November 17, 2025

Tangling with the Place I Come From

Tangling with the Place I Come From
A big part of my healing journey has been re-engaging with the complex place I grew up.

I’m grateful for Lauren and Rooted Magazine to provide a space for people like me to tease out our relationships to this complex yet hopeful place, much like this country as a whole. Her valuable platform allowed me to put some thoughts to words, as a Mississippi Expat.

Me and my Zen teacher, Tony Bland, who I started working with at nineteen, and recently returned to practice. This photo was taken at Shorinji Zen Association dojo in 2022, which Tony built.

‍

Read next

Remembering Issan Dorsey

The Zen monk who built the first Buddhist AIDS hospice, and why his story still matters.

Zen Is Not Shampoo

A week of sesshin, and why meditation and homeopathy begin from the same place.