seasons.
oh, these beautiful season changes...from the heat of summer to the easy sleeping breezes, whisking us towards the coming kolkata winter. the constant sweating has ceased. there's a sari bari blanket in use on my bed. and i have the desire to drink hot tea in the evenings again...as memories of may's heat fade away, my mind relaxes into the november sunlight and stretches out to see whats ahead. i love this season.
and yet, my mind's turned often to the color changes of my indiana home. cold november air. harvest remnants. layers of oranges, reds, yellows, temporary palettes. slippers and sweatpants. signs of the season's changes.
signs paralleling rich coloring palettes of my own.
i could blame my lack of communication on schedule's iron fist, or maybe my own lack of enthusiasm has left a blank slate rounding now towards 4 months of silence. but i'd like to remedy that, in the hopes of sharing again. i've often given myself the proverbial pep talk...writing witty antidotes, memorable quotes, candid city shots in my mind...but then i remain waiting for the right time, the right words, the right inspiration to hit. perhaps then i'd actually get it down to pen and paper (or key to macbook)...but the task of catching up on all that has happened in the last four months has been daunting, foreboding, and sensory overloaded. new introductions and 19 new sisters to add on our sari bari family tree, travels and goodbyes, sickness that has left us all a little more raw...so it will have to suffice to say, that it has been a difficult, powerful, life giving, and heart breaking last season. and from here i step forward. interested to have you rejoin the journey, ready to invite you back in.

i'll leave you with two things this evening...my amazing north american community...
i'd like to introduce you to: Kyle, Sarah, Anna, Asha, Brent and Melinda. dear sweet friends in a sometimes very lonely place... second...a little reflection from my time on the metro a few days back...ah the things we can learn about ourselves from crowded train cars...and yes, sometimes i do cut in front of old ladies...yes, still working towards transformation...

Shoulder brushes-shoved. Aligned. Removed. Unseen?
Move Aside. I'm out the door again.
Simple ride on the metro, turned fight for ones dignity.
Right to space does not exist.
Right to hold on. Stand tall. Falls under foot.
And the sliding doors give birth to a chance at humanty again.
And again...shoulder to shoulder. Shoved Removed. Unseen.
Ah but what a smile could do. Eye to eye, reminders of human life.
Easy to want to forget.
Caught in the act, aversion of the created.
Treat as Treated...adopted motto of survival.
Where's honor's space in that?
Because when its all said and done,
its really only 2 more seconds i've saved at the turn stile line...