jlexpa

Grow today

Just because a pandemic is driving us all crazy doesn’t mean you can’t grow today. Try something new: Learn a new language, an unfamiliar musical instrument, paint a painting, write poetry, code, cook a strange dish, blog. Anything. Yes, it will make you feel like you have a dunce hat on, unsure of yourself, a…More

The frontlines of COVID-19—A love letter

To the nurses, EMTs, physicians, staff who are on the front line of this war, thank you for risking and sacrificing health, safety, comfort to ensure our health, safety, and comfort. You even sacrifice time with your family so we can be with ours. You are exposed so that we can be protected. You are…More

Unlearn yourself

You’re not stuck; you just haven’t learned to unlearn yourself. That phrase, “unlearn yourself,” is powerful because it unlocks the potential we all have within us. And it reframes the stories we tell ourselves that hold us back. Our stories define us. And those definitions often trap us. They’re a cage of assumptions and ideas…More

We could have been homeless—A story

It was the end of February, and I was scared. Something was going on in China. It was shrouded and strange but scary. People were getting sick, and many were dying, and it was growing at an alarming rate. I started to suspect that it was already in NYC. “I mean, how could it not…More

Have hope

Everything is in flux. The future is unclear, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have hope. Yes, a virus is ravaging our world, our countries, our neighborhoods, our lives. Fear is everywhere. Last week, I saw a woman open the door with one hand and the other one looked like it was cupping something small…More

Just survive

Thriving is great, but sometimes surviving is the best you can do. Because, you know, life gets crazy. Jobs get lost, companies go out of business, relationships break, people leave us, we get sick—pandemics happen: crazy: Those are the moments that aren’t controllable and cause us great pain. Right now, the world can feel like…More

Get things done when working from home (even with kids)

Working from home can sound fantastic, with all of that freedom and no commute, but it’s not always easy. Sometimes it can feel impossible. But it’s not. Yes, you get to roll out of bed and be at your desk in a couple of steps without even needing to put a shred of clothing on…More

Remembering our way into the future

We used to live next to The Whitney Museum. From our windows we would see long lines of people, snaking around the modern white building, waiting to absorb contemporary art, as the sun set spraying its varied colored glow over the city with sea breeze air wafting in and around the west side streets. Now…More

When you worry, think this

Daily bread. in worrying times, it’s what we need—everyday. It’s less about food and more about frame of mind. It’s about shrinking your fear and growing your faith. When we worry, stress, or fret about the present, the future, whether there’s a pandemic or not, daily bread sets our mind aright. It keeps us focused…More

Keeping perspective in crisis: This too shall pass

Yes, I’m afraid. But my fleeting fear rests on this fact: This too shall pass. Coronavirus should be taken seriously. We shouldn’t just keep on hanging out with all of our cohorts, sharing food, drinks, laughs in a crowded space, spraying respiratory droplets all over each other like we’re watering the lawn. Gross, but true.…More