braid- my mother could not teach what she didn’t know. My mother was raised with a Eurocentric esthetic. The colonial norms were imprinted like a tattoo, bias buried layers deep in the dermis Read more

By justk, ago

“If You Want An Onion To Keep”

She began reading the sentence again. She was tempted to skim over it but it might have information she’d need. Was this old kitchen wisdom even relevant today? If you want an onion to keep, put it in…. the thought paused as she tried to find the word that wasn’t Read more

By justk, ago

To Forgive Is Not To Forget

All her Jewish friends were posting their amends for Yom Kippur on their socials. Her yoga teacher had said that any big religious holiday was a great time to meditate regardless of your faith. Something about the concentration of energy. Over 15 million people were taking inventory of their sins Read more

By justk, ago

You Must Remember This

How do you make a memory? Seriously. I want the formula. My memories and what I remember are separate universes. I can memorize pages of dialogue within an afternoon but on Monday morning I can’t remember a joke I heard Saturday night. I often get stumped when asked how my Read more

By justk, ago

Outside My Comfort Zone

Public speaking is generally outside most people’s comfort zone. My work involves public speaking in a sense. BUT… usually I’m speaking as someone else. Usually they’re not my words or ideas. Or rarely shared sentiments. But when celebrated acting teacher Margie Haber asks me to be on her podcast it Read more

By justk, ago