Work While You Wait
Farah at 41 wishes she could grab Farah at 24 and give her a great big hug. I would let her know how proud I am of her for
Splinters in Your Booty
Have you ever sat on the bench so long that you feel splinters in your booty?
The Value of Loneliness
i have known alone,
moved into a room in her home,
making my bed every morning
until i was evicted by joyI’m
What Falling in Love Feels Like
i'm thankful for now;
for my smile and the awakening
in my soul and body,
body and soul,
for jazz tones traveling up my spine
and dancing out of my mouth through colorful laughter.
Five Dangerous Words
This five-word phrase
is a dangerous, insidious,
immediate confidence-killer
to the speaker.
This five-word phrase
is a heavy ball at the end of a rusty chain,
an enemy of progress,
a purveyor of pain,
a discordant refrain
I try so hard not to sing
Learning to Fly
My first time on an airplane was when I was about sixteen. I was a semifinalist for a prestigious summer program at Harvard University and was invited to interview on their campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Daddy and I flew out early that morning—I still remember the pain and pressure in my ears, the fear I felt at the bumpy landing, and how exciting it was to see a new city.
What Are You Trying to Prove?
"Every time I get sick, it feels like God is telling me to slow down and reevaluate my intentions. Recently, I’ve been asking myself: What am I trying to prove? Am I falling into the same patterns of overdoing it, trying to 'do it big' instead of focusing on the simple, meaningful parts of my work? If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in the cycle of striving, ask yourself this: Who does this action serve?"
From Busy to Well: How Cancer Taught Me to Truly Live
Cancer forced my life into stillness. In that quiet, I noticed the silence of artistic colleagues who knew I was sick but never reached out. I felt the emptiness of achievements that once seemed so important when my health was on the line. Slowly, I shifted my focus inward, learning to embrace the profound value of family and spirituality over the external validation I once chased.
Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself!
My name is Farah Lolade Aduke Iyabode Harris. Most people know me as Farah Lawal Harris, a name I love because it identifies some of my intersections. Farah means "joy" in Arabic--My Muslim father and Christian mother gave me that name because I shifted the energy of grief…