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Garden
I see you, Trapped in a pot of earthly expectations, Bound in the fear and insecurity of those who love you, Gasping to breathe free. If I could, I would… Place you to the middle of my garden under the open sky, Tend gently to your roots with all of me, Be the greenhouse in the scorching summer and the freezing…
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The first day of school – aborad
On a warm August morning, the four of us – Baba, Ma, Ton, and I walked into the counselor’s office. Mr. Funk stood tall at nearly six feet with silver-white hair, slight wrinkles on his forehead, and a warm welcoming smile. Baba explained to him how it was imperative that I get admitted into 9th grade so that I…
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E = mc² in Cancun
She stared at me with her eyes wide open in her drunken stupor: “Are you serious?” “Yes.” She broke herself free from my supporting hand. I had helped her up to the room upon receiving a hint from one of our hosts, something the other hostel mates were too kind to admit. Noone particularly enjoys an obnoxiously drunk at their…
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Mountain Daze
2009. Bagga and I had just returned from a 3-day hike of Mount Rinjani. Kranti Singh Bagga was my batchmate in college, and my housemate. He had all the adventurous ideas, and I was the guy who’d always say yes. The hike had been pretty amazing. We saw lava pour down the cinder cone into a lake while having fried…
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Are you tethered to the average?
Growing up, my parents were content with me because I was an above-average student. Eventually, I became an above-average employee, an above-average friend, and husband. Before I knew it, it had become an addiction – to be above average. This expectation that I had set for myself had started to become a deep source of fear and anxiety. It inhibited…
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An hour in an isolation tank
It must have been early May when an old friend of mine shared with me her mystical experience of the isolation tank, also known as the sensory deprivation tank or the floatation tank. The concept was so new and fantastical that I had to try it out. Months later, I was visiting another dear friend in Sterling Heights, Michigan when…
