Dine' Diva

full of self-love

filled with Beautyway energy

finding comfort in her own skin

she

tied

tsiiyeel

tired of

trying to be anything

                    anyone

                        but the Naadaa ligai Naasht’ezhi

                                      born for Tl’zllani’

                                      Dine’ Diva she is

                        the manifestation of Ancestors

dreams +

prayers +

sweat +

resilience

full

filled

finding

she

tied

tsiiyeel

trembling

                        seeing herself

                        for

                        the

                        first

                        time

This piece is one of my collaborative projects with Crystal Daghaaii (aka Bishdo), with her visual art inspiring my poetic art and vice versa. I love this Indigenous pride and self-confidence in this Bishdo piece, evident in all of her work. You can see and support her art here.  

My second book, Writing to Heal: The Journey Continues, will include this collaborative piece. Our book launch party is exactly one month away, July 5th. Stay tuned for details!

Labyrinth Wisdom

When you step into a labyrinth,

Even the air that hovers above is different.

Still and fresh,

it fills

heart and lungs

with renewal.

Pumping and respiring

Arteries and alveoli

Vigorously awakened

Alert and alive  

 

The labyrinth has much to teach:

Trust in the path before you.

Don’t look too far ahead.

 

Narrow confines are there not to constrict, but to embrace, your journey

 

Solitary can also be communal

Communal can also be solitary

 

The noise in life comes with a volume button: we just have to use it

The beauty in life also comes with a volume button: we just have to use it

 

I had a wonderful invitation from Peter and Deirdre to visit a labyrinth in the Bosque recently. I was curious, as the location they described was within a few strides of trails that I frequently run. They guided me to the location. The noise of I-40 rumbled in the background, but suddenly seemed far away. I played with the volume nob like a toddler, excited to see that I could attenuate (toddler speak for "change") the noise level. 

I was amazed at this gem that I had never seen despite its proximity to where I move. How had I missed it all these years? Life is often like that – we scurry past the “gems” at a speed that makes it easy to miss them.

It also struck me, as I labyrinthed with them, to be open to new insights and learning even with things we feel confident that we know well. Here was a patch of earth that I run more than just about any other, with only 100 yards of Bosque between river and acequia and yet I had no idea the labyrinth existed.

Peter and Deirdre, thank you for the adventure and learning! Labyrinth on!

Norty

A few weeks ago, I had a chance to sit with a dear mentor of mine, Dr. Norty Kalishman.

Norty is one of those people who has done it all – protested injustices, sat on non-profit boards, helped to lead a charitable foundation and lots of things he probably hasn’t told me about. He did all of this while serving his communities as a primary care physician, including a stint where helped lead the New Mexico Department of Health. 

These days, he balances all of the activism with retirement, enjoying life with his wife Summers, gardening, and being an amazing grandparent.

But it was something he asked at the end of the meeting, a seemingly inconsequential question, that caught me off guard.

“Should I send things to your AMSA email?”

I paused in hearing this. Stunned, to be honest.

AMSA stands for the American Medical Student Association, and I was a student leader in AMSA in 2007, trying to address the troubling presence of for-profit interests (e.g. drug companies) in medical education. They even gave me an AMSA email. (Hey, as a medical student, small gifts like this are amazing, as you try to tread water and stay afloat.)

I hadn’t heard those letters in a long time.

That question made me realize how long Norty had been in my life, encouraging and guiding me.

In fact, I recall now that when I came to Albuquerque as an east coast medical student in 2007, a UNM student had given me a few names of community-oriented, radical, activist physicians that I needed to meet.

Norty, meeting all of the above criteria, was on this short list. He had literally helped to welcome me to Burque and this Enchanted Land.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As life speeds ahead, often at a dizzying pace, it can be a sort of amnesia, making it hard to remember the people who have poured into us over years and decades.

Surely, you have people like Norty in your life. 

Take a few moments this week to reflect on the people who have guided your path. Write one of them a letter, give one of them a call, and if they are no longer walking in this life with us, remember them in a way that is meaningful. Let your Nortys know that you are grateful for them.

Norty, thank you for asking the question, and in doing so, helping me to remember. 

Thank you for guiding me these last two decades. 

Thank you for unconditional love and friendship. 

I hope to be like you when I grow up.

p.s. I will share an editorial he co-authored in March on child well-being. Click here

Life's Overwhelming Beauty

Beauty, y’all

    Man, sometimes we look at the vast expanse.

    It’s sort of hard to take it all in.

    It can be intimidating.

    Scary, looking at these depths

It’s also the first moment of seeing the Colorado River after some good hard work to get here.

 

And you also see

You have boulders

Things to hang on to

Things to give you

Shade

Protection

Your loved ones

Creator

It has become an annual ritual for me - running long runs in the Grandest of Canyons, a time to pray and give thanks. I enjoy taking a moment to record something short in the moment, filled with the energy of this magical place and the energy of the movement.

If you want to view the previous years' posts, here they are:

2024: Appreciating the Journey (+ Ourselves) - click here.

2022: Moving from Shade to Sun - click here.

Restorative Practices: Interview with my son

 

Repairing and Forgiveness by Aliana Garcia, 7th Grader at Garfield STEM and Community School. She explains, "This picture represents harm and forgiveness. You have to repair what has happened... Sometimes kids lose friends and sometimes they just need to talk."

I had the chance to interview an important person yesterday.

He happens to be my son.

Bah’Hozhooni is an 8^th grader who is beginning to see his abilities as a leader and his responsibilities to others. Garfield STEM and Community School, nestled in the North Valley, is an incubator for young leaders. The school has made a strong shift to restorative practices in the last years, with a focus “repairing relationships and building stronger communities by prioritizing dialogue and harm repair, rather than punishment, in conflict resolution.”

In doing so, Garfield has gone from a school with notoriously high rates of expelled and suspended students to a school where such actions are almost non-existent. But it is not a top-down approach. Garfield empowers Bah’Hozhooni and his peers to become a part of the restorative culture and practices. They allow students to pick peers who they feel are trustable and these students become “Circle Keepers” who lead restorative circles for their peers. Ms. Erin Chavez leads Circle Keepers trainings on a weekly basis after school.  

Recently, the Circle Keepers got the chance to set up an art exhibit at the UNM School of Education, presenting to future teachers about their work and leading restorative circles. My son and his peers are now college professors!

Here was my interview with the professor:

Q: Tell us about the Circle Keeper program at Garfield Middle School and why you said "yes" to being a part of this group.

Bah'Hoozhoni: The circle keeper program is a group of trusted students that help the school internally. We go over restorative justice and practices, as well as suicide prevention. I didn’t really say yes, but I got put into the advisory class and decided to try it out. 

Q: What things are Circle Keepers trained in?

B: Circle keepers are trained and certified in suicide prevention and restorative practices

Q: What do you think are the biggest ways Circle Keepers and Restorative Practices improve your school?

B: Circle Keepers and Restorative Practices help make the school feel more safe and friendly. We also help improve the overall wellbeing of the students’ minds.

Q: I know you have mentioned the school-to-prison pipeline. What is this and how is your school working to meet this challenge?

B: The school-to-prison pipeline is when students get in trouble and are usually met with a consequence. Usually this consequence is being suspended which can cause students to feel not valuable. This then can cause them to be related in the criminal justice system, especially boys, of color or with disabilities. We as Circle Keepers are trying to keep them away from being suspended and feeling like they are worth something. 

Q: Last question: How do you want to continue using what you have learned as you enter high school?

B: Of course, I would love to continue this great work Ms. Chavez has put into our group and given the knowledge I know, it’s very possible I will see this at my high school next year.

~~~~~~~~~

My son, I am proud of you. I am excited to see how you bring your Circle Keeper knowledge to your next school and into your next years.

To Garfield’s teachers and administration, thank you for giving students a new lens for seeing how they can live in and repair the world.

To all my readers, get over to Hokona Hall on UNM's main campus to see the art exhibit of the amazing Garfield artists. It is up until the end of May.

Togetherness by Lalaine Chavez and Daymian Lovato. They describe, "In the artwork you can see the globe with people on it and on the land patches there are affirmations. The earth is being held by hands with hearts in the background. We chose this topic because we wanted to show how self-love and togetherness are important...self-love is important for your mental health. Our hope for all students and educators is that they will be more aware of people's feelings and help each other out when needed.

Living with Peace by Bah'Hozhooni Fleg and Lucas Sarabia. They explain, "In the artwork you can see nature and beautiful art. There is negative stuff like guns and drugs. They go down to a beautiful waterfall and get turned into peace, love and a flower. Along the border are also the 6 R's of restorative practices. At our school, we have experienced the 6 R's as Circle Keepers as we need to be responsible and respect our peers.

 

Tuesday!

Good morning, good people.

Tuesday has come to be.

A gift that Monday could not promise.

And Tuesday, being a bit selfish, frowns upon us worrying about her sister, Wednesday.

“Stay right here, 

        in this day, 

                in this moment, 

                        in the present that is the present,” she implores.

Tuesday.

What will you make with this opportunity?

If you arrive at Tuesday with a cup close to empty, today is the time to fill that cup. How will you do this? 

Start with a few moments of quiet, a chance to strategize and prioritize how you will fill the cup. 

You deserve this. 

Tuesday has gifted you this opportunity. 

Take her up on that offer to begin filling the cup.

If you arrive at Tuesday with a cup overflowing, celebrate that. Today is the perfect time to share a few drops with those around you.

As I plan my celebratory dance with Tuesday myself, I think of an India Arie song, “Give Thanks”.

“There will never ever be another day just like this day.”

True. Tuesday offers us what no other day in our lives will offer.

She continues,

“So let’s give praise now.”

Enjoy your dance with Tuesday, good people.

Movement is the Song of the Body

If

movement is the song of the body,

what song is your body singing today?

is that song fast or slow?

angry or grateful?

energized like electronic music or exhausted like a slow bluegrass drawl?

Is a blues about what could have been or a love ballad sharing of bliss?

loud like metal, or soft like a lullaby?

complex like a 10-piece band or simple like solo acapella?

 

And

as the body sings

How are you listening?

are you paying attention, hearing the nuances, the phrasing of the notes?

are you hearing the pauses?

are you hearing the notes not played?

do you turn up or down the volume when the song is a cry for help?

 

Thus

move to the beautiful music that your body is singing today

        feel each 

                    note + pause + nuance + cry

                                as you have never felt them before

As you move today, whether for exercise or a break at work, listen in a way you haven't listened in awhile. And consider write your own piece today, starting with the line "If movement is the song of the body..."