Mary Ann Thomas, a full-time nurse in New York City embarked on a West to East coast bicycle trip. She plans to bike up the coast of California and across the northern border between the U.S. and Canada. Mary Ann is a South Asian-American (Malayali) and I have decided to track her journey for all of our Brown Girl Magazine readers with this second installment of a four article series. (Read the first one here.)
Sprawled out on the kitchen table are envelopes. Spreading them out quickly with my hand, I notice the image of a cartoon nurse carrying a sick tree like a baby. I turn it around. Scrawled across this postcard is a message from my own personal Sal Paradise.
Mary Ann Thomas is island hopping around the Gulf Islands off of the coast of Western Canada. The last time I heard from her, she was in Vancouver. She said she is reminded of a ferry we took, where we crossed the border between Ohio and Kentucky, but her writing brings a completely different image to mind.
The picture in my mind is of the scenic Pacific Northwest of the North American continent. I picture Mary Ann biking on a winding road through the dense forests of Ginkgo with fir trees surrounding a winding road on top of cliffs overlooking a clear blue ocean.
Every few weeks I get another postcard with a short message scribbled out in her small curled printed letters. I reached out to Mary Ann midway through her trip as she was making her way across Montana to see how her trip was progressing. She said this trip has become something that is changing her perspective beyond what she could have imagined. She is adjusting to biking across North America alone, while spending plenty of time by herself. After three months on the road, she said she does not know if she is “gaining” from her trip, but she knows she is changing.
“I went to a bar the other day and had culture shock. I could barely handle being in a crowd of people,” Mary Ann said.
A place where she was once comfortable socializing with friends, she said, is now a different experience for her.
Mary Ann went from living in New York City and working as a nurse, spending her free time with her friends and exploring the city, which is characteristic of many 20-somethings, to spending each day biking from the West coast to the East coast. Her days off are spent with her kind hosts, many of whom she met through websites such as Couchsurfing.org or WarmShowers.com (a website specifically for people on long bicycle trips). She said her perspective on city living is changing.
“I have been able to converse with so many engaged, passionate individuals who have been able to excel creatively, because they aren’t pushing themselves to make money, climb up a corporate ladder or losing their days to their commutes,” Mary Ann said.
She adds that her trip is growing her appreciation for quiet time and hobbies, which she said people in the city do not have time for. I know from my travels with Mary Ann, that the mind wanders while riding a bike for days on end. I used to keep my mind occupied by writing in my journal at night or coming up with stories while riding. Sometimes, we would both sing to ourselves. I remember how much we both appreciated a car radio after two weeks of riding. I expected that her mind might be wandering a bit farther than anything I have experienced. Mary Ann surprised me with her thought process during this trip, while she does sing to herself and go long stretches without any thoughts, she has also been thinking about the state of the world.
“When I’m close to the Internet, I hear about atrocities like the conditions of refugee children from Central American countries in the U.S. and the killing of Palestinians. The bombing of Gaza is literally constantly on my mind while riding and sometimes I get sucked into a pit of feeling helpless, because I’m on a bike and not in a major city protesting,” Mary Ann said.
As long as I have known Mary Ann, she has always been a socially conscious person and holds many causes close to her heart, and to hear her talk about things that she is passionate about, like social justice and human rights shows me that her giving spirit remains strong and intact through this trip. Beyond learning about the world and adapting to her environment, Mary Ann said she is also learning about herself. She said that she used to consider herself to be an extrovert in everyday life. However, the way that her social tendencies have changed on this trip, it has caused her to change her mind.
“I’m just an adaptable person and want more of whatever I have. If I am in a very social environment, I want to socialize, meet everyone and make sure everyone’s having a good time. If I’m in an isolated environment, I tend to want to be alone with my thoughts and process my experiences alone,” Mary Ann said.
She admits that she’s a little afraid of returning to New York City, because it may take some getting used to, but she said she’s up for the challenge. Mary Ann has taken on an adventure that many would not dare to do, let alone dream of. She is growing, changing, learning about the world around her and seeing the great North American outdoors. I await the next postcard that I receive from my modern-day-bohemian-traveler, which further inspire my New York City mornings.
A photo posted by Mary Ann Thomas (@wheres_mat) on
Follow Mary Ann’s adventures on her blog and catch up with her latest updates on her Instagram.
