On Losing Paul

On Losing Paul

There are people who know you, and then there are people who see you. Paul saw me. During a hard time in my life, when it would have been easy to step back, he didn’t. He just kept showing up. That’s all I need to say about that, and it’s everything. He was one of the...
The Divide Walked Into a Therapy Room. Nobody Flinched.

The Divide Walked Into a Therapy Room. Nobody Flinched.

I was watching Couples Therapy, Season 3, Episode 10, when something stopped me cold. The therapist is Israeli. Her patient is Palestinian, from Ramallah. At some point during the session, the therapist mentions that she is Israeli. The patient responds: I know. Sit...
The Decoding Happens After You Get Hit

The Decoding Happens After You Get Hit

I thought we had the same definition of friendship. That is the thing about assumptions – they are invisible until they are not. Two people can use the same word, mean entirely different things, and walk alongside each other for years before the gap becomes visible....
The Ones Who Made It Through

The Ones Who Made It Through

Marjane Satrapi died today. Aged 56. Of sadness, according to those who loved her, a little over a year after the death of her husband, the love of her life. She survived the Islamic Revolution. She survived exile. She survived the war inside herself long enough to...