Pandemic Days
The day I went in for my first ultrasound with Henry was the day the first patient died in Washington at the hospital where I had given birth to Sofie and planned to give birth to Henry. I didn’t know… Read More »Pandemic Days
sarah
The plucking vortex
When a Persian woman goes into the bathroom or sees a mirror, she will more than likely notice a stray eyebrow hair. This is inevitable, considering that Persian women spend much of their lives working on the shape of their… Read More »The plucking vortex
a day of travel
I’m sitting in the back of my dad’s truck, holding Sofie’s hand over Henry, sleeping in his car seat. I have a pit in my stomach. We’re on our way to the airport after a long holiday to visit my… Read More »a day of travel
It’s time for true conversation
“You shouldn’t tell anyone where I’m from.” Those words of my mother’s will always stick with me. It was just after 9/11, and my mom was worried about the political climate. She was worried about the treatment we might receive… Read More »It’s time for true conversation
An adventure for donuts
Fog is lifting from the streets, and the sun begins to shine over the city. It’s 7:30 AM, and we are bundled in warm, athletic clothing for a walk. The air is chilled. The feeling of a million tiny icicles… Read More »An adventure for donuts
Dance
Stop counting. Stop thinking about the steps in your head. Stop waiting for the audience applause. This is about feeling. The feeling of your feet in the dirty, the weight of your shoulders pressing, dropping, the stretch in your neck… Read More »Dance
a Letter to my daughter on her third birthday
My Dear Sofie, As I write this, my heart is beating out of my chest, and I can only hope that nobody in this room has noticed yet. In a few hours, you’ll officially be three years old. I am… Read More »a Letter to my daughter on her third birthday
Swan Lake
Swan Lake is one of my favorite classical ballets. Does that make me basic? If it does then I have two things to say. The first is that I hate the word basic. Why do we judge each other with… Read More »Swan Lake
I didn’t think nice was nice… at first.
By the time we had gotten all of our things into the taxi and were on our way to the train station in the pink morning light, I no longer wanted to leave Paris. The weather was finally turning cool… Read More »I didn’t think nice was nice… at first.
Dreaming of a scotland morning
I’m not sure what triggered it, but I suddenly got very nostalgic for Scotland this morning. It’s been happening a lot lately as the fear of not being able to travel has turned into a question of will we ever… Read More »Dreaming of a scotland morning