for most of my life, i carried my jewish identity quietly. it was something i knew was there, even when i did not know what to do with it. in recent years, i have learned that identity does not need permission to exist, even when the world makes it complicated to claim.

change often begins long before anyone else notices it. this piece explores what it feels like to outgrow your old self and step into the person you’re becoming.

autism doesn’t always look the way people expect. for me, it shows up in routines, challenges, and small comforts that keep life steady. over time, I’ve learned how masking, sensitivity, and self-acceptance shape my everyday life and how being on the spectrum has become part of who I am.

i’ve spent much of my life fading away, whether it was quietly leaving rooms, letting texts go unanswered, or watching connections dissolve before they began. this piece reflects on that pattern of disappearing, the weight it carries, and the small anchors that keep me tethered, like the presence of my cats.

a reflection on how culture shapes what we see as “normal.” from the left side of the road in london to familiar hills in israel, this piece explores the subtle ways travel shifts our perspective and how the world can feel both foreign and familiar at the same time.