Meditations: Life lessons at 28

In my meditations, I reflect on moments during my dance journey, volunteering work in dementia care, work as a psychologist, and more.

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I have learned that life can be both fuller or lonelier than it looks from the outside. That you can be accomplished yet still feel empty at the end of a day.

I have learned that grief doesn't follow a timeline. The loss of an individual or the loss of a potential future together. A friend, a family member, a pet or a lover. It all lives together without resolving neatly.

I have learned healing always takes longer than the inflicting of pain. A fall could happen withing seconds, but its pain can be felt for weeks, the closing of the wound months and the fading of the scar years. And only the phyisical wounds have medications to rush that process.

I have learned that small things matter enormously. That catching a comment that seemed to have vanished in the air can make someone feel seen. That leaving a small note with a candy on one's desk can make them feel sweet like the candy. That gestures don't have to be big or take a lot of time, just your attention.

I have learned that love is stubborn. That you can know something is a dead end with your whole brain and your heart still lights a candle for it late at night. That a person can rebuild themselves after heartbreak into something more rooted than before, and still miss who they were when they were most open. That longing for a home with someone is one of the most human things there is. Not weakness, not needines. Just the oldest wish in the book.

I have learned that the body keeps score. That what I consume with my body and mind must move around and affect the inside and therefore how we feel. That avoiding poison can not only be consumed with the mouth, but also with eyes and ears.

I have learned God is everywhere. That some people find God in a mosque or a church, and some find it in a mandir with a handful of devotees and a stage that's almost too small. That to see God, you must be present. And that through art, music and dance, I experience being there.

I have learned that becoming yourself is ongoing and nonlinear. That 28 can feel both late and early at the same time. That following the path written by ancient stars might be a better idea than following the one you wrote yourself. And that some people can carry more than they show. And can do it with grace, even when it costs them.