Whenever I think about the incredible people I have access to, just because I was lucky enough to join this community, it’s almost hard to believe. And you, Karena, are right at the top. 👑
Thank you for so many great moments and for all the support you've always given me, which I’m sure you’ll continue to give for many, many years! 😊
Danny! From the start of WoP7. You are an amazing community leader, and a terrific example to your son. And yes, here for you anytime. And isn't that the unspoken pact of WoP?
PS. You'll appreciate this .... this photo was taken either in Sintra or Lisboa.
Reading this feels like unwrapping a gift that someone left on my doorstep, but the card only says, 'To the next you.' Makes me imagine of cloaks we're all quietly stitching together, one hidden thread at a time
We barely interacted through WOP but I still want to leave a comment anyway. Your essay reminded me of why I joined WOP, I needed it. I went back to look at my essay and I wrote that I wanted to write about community building. When in reality the thing that I needed was a space to process my identity changes and self perception, which is exactly what I got out of WOP.
Thank you, Nat! Thank you for stopping by and seeing yourself in this essay. It took a while for me to realize what was happening to me. I fought it at first -- because hey, I'm a good girl I am and I do my homework. Little did I realize what that homework was doing to me!
I’ve loved our few interactions in Write of Passage and more importantly, following your work here. Your words about graduation gave me the idea that really we parents need a graduation party of our own. At every big stage really. When my son turned 1 I joked that his birthday party was really for me to celebrate me keeping him alive for a full year Cz that first day in the hospital it felt unimaginable that I’d be able to do that.
I totally agree, Perzen! The first birthday belongs to the parents, and I high five them for keeping this child alive, and themselves sane. Remember to savour some of these crazy impossible moments of your life at present, and hold the memories close to your heart.
From the moment you entered Write of Passage with your family stories, scrumptious recipes and mouth-watering stories, you made an impact. You brought so much wonderful energy as you talked about a plate of food none of us could touch, but now could imagine!
I'm from Goa, and your Mumma's prawn curry is up there as a favourite recipe.
"What I discovered restored my faith in humanity." You played a big role in restoring that faith through the Write of Passage experience Karena. Thank you for being my first kind, compassionate, and skillful editor there!
Aww, thanks, Rick! It is the whole community. We each came to give the best of ourselves so that others could become better. And we walked away transformed. That is such a good feeling!
Beautiful and insightful. Thanks for sharing this. I too have made a meal of deconstructing and reconstructing my identity. I believe being conscious in this process is one of our most powerful human experiences. ☺️
Little did I know what would happen this morning in the waiting room for a medical checkup when I started reading your piece (I drag pen and paper of some sort everywhere I go ha). By page 4 my eyes were starting to get a bit watery, by page 5 I was glad everyone else was locked into their screens…with me close to breaking into tears. Thank you for describing and reflecting back to me a lot of the emotional stages I have already (or will!) become so familiar with (as a mother to an increasingly independent teen, and as a daughter.)
I don't know if I should say "I'm sorry", Brigitte! But I will say thank you for stopping by and being moved by my (selfish) post. In hindsight, I wrote it mostly for me. And to say thanks to the many people in WoP who have imprinted their generosity on my life journey.
I wish you lots of luck on your parallel or two-steps behind journey. I hope it gives you hope and ideas on how to enjoy your time with your loved ones.
"My heart was breaking into a million little pieces. I’d just kissed my child goodbye as he boarded a flight to Singapore, to freedom and autonomy. As I loosened the invisible Cloak of Protection that I had placed on him since his birth, a clasp came off in my hand. I blessed him and let him go." LOVE THIS!
I stumbled onto this beautiful essay in Notes today. As soon as I see anything with the words, Write of Passage, I immediately want to read. I recently graduated from cohort 13 and find that my brain has not yet processed so many of its deeper wells. Thank you for writing this as it encourages me to write my own After Passage piece. Wonderful!
Thank you Rachel. I recommend sitting with the full experience of WoP for a few days, allowing it to marinate and then reflect. I was very lucky to have been here since WoP7 in the capacity of either student, editor or community lead for seven cohorts. That is a lot of essays. And a lot of wonderful people with amazing ideas.
I also took a sneak peak at your substack. I love the idea of mosaics, enjoyed the story of how you started, and look forward to discovering more of your writing.
Ah, but now you know! And now you can join other community gym sessions and get the same experience. Because the writers in WoP are still around. It is the community who make the gyms as special as they are!
Your ability to connect dots and follow golden threads continues to astonish me. What a lovely piece--and I'm thrilled you continue to grow and learn, because we are all the beneficiaries!
Beautiful reflection! I’m so happy Write of Passage brought you into my life. You inspire me in so many different ways and my own growth through the whole process has been supported by you from so many different angles!
Thank you, Michelle. I was encouraged to write by Vicky, Meghan Goering, Charlie Bleecker and others. I was paying it forward. I learn so much by watching how your age navigate life and embrace new opportunities.
And. We need more female voices on the internet. We need a diversity of experiences and cultures and ages writing so that we can come up with more ideas that will change society.
Karena, I’ve read your beautiful essay twice now and it’s still contributing. You are an incredible human being and a massive contribution to so many of us and to the world. Writing your way through rites of passage to process the meaning, to discover new meaning, will stay with me. Thank you and I look forward to remaining in touch! ❤️🙏
James - I think you first found my substack through someone else's comment. And thus has begun a great friendship with someone I am still to meet in real life.
You write about and model this mentoring and generosity. The way you structure your business is testament to that. You are part of Tribe Tilt, so this will continue!
Whenever I think about the incredible people I have access to, just because I was lucky enough to join this community, it’s almost hard to believe. And you, Karena, are right at the top. 👑
Thank you for so many great moments and for all the support you've always given me, which I’m sure you’ll continue to give for many, many years! 😊
Danny! From the start of WoP7. You are an amazing community leader, and a terrific example to your son. And yes, here for you anytime. And isn't that the unspoken pact of WoP?
PS. You'll appreciate this .... this photo was taken either in Sintra or Lisboa.
Yes, Palacio da Pena , Sintra. 😎
Thank you for sharing, and for being such a good friend! 😊
Reading this feels like unwrapping a gift that someone left on my doorstep, but the card only says, 'To the next you.' Makes me imagine of cloaks we're all quietly stitching together, one hidden thread at a time
That is the beauty of cloaks! What a wonderful way to receive my essay, KZ.
We barely interacted through WOP but I still want to leave a comment anyway. Your essay reminded me of why I joined WOP, I needed it. I went back to look at my essay and I wrote that I wanted to write about community building. When in reality the thing that I needed was a space to process my identity changes and self perception, which is exactly what I got out of WOP.
* sorry I meant I went back to look at my application and realised I originally intended to write about community building
Thank you, Nat! Thank you for stopping by and seeing yourself in this essay. It took a while for me to realize what was happening to me. I fought it at first -- because hey, I'm a good girl I am and I do my homework. Little did I realize what that homework was doing to me!
I’ve loved our few interactions in Write of Passage and more importantly, following your work here. Your words about graduation gave me the idea that really we parents need a graduation party of our own. At every big stage really. When my son turned 1 I joked that his birthday party was really for me to celebrate me keeping him alive for a full year Cz that first day in the hospital it felt unimaginable that I’d be able to do that.
I totally agree, Perzen! The first birthday belongs to the parents, and I high five them for keeping this child alive, and themselves sane. Remember to savour some of these crazy impossible moments of your life at present, and hold the memories close to your heart.
From the moment you entered Write of Passage with your family stories, scrumptious recipes and mouth-watering stories, you made an impact. You brought so much wonderful energy as you talked about a plate of food none of us could touch, but now could imagine!
I'm from Goa, and your Mumma's prawn curry is up there as a favourite recipe.
"What I discovered restored my faith in humanity." You played a big role in restoring that faith through the Write of Passage experience Karena. Thank you for being my first kind, compassionate, and skillful editor there!
Aww, thanks, Rick! It is the whole community. We each came to give the best of ourselves so that others could become better. And we walked away transformed. That is such a good feeling!
I miss WoP already. Will there be a sequel?
Beautiful and insightful. Thanks for sharing this. I too have made a meal of deconstructing and reconstructing my identity. I believe being conscious in this process is one of our most powerful human experiences. ☺️
Little did I know what would happen this morning in the waiting room for a medical checkup when I started reading your piece (I drag pen and paper of some sort everywhere I go ha). By page 4 my eyes were starting to get a bit watery, by page 5 I was glad everyone else was locked into their screens…with me close to breaking into tears. Thank you for describing and reflecting back to me a lot of the emotional stages I have already (or will!) become so familiar with (as a mother to an increasingly independent teen, and as a daughter.)
I don't know if I should say "I'm sorry", Brigitte! But I will say thank you for stopping by and being moved by my (selfish) post. In hindsight, I wrote it mostly for me. And to say thanks to the many people in WoP who have imprinted their generosity on my life journey.
I wish you lots of luck on your parallel or two-steps behind journey. I hope it gives you hope and ideas on how to enjoy your time with your loved ones.
"My heart was breaking into a million little pieces. I’d just kissed my child goodbye as he boarded a flight to Singapore, to freedom and autonomy. As I loosened the invisible Cloak of Protection that I had placed on him since his birth, a clasp came off in my hand. I blessed him and let him go." LOVE THIS!
I stumbled onto this beautiful essay in Notes today. As soon as I see anything with the words, Write of Passage, I immediately want to read. I recently graduated from cohort 13 and find that my brain has not yet processed so many of its deeper wells. Thank you for writing this as it encourages me to write my own After Passage piece. Wonderful!
Thank you Rachel. I recommend sitting with the full experience of WoP for a few days, allowing it to marinate and then reflect. I was very lucky to have been here since WoP7 in the capacity of either student, editor or community lead for seven cohorts. That is a lot of essays. And a lot of wonderful people with amazing ideas.
I also took a sneak peak at your substack. I love the idea of mosaics, enjoyed the story of how you started, and look forward to discovering more of your writing.
Thank you, Karena. I am doing just that. Marinating while I write my first few post WOP pieces. Feeling very bittersweet at not attending gyms!
Ah, but now you know! And now you can join other community gym sessions and get the same experience. Because the writers in WoP are still around. It is the community who make the gyms as special as they are!
Your ability to connect dots and follow golden threads continues to astonish me. What a lovely piece--and I'm thrilled you continue to grow and learn, because we are all the beneficiaries!
Thank you for these kind words, Cindy. You are one of my original encouragers. Without you, there wouldn't be a book.
Beautiful reflection! I’m so happy Write of Passage brought you into my life. You inspire me in so many different ways and my own growth through the whole process has been supported by you from so many different angles!
Thank you, Michelle. I was encouraged to write by Vicky, Meghan Goering, Charlie Bleecker and others. I was paying it forward. I learn so much by watching how your age navigate life and embrace new opportunities.
And. We need more female voices on the internet. We need a diversity of experiences and cultures and ages writing so that we can come up with more ideas that will change society.
Karena, I’ve read your beautiful essay twice now and it’s still contributing. You are an incredible human being and a massive contribution to so many of us and to the world. Writing your way through rites of passage to process the meaning, to discover new meaning, will stay with me. Thank you and I look forward to remaining in touch! ❤️🙏
James - I think you first found my substack through someone else's comment. And thus has begun a great friendship with someone I am still to meet in real life.
You write about and model this mentoring and generosity. The way you structure your business is testament to that. You are part of Tribe Tilt, so this will continue!