“And then I realized that to be seen by others, I first had to be willing to see myself.” ~Anonymous In a world that teaches us to be visible only when we’re polished, productive, or pleasing, I found something unexpected on the other side of my camera: myself. But not the filtered version. Not the composed one or the…
“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.” ~Eckhart Tolle For years, I thought strength meant pushing through. Getting on with it. Holding it together no matter what. Not showing weakness. Not needing help. Not slowing down. Even when I was diagnosed with a chronic illness, I…
“Sometimes you have to let go of the life you planned to make room for the life that’s waiting for you.” ~Joseph Campbell My new motto? Always have a backup plan. Life rarely goes as you’d imagined. January 16th, 2001. That’s the day my life trajectory changed irrevocably. That’s the day that would lead me to, eventually, living alone—to…
“I will not let the bullies and critics of my early life win by joining and agreeing with them.” ~Pete Walker For most of my life, there was a voice in my head that narrated everything I did, and it was kind of an a**hole. You know the one. That voice that jumps in before you even finish a…
“AI accidentally made me believe in the concept of a human soul by showing me what art looks like without it.” ~Unknown What is intelligence? I’ve asked this question all my life—as a teacher, a filmmaker, a researcher, and now, as someone losing my vision to macular degeneration. I ask it when I watch students find their voice. I…
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” ~Audre Lorde For most of my life, I asked myself a quiet question: What’s wrong with me? I didn’t say it out loud. I didn’t have to. It was stitched into how I moved through the world — hyperaware, self-correcting, and always…
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” ~Henry Ford We’ve all been there: happily ticking off life’s checkboxes, certain we’ve cracked the code, until—bam!—life decides otherwise. Divorce papers, layoffs, grief, or unexpected illness—life’s curveballs don’t discriminate. For me, it was a sudden mystery illness at sixteen. What should have been a simple infection changed the…
“It is one thing to lose people you love. It is another to lose yourself. That is a greater loss.” ~Donna Goddard We didn’t mean to fall into anything romantic. It started as friendship, collaboration, long voice notes about work, life, trauma, and healing. We helped each other solve problems. We gave each other pep talks before difficult meetings….
Hi friends! I’m excited to share that the 2026 Tiny Buddha Day-to-Day Calendar is now available for purchase! And equally thrilling, I just found out my calendar was the number one bestseller in the Mind-Body-Spirit category for the last two years. Uplifting and comforting, this calendar offers daily reflections from me, Tiny Buddha contributors, and other authors whose quotes have…
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are.” ~Maya Angelou There was a time in my life when everything felt heavy, like I was constantly carrying around a weight that no one else could see. I wasn’t in a…
