The Strong Weak Plant

Two months ago a coworker put a dying plant on my desk and wrote "Take care of her" on a stickie note. I watched the leaves browned and died. And I watched as a tiny shoot came up from the side. The first thing I did every morning was to check on this little plant. …

The Hardest Two-Letter Word

Two years ago a friend described me as "delicate" in a birthday card. I wasn't sure how I felt to be likened to fine china. Something that was fragile, easily broken and nothing more to be put on top of a shelf to be displayed didn't seem very practical to me. This is going to …

Tamed flowers

The night before I flew back home from LA, my friend said to me, "Michelle, you are free to choose." I chewed on these words for the last two months while she has no memory of saying them. Freedom and choice. Without trying to spoil it, one of the lines that came up several times …

The Daily Grind

Recently I reconnected with a dear friend who had chosen to settle her life overseas, alone and away from her family. In our chat, she shared about the fear of letting life pass by. Mankind, intended to be imaginative and free, have such potential to imagine its own future. Though in a fallen world, this …

Kitchen Fits

A week ago I sat across from a lady who just lost a baby. It was not something I expected to hear walking into that lunch. We shared and cried. And ate rainbow yam fries. We laughed, hugged, prayed and walked back to her office. Last night I had dinner with a couple who, while …

Couched

Breadmaking is among the list of favourite things to do. I have in no way mastered the art of kneading but I do enjoy it a lot. I'm not a fan of olives and don't really like to eat them on their own but I relish the savoury taste olives bring to bread. So today …

Earthworm, Baby Shoot & Repotting

Early yesterday I wondered about the soil of my heart. I wondered how it was doing. Later in the afternoon, my boss came into the room to talk about one of the most challenging students I have. She told me not to feel discouraged because the soil of our hearts changes from day to day. …

Don’t Judge A Flower By Its Withering

I was notified of an app recently that uses artificial intelligences to help you find out the names of every plant picture that you take. I've decided to go old-school right now and hold-off downloading it. I have no idea what those pink flowers are so I'll just refer to them as...the pink flowers. The …

Warning: Hot Birthday Mess and Tears

On the last day of my 25th, I wanted to do nothing but cook a large meal for people that I want to spend the night with...and then spend my birthday doing nothing. So I did just that. On the day of my birthday, I did nothing but spent time with those closest to my …

A Quiet Phnom Penh Masala

Over the last four days I got to spend some time in a kitchen in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Cambodia has a very special place on my heart, but I have yet to discover why. I know only in part. For now, visiting Phnom Penh always is to visit a very special friend, Raju who had …