Living real means recognizing that all of us at one time or another will mess up. We're going to be a part of the conditions that cause hurt for others.
Traveling to new neighborhoods, communities and countries allows you to experience new cultures, new and different ways of showing up, of experiencing life.
I wanted to write a few words of guidance for my daughter, and although this letter began as something solely for her, as I reread it, I realized that it's a letter for all of us -- young, old, daughter, son, mother, father... human. Take what you like, leave the rest behind.
Revere him for being just like you: strong, soft, vulnerable, admirable, respectable, lovable and human, oh-so-human. Revere her for coming to her mat every day to acknowledge her strengths and in turn, her weaknesses; her ego and in turn, her humility; his knowledge and in turn, his ignorance.
Know that she’s looking at times for a soft space to land; to let go without judgment, without being told she needs to be fixed. Without being asked what’s wrong. Without being condemned or looked down upon. Without being made to feel like she’s failed simply for showing another side of herself.