The Other Box

What I’ve Been Thinking About: The “Other”

As humans, we love categories. And with every category comes labels—one often marked as the “other,” the less valued, the outsider. We see it everywhere: race, gender, nationality, even which phone you use.

These beliefs are rarely built by us. They’re whispered by the media we absorb and the societies we grow up in—messages we internalize before we’re even aware there’s a message at all.

I’ll never forget when I first moved to a new country and made an offhand comment about gender—a remark that came from a place of unconscious bias. A friend didn’t just call me out; she called me in. Gently but firmly, she helped me see what I’d said and why it mattered.

In that moment, I felt embarrassed. Today, I feel nothing but gratitude. That conversation was a crack in my worldview—one that let the light in. It forced me to ask: Why did I think that? Who taught me this? I realized I’d placed one group on a pedestal and dismissed another without even knowing I was doing it.

I’m still learning. I’ll still make mistakes. But I hope I’m always surrounded by people kind enough to let me stumble and brave enough to help me rise with more wisdom. Sometimes, all it takes is one small interruption in our thinking—one moment of grace—to help us rebuild our beliefs from the inside out.

What I’ve Been Reading: Threadings

I recently discovered Ismatu gwendolyn and her breathtaking newsletter, Threadings, and I’ve fallen hard for her writing. She’s unapologetically radical in the most generous way—dreaming fiercely of a world built on justice, softness, and deep humanity. Her essays don’t just make me think; they make me feel, and they’ve inspired me to imagine more boldly and love more bravely.

If you’re craving writing that’s both intellectually stirring and soulfully sincere, I can’t recommend her work enough.

Poetry / Freestyle

I keep losing my left sock.

Recent Joy

Revisiting a city I’d once written off as “without a heartbeat.” Summer transformed it completely—vibrant, warm, pulsing with energy. A good reminder that places, like people, can’t be understood in just one season.

What I Want to Share: Community Fridges 🧃🥦

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about community fridges here in Toronto—those brightly painted fridges you might have spotted in neighbourhoods like Little Italy, or Parkdale, filled with free food, no questions asked.

The idea is radical in its simplicity: Take what you need. Leave what you can. It’s mutual aid in its purest form—a hyper-local, decentralized response to hunger and food waste that operates on trust and care instead of bureaucracy.

If you’ve been looking for a small way to show up for your community, this is a great place to start. You can drop off leftovers, extra garden veggies, sealