20/04/2025
Love can find us in the most unexpected places.
In a tiny Himalayan monastery in 2012, with unreliable electricity and surrounded by spiritual seekers from around the world…
I found myself milling corn custom-grind to make a Romanian Easter lunch.
Six months earlier, I’d escaped corporate burnout by cashing in my savings and heading East.
Back then, I thought I would only be loved if I was flawless—if I had the perfect job and did it perfectly every single day.
But I couldn’t maintain that impossible standard anymore.
The Buddhist monks and scholars didn’t share my language, cultural references, or religious background.
Yet their curiosity about my traditions and their delight in my oddly-shaped cabbage rolls and porridge-like polenta taught me something profound…
that genuine connection happens when we appreciate one another exactly as we are, with all our quirks and imperfections.
Thousands of miles from home, I realized being loved had nothing to do with flawlessness or perfection.
It had to do with the willingness to show up authentically and appreciate the authentic presence of others, with all the funny things about us.
What tradition have you maintained far from home, and how did it transform you in the process?
This is reporting on the beautiful chaos that happens when cultures collide; when we find that our imperfections shared openly, create stronger connections than our achievements ever could.
