The World at our Table: How will we welcome them?

I took my seat in the makeshift meeting room around a big table, preparing to give a health talk to the refugees supported by Umoja. 

This organization was founded by Chantal Muhumure to empower refugee women, and is housed by St. Timothy’s church. Umoja (meaning “unity” in Swahili) offers vocational training, drivers education, English classes and health/wellness support.

On my side, the room continued to fill up with men, while a colleague prepared to speak to the women. Due to many of the attendees using public transportation, arriving on time was not as easy for them as it was for me, using my car.

Nothing was easy for these men, as I came to appreciate through their stories.

Introductions came first.

Countries around our table: Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Guatemala, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Languages spoken: Persian, Pashto, Arabic, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Thai and Spanish.

Escaping from war and ethnic violence, each of these men had an incredible story of how they got to be here in New Mexico.

“We have the entire world at this table,” I reflected to them, as translators amongst us and Google translate did the work to get my message to each of them.

“What a beautiful thing, to look around this table and see how each of you have come to be here.”

I paused.

“I hope that our country shows you a welcome, a path toward being successful here, toward feeling a part of America.”

They shared openly and honestly about their fear in this moment. One shared that it was akin to being in someone’s house but fearing that the initial welcome wasn’t the reality. 

Unsure whether this country wants them or simply wants them deported.

The U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program, abruptly suspended in a matter of weeks. (Lawsuit challenging this was filed February 10^th.)

These men were years and even decades into working through programs and processes to get to right here, at this table.

And the door was slamming shut on the support we promised to provide.

I looked around the table again, a glimpse of “the world” right here at America’s doorstep.

Dreams and hopes of escaping violence and genocide. Dreams and hopes of being a part of the American fabric.

Turning inward, I felt a deep sadness in thinking about the “welcome” we are providing our refugees and immigrants.

Suddenly, my health talk didn’t seem all that important.

Run Your Race Today

As the day begins,

You lace up your shoes

Breathe deep

Give thanks

Toe the starting line

Off you go

Just run your race today

Letting go of other’s expectations or outside pressures

Run your race

At times you will be at full speed, sprinting like a child on the beach racing to water’s edge

At other times, you may slow to a trot, akin to kids’ speed when called to the kitchen to do the dishes

Just run your race today

Invite others to run alongside you; races of one aren't a whole lot of fun

Run your race

Give thanks for all that you are, perfectly you

Glow the radiance that is uniquely yours

Let your light shine, like the New Mexico sky

Smile big

Laugh lots

Play often

Run your race

Enjoy the journey, each and every step

A recent run (not race) with friends Dewayne, Chokri, Mike and Solomon under the gorgeous NM sky.

Antidotes for Fear

There is a lot of fear in the air.

In my personal sphere, my middle schooler came home telling me they spent a lesson on what Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) does and knowing their Constitutional rights if approached.

My father, a career public servant with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suddenly lives in a land where science and those who make the science are threatened and thwarted.

A physician colleague shared that their clinic’s staff meeting was consumed with what to do if ICE shows up at their front door.

A community activist colleague texted me frantically, that same day, “I am hearing reports that ICE is currently at your hospital. Can you confirm this?”

Even our land’s original citizens have not been spared. The Navajo Nation sent out a warning for their citizens, reporting that some have already been wrongly detained when they cannot provide documentation of who they are. In the press release:

“Despite possessing Certificates of Indian Blood (CIBs) and state-issued IDs, several individuals have been detained or questioned by ICE agents who do not recognize these documents as valid proof of citizenship.”

My wife, a Dine’ (Navajo) woman lies in bed worrying about what she would do if confronted, and whether or not she would be believed, knowing full well the history of violence and erasure this country has inflicted on her people.

As a physician, I am deeply saddened to see all of this. I know this is an unhealthy situation that is causing needless harm.

As a citizen, I am saddened but not surprised to see where our mis-guided leaders are trying to take us. Fear has a tight grip on them and they are reacting by passing along their fear to the rest of us. (It doesn’t hurt that fear is also a really effective way to get votes)

So, what do we do? What can we do?

I have five thoughts to share on this.

#1 – Connect

We must find ways to connect to Life, as fear strives to disconnect us from the land, from one another, and from Creator. I ask myself, “Will I spend more time in fear or in gratitude today?” Ultimately, each of us determines that answer for ourselves.

#2 – Talk with others

Talk about how you are feeling with those around you. Not on social media, but real in-person conversations to share and empathize. With each of these conversations, fear recedes a bit further.

#3 – Consume news in small amounts

Be mindful of how much news you consume in this moment, knowing that all media, far left to far right, thrives on fear. Keep informed, yes. But in small doses that are compatible with your wellness.

#4 – Fill your airwaves with hope, love, humor, etc.

As the complement to #3, we need to put the opposite of fear into our earbuds and personal airwaves. What books, for instance, remind you of your deepest ideals? A great time to pick them up, dust them off, and read them for a ump-teenth time. A book of Mother Teresa quotes and another on undoing racism are ones by my bedside at the moment. But if Calvin and Hobbs or Trevor Noah are more what you are needing, going the way of humor is never a bad decision either.

#5 – Serve others

Reach beyond your comfort zone to those who are our neighbors, those who are in need of love and clothes and a warm cup of soup. In opening our arms to those around us, we subdue and defeat fear. Do something radical this week, out of the norm for yourself, to reach out and serve someone, maybe a complete stranger. It is impossible, I have found, to be fearful in moments where I am in service to others.

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Thank you for allowing me to share. I feel the fear diminishing already, as I think about where to place my energies today.

I will close with a beautiful quote by the late Civil Rights leader and US Congressman John Lewis, as I practice #4 above, listening to those guiding lights in my life:

“There is an old African proverb, ‘When you pray, move your feet.’ 

As a nation if we care for the Beloved Community, we must move

our feet,

our hands,

our hearts,

our resources

to build and not to tear down,

to reconcile and not to divide,

to love and not to hate,

to heal and not to kill.” 

Book #2 is on its way!

We began talking about making an audiobook version of the first book. 

We even started recording a few of the pieces. But my heart wasn’t into it. These were pieces from the early days and weeks and months of the pandemic. 

Reading them now didn’t seem all that exciting. And if I wasn’t that excited about them, how was I going to get others excited to listen to them?

Deep breath.

But, what if we used this momentum to work on a 2^nd book, one with new material and a chance to take Writing to Heal in some new directions? And with an audiobook version as well.

With that pivot, this project of book #2, Writing to Heal: The Journey Continues began. 

Today, we share the front cover with you all, with art by Crystal Daghaa'ii. She and her family has been my family since I arrived in Tuba City 23 years ago. and I am excited to highlight her work in this book, both with the cover and with pieces within the book. 

There are two other artists featured in the book – Mallery Quetawki (who did the front cover for book #1) and Lindsey Hancock. Art is alive and well in Writing to Heal: The Journey Continues.

I will spin this into a useable nugget for my wonderful readers: when life gives you one of these moments, even this week, turn the dead-end into a new opportunity. 

When your heart is telling you a project is not worth pursuing, take that deep breath and realize that far from a dead-end, there are lots of exit ramps and turn-offs in front of you. Lots of options of where to turn. And don’t underestimate the importance of momentum, of already being in motion toward something. In my case, we harnessed the fact that we were already moving toward a new project to fuel the new book.

Pre-Sales of Writing to Heal: The Journey Continues are available through Community Publishing for $20. Click here

For those audiobook fans, we will release the audiobook version in the next months.

Spelling Bee Inspiration for the New Year

Hi good people.

A new year is here.

It even feels like winter today in the 505.

So, what should we talk about today?

Something random?

Something inspirational?

Something both random and inspirational?

So….

I was asked to serve as a judge for an elementary school spelling bee recently. It checked off something that had been on my bucket list for years, so I decided to say yes.

The school library was transformed into a spelling bee space. Announcer on a sound system. Nervous students with their nervous parents seated behind them as a studio audience. And a list of official do’s and don’ts to conform to the Scripps National Spelling Bee rules. “If you rub your nose to the right, and only do it once, that won’t disqualify you. However, if you rub it more than once, rub to the left, or pick it…”

The wonderful little ones came up one by one and spelled their words. Some words obscure and obsolete. Others that intimidated me (e.g. ones longer than four letters). Luckily for me, I had a cheat sheet or I might have been in trouble in the later rounds.

When they got a word right, they went back to their seats. If they missed the word, they went to sit in a group of chairs on the side.

Eventually, one speller remained.

Confetti letters showered down from the ceiling.

The ESPN reporter rushed in to get a post-game interview.

Parents googled words like “acquiesce” and “fuchsia” on their phones to see if their child was erroneously exited from the competition.

Here’s the inspiration part, my friends.

The kids in this spelling bee walked into the room knowing that their chances of winning were slim. If they were really advanced in elementary math, they might have figured out it was about 5%.

