Seeking Order in Chaos, One Stitch at a Time

Hurricane Sandy hit my city, and boy, did she hit hard. The last week or so has been a blur. My fiance and I are keenly aware of our good fortune. We live in a pre-war battleship of an apartment building, and while the storm was terrifying, we did not take any damage. Several of our friends and coworkers have been displaced by flood, fire, falling cranes, and unsanitary conditions. Most of the people that I interact with on a daily basis are distracted and anxious, but trying to remain optimistic.

Daniell rocks a Black & White Jaunty Newsboy cap

In the face of this chaos and uncertainty, it was a relief to attend my yoga teacher training classes this past weekend. We were very conscious of the absence of two dear friends who remain isolated in a devastated area of the city. At the same time, we were touched by the outpouring of generosity from the members of our yogic community, so many of whom donated time, talents, and desperately needed supplies in an attempt to bring a modicum of sukha (ease) into the lives of others.

As part of my personal efforts to find a bit of internal order in chaos during a week without work, trains, or communication with the outside world, I (surprise) crocheted. It became something of a meditation -- I gave thanks with every stitch. I also gave thanks on Saturday morning, when a few new friends from yoga teacher training volunteered to model  for me in a quick hat photo shoot before class began for the day.

Rebecca's welcome post-storm smile

This was an especially exciting shoot because it was my first time working with a professional photographer! The impeccable Daniell Cohen is not only a talented photographer; she's fantastic on the other side of the camera as well. We had a great time: Daniell would deal with all the un-fun stuff that I don't really understand, like light levels, then pop a hat on and pose. All I had to do was push the button. Very easy.

When we were joined by some other yoga friends, I happily ceded full control of the camera and let Daniell do her thing, which involved a lot of laughing and smiling for everyone -- what a relief after the week we had all been through.

You can see more of Daniell's photography at http://daniell-cohen.com/.