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Sheena Pradhan is a Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist, writer, speaker and model. She runs a nutrition consulting and communications company, called Nutritious Balance in New York City. In addition to BG, she writes for India.com, The Daily Meal and Busy Mom Snacks. She also loves to blog about health, food and nutrition on her blog. When she’s not writing, modeling, or consulting on nutrition, you can find her preparing for the 2015 Miss New York USA Pageant, riding her bike around Central Park, or wandering midtown Manhattan for inspiration. You can find healthy tips daily by following her on Twitter!
“What you do is not who you are. Our capitalist society spends a lot of time trying to convince us that we are our work, but we don’t have to fall for it.”
When I first met Joy Batra, she wasn’t an author. She was a multi-hyphenated individual who floored me with her charm and her aura. Joy not only had gone to business school and law school at one of the most prestigious universities in America, but she also valued her hobbies and her passions that were completely extraneous to her working persona. Her nontraditional career path was one that, at first glance, confused me. “I’m a dancer and freelancer,” she had said, and I batted my eyes as if she was talking in a foreign language. What’s a freelancer? Why and how did she come to identify herself as a dancer, when her degrees all point to business and law?
Joy Batra’s therapeutic and timely book “Freelance Mindset” provides relevant stories, guidelines, and motivation to take ownership of your career and financial well-being. Particularly, the book is centered around the pros and cons of life as a freelancer and practical advice for how to get started as one. At its core, the “Freelance Mindset” encourages diving deep into the relationship between career and identity, and how the balance of both relate back to your life view.
In the words of Batra:
“Freelancing is a way to scratch a creative itch that is completely unrelated to their day jobs…Freelancing harnesses that independent streak and turns it into a long- term advantage.”
Batra’s older sister’s advice is written with forthright humbleness and glaring humility. Batra leads us through the fear of facing our existential fears about careers, productivity, and creativity. She leans into the psychological aspects of how we develop our careers, and reminds us to approach work not just with serious compassion but also with childhood play:
“You are naturally curious and passionate. As a child, before you needed to think deeply about money, you probably played games, had imaginary friends, and competed in sports. Those instincts might get buried as we grow up, but they don’t disappear altogether.”
Batra also provides us with a diverse cast of inspirational freelancers who provide their honest perspectives across a wide range of domains from being a professional clown to actors to writers. Especially noticeable is the attention paid to South Asian women through notable interviews with Vyjayanthi Vadrevu, Saumya Dave, and more. On social media, it’s easy to find these women and immediately applaud their success, but behind the scenes, it takes a lot of grit, persistence, and determination to reach the successful level of freelancing that you see. Batra encourages a spiritual way of thinking that is marked by rational needs (ex. Maslow’s hierarchy): not to seek immediate gratification and corporate climbing, but rather to view life as a “jungle gym” as coined by Patricia Sellers. Taking risks is part of life, and just like entrepreneurship, freelancing is just as ambitious and off-the-beaten path, despite stigmatization.
“One of the strange paradoxes of the working world is that entrepreneurship is fetishized and freelancing is stigmatized.”
I recommend the “Freelance Mindset” to anyone who is starting out their career in these economically uncertain times, as well as seasoned workers who are looking for inspiration or a shift in their career life. Whether or not you are considering becoming a freelancer in a certain domain, this book is the practical wake-up call that workers and employees need in order to reorient their purpose and poise themselves for a mindset of success. I view this book as a “lifer,” one to read every few years to ground myself and think critically about the choices I make and where I devote my time.
I leave you with this quote:
“We can adopt the new belief that no single job will meet all our financial, social, emotional, spiritual, and physical needs…We have one self, and we must figure out how to integrate it into the various situations we find ourselves in.“
You can purchase a copy of the Freelance Mindset here. Follow Joy Batra on Twitter and Instagram for more content!
Raised in Edison, NJ Anushree is an avid reader, imaginative creative writer, dramatic storyteller, obsessive shopper, experimental yogi, and a … Read more ›
February 1, 2023March 7, 2023 3min readBy Varsha Panikar
Photo Courtesy of Varsha Panikar
“After so Long” is a poetry film created for Simha’s EP, which is streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. The poem was collaboratively written by Simha, a U.S. native, and Jae, who is based in India, during the 2020 lockdown. “After so Long” was recited by Simha and their parents. In 2022, I directed and produced the film through my studio, Star Hopper. “After so Long” premiered on Nowness Asia in March 2022.
This film is a worldwide collaboration among trans and queer south-Asian artists from the United States, India and Canada. It was recorded, shot and filmed during the lockdown of 2020 and 2021.
Jae:
Awake at 10 am but out of bed at noon,
I want to be here where I lose myself in these sheets
Glancing through half-shut eyes
At the gold pressing past my window
The glimmer remarks on the ledge of my bed
But the voices are so loud
Like dust collecting in the corner of my room
I am unaware to why I’m still here
With the chilling doubt of the breeze…
I’m swept into lucidity After so long
Dad:
Mil rahi hoon mein aaj iske saang barso baad,
(Today, I’ll be meeting them after so long)
Koi paata nahi diya tune
(But with no destination sight,)
Kya karu?
(What should I do?)
Kaha jau?
(Where should I go?)
Shayad agar mein chalne lagoon,
(Perhaps, if I keep walking)
Inn yaadon ki safar mein
(Down this road of memories)
Mujhe samajh mein ayega,
(I will find out)
Yeh rasta kahaan jayega,
(Where this road leads)
Inn aari tedhi pakadandiyon pe baarte hi jaana hai,
(Through the twists and turns of this winding roads, I must keep going on)
Mujhe mil na hain aaj uske saath,
(I wish to meet them today)
Barso baad.
(After so long)
Simha:
I feel like I’m retracing my footsteps
From these concrete stretches
To broken cement walls
Chips and cracks forge their way for new designs
I see the old abandoned buildings
That once held the warmth of bodies
Now just hold memories
Supporting the nature’s resilience
In vines and moss
After so long
Mom:
Dhoondli shishe mein jaaga leli hai
(These isty mirrors have offered refuge)
Bikhri hui laatao ne,
(To these scattered vines)
Zameen pe uchi ghaas pe
(Amidst the tall grass stretching from the ground)
Lehrati kamsan kaliyaa
(The swaying little buds)
Bheeni bheeni khushboo bikhereti
(Spreading honeysuckle scent through the air)
Phir wahi mausam,
(I lose myself in reminiscing, the same season)
Wahi dil,
(The same heart)
Baarso baad.
(After so long)
Phir bhi mein chal rahi hoon aaj
(Still, I keep carrying on today)
Khudko khudse milane ke liye
(In the pursuit of my higher self)
Inn galiyo se guzarna hain aaj
(I must pass through these streets today)
Chaalte chaale jaana hai aaj
(I must keep going on today)
Kabhi hum milenge kisi mor paar
(Someday, we’ll meet again, somewhere on this road)
barso baad
(After so long)
Kabhi hum milenge kisi mor pe
(Someday, we’ll meet again, somewhere on this road)
barso baad
(After so long)
The opinions expressed by the guest writer/blogger and those providing comments are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Brown Girl Magazine, Inc., or any employee thereof. Brown Girl Magazine is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the guest writer/bloggers. This work is the opinion of the blogger. It is not the intention of Brown Girl Magazine to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual. If you’d like to submit a guest post, please follow the guidelines we’ve set forth here.
I organize play dates for my children. They’re friendships remind me of when I was younger when Fridays were consistently set aside for my friends. Now, it seems play is indeed meant for childhood and work is for aging adults. We often can’t find time for ourselves, let alone our friends, who are busy working mothers like ourselves. Or we moved into unreachable corners of this globe, far away from any means of physical communication. It’s fair to say, it’s hard to stay close to friends like when we were in college. Nowadays, it’s easier to travel, but more difficult to bond with others. “My Friend” asserts that we should not end let our friendships fall by the wayside. Even with physical distance and conflicting schedules, we keep our friendships close with kind words on phone calls, regular FaceTime calls, or even encouraging social media comments. Friendship doesn’t end once we become adults.
The opinions expressed by the guest writer/blogger and those providing comments are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Brown Girl Magazine, Inc., or any employee thereof. Brown Girl Magazine is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the guest writer/bloggers. This work is the opinion of the blogger. It is not the intention of Brown Girl Magazine to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual. If you’d like to submit a guest post, please follow the guidelines we’ve set forth here.
Sheena Pradhan is a Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist, writer, speaker and model. She runs a nutrition consulting and communications company, called Nutritious Balance in New York City. In addition to BG, she writes for India.com, The Daily Meal and Busy Mom Snacks. She also loves to blog about health, food and nutrition on her blog. When she’s not writing, modeling, or consulting on nutrition, you can find her preparing for the 2015 Miss New York USA Pageant, riding her bike around Central Park, or wandering midtown Manhattan for inspiration. You can find healthy tips daily by following her on Twitter! 
