“Lest my way of life sound puritanical or austere, I always emphasize that in the long run one can’t satisfactorily say no to war, violence, and injustice unless one is simultaneously saying yes to life, love, and laughter.
To what end do we work if, at the end of each day, we cannot find the strength to raise our eyes above the mud?”
– David Dellinger (Yale class of 1936 fiftieth reunion book)
india on my mind…
embracing the chaos of my other hometown, and a short list of things to love about south asia…
here is a powerful investigative article about sexual abuse in amish families. it’s not an easy topic to read about, but i think it needs to be heard. sexual abuse is one of my passions, and it’s found in every kind of family…
that getting a dog can be one of the best decisions you ever make. it’s a bit cheaper than therapy, too.
maximum city
today on fresh air, terri gross interviewed suketu mehta, who just wrote a book about bombay, “the largest city on the planet”…funny – in the six months i lived there, i never realized that it was actually THE largest megacity in the world. i was fascinated by the interview, and i think you may find it interesting even without my personal bias toward india. it’s worth it to listen just for his accent.
i’ve been going through a stage of homesickness for mumbai recently. i don’t doubt that it is related to the fact that daniel and i are leaping into home ownership, which means that we’ll be building some form of stability in columbus. i always thought that i would be a wanderer, with no real geographic roots. but i think that maybe putting down roots could possibly be the riskier calling…yadda, yadda, yadda. i may be craving real samosas and overcrowded commuter trains, but there’s also a huge part of me that can’t wait to have a real home that’s large enough for all of our friends, and has room in the backyard for a communal garden. AND, we’re getting the closest thing to my ideal neighborhood that central ohio has to offer.
still, someday we just might make it to a city where we can get rid of our car.
need a date on friday?
oy. i had a post up last night and this morning about human rights day, but it seems someone has hacked into my blogger and made it disappear.
anyway, on december 10, 1948, the united nations general assembly adopted the universal declaration of human rights. for a simpler version, go here. this is so, so important, in my humble opinion, and encompasses so many of the things we have a responsibility to shout out about. (sorry about the dangling preposition!) to mark its importance, would any of you like to join me on friday night to observe the day? maybe we could watch a couple of films, write a few letters, step outside of ourselves for awhile. any other ideas? anyone up for it?
we’re not really doing christmas presents this year. but if anyone ever has any other reason to get me a gift, this would be quite lovely.
it’s been so long since i’ve actually written anything substantial here. i’ve been finding myself hungering for deeper thoughts than pictures of our house and details of our lives. the blog phenomenon continues to leave me in a bit of conflict – i know that our families like to hear the details, and it makes it easier to keep in touch on a regular basis. but i also started blogging originally to provide discipline for writing. so. i guess i have little choice but to keep trying to strike a balance. 😉
daniel and i finished a 5K today – the jingle bell run. it isn’t nearly as impressive as it sounds – we walked most of the way and finished in 48 minutes. but we did have a chance to brainstorm ways to improve our health and general fitness, which we’ve pretty much been neglecting for months. so, we are officially attempting to cut most refined sugar out of our diet, and are beginning what i will call “the great pack your own lunch experiment.” as for our mental health, we’re also putting into motion the “we will only watch non-fiction and foreign films dvd’s for the next month and see how many more brain cells we can kick into action,” experiment, right after we finish watching the movies we got from the library yesterday. one of those is the original “alfie” with michael caine. i highly recommend it, but be forewarned that it will most likely leave you analyzing the impact of ultimate selfishness on one and everyone in one’s world…
in the name of stepping out of selfishness, let me introduce you to write for rights, amnesty international’s annual letter writing marathon. it takes place next week, so please take a few minutes to at least educate yourself on what’s happening around the world right now, and just maybe take a few minutes more to send an appeal.
well, it’s time to shower and then take off for advent with our lovely columbus family. happy sunday!
thanks to angie for pointing me to this quiz, which made me very happy…
Take the quiz: “Which American City Are You?”
San Francisco
Liberal and proud, you’ll live your lifestyle however you choose in the face of all that would supress you.
joyful girl 