Many of us walk the other way when presented with a challenge that gives us a 5% chance of winning. We think about the 95% chance that we will lose and say “no thanks”.

Today, this week, this month, and this year, may we be courageous in accepting challenges. May we challenge the math and instead see a 100% chance of growth in the spelling bee opportunities that 2025 presents.

Just don’t make the mistake of rubbing your nose the wrong way.

Two Questions...

Two weeks left in 2024.

Two questions to consider:

1) How do you want to arrive at 2025?

Who do you want to be when you open the door into 2025’s embrace?

Most of us tend to wait for the new year to arrive without as much emphasis on how we want to arrive at the new year.

In this equation, the certain part is that 2025 will be here in a finite number of days (16), hours (384), and minutes (23,040). The variable in the equation, the thing that can be changed, is how we will arrive to greet 2025 when the clock hits midnight on 12.31.

Admittedly, the finite part of the equation (16 days until 2025) can create pressure to change things about ourselves in a tight time window, so let’s first resolve to not play that stressful game.

Instead, let’s have fun with the image of who we want to be when we open that door to 2025. Answers like, “I want to be in a place that is more calm and slow than I am in currently,” are not only concrete and attainable, but they also inform our second question…

2) How and where will you spend your energy in these last days of the year?

So, having considered how we want to arrive at 2025, we can now get to work on our game plan for making that happen.

Imagine for a moment that the next two weeks are focused only on making intentional decisions around what is best for you, what you need for rejuvenation. Write down what how and where you would spend your energy – this is list #1.

Now, make a second list of the family, work, travel, etc. obligations for the next two weeks, noting which things are set and which ones are negotiable – this is list #2.

In a 2023 poll of Americans, 50% of people find the holidays stressful. I think a significant part of this is that we tend to let list #2 control how the last weeks of the year are spent, sometimes to the point that we don’t even get around to making list #1. Or if we make the list of what we need for ourselves during this time, it becomes a far lower priority. As in, remembering on New Year’s Eve, “Oh yeah, those were the things I was hoping to do to feed my soul and heal in these last weeks. Where did the time go?”

What if, in these last weeks of 2024, you have the courage to make list #1 a priority, finding ways to make list #2 support, not defeat, your personal goals for the holidays?

Put the two lists side by side and see what comes to mind. Could you modify list #2 right now so that it was more consistent with supporting list #1?

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I hope these two questions allow you to strategize for a healthy holidays and look forward to seeing you in 2025. 

A very happy winter break and winter holidays to each of you!

 

p.s. I hope the Litmus family, wherever they may be, is excited that I chose their GIF for today's blog. And if you happen to see them, let them know about the two questions above, please.

And with only one shoe...

Imagine…

It is the biggest race of your year, with everything on the line.

On either side of you are hundreds of the best runners in the country.

About halfway into the 6-mile race, suddenly, unexpectedly, one of your shoes has come off.

You suddenly become aware of the cold ground on this overcast 35-degree day in Wisconsin.

Your balance is off, with right foot having a shoe and left foot bare.

How many seconds would it take before quitting the race?

How many steps on that frozen ground before limping to the sideline?

 

This scenario played out for Habtom Samuel, an Eritrean sophomore for the UNM Lobos at the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 23^rd.

At the halfway point of the course, running with the lead pack, he lost his left shoe after being “spiked” by another runner and had a decision to make. Drop out or keep running?

Well, for Habtom, there was never any decision.

I asked him if he considered dropping out and here was his response:

“Honestly, quitting never crossed my mind. I was determined to keep going and give my all of my team, no matter what.”

Not only did Habtom run lopsided with a bloodied foot on the frozen ground for the last 3 miles of the race against the best in the country, but he finished 2^nd in the race. He ran 14:07 for the second half of the race, 4:30 per mile. And in doing so, he helped his UNM team to a 9th place finish.

As he crossed the line, he pointed to his bare, bloodied left foot as if to say, “See what I did despite this!”

Habtom, we are inspired by you and your perseverance.

May we find that same resolve to not give up today, this week, this month when adversity hits us halfway through our race. Instead of asking “Why now?” and “Why me?” you remind us to change the questions to a declaration: "Yes, I can! Si se puede!"

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Extra: Interview with Habtom post-race as he talks about running with one shoe - click here

A picture from this fall, where Habtom came out to share with our Running Medicine youth and families. He shared that it felt like being back home in his village, surrounded by love and laughter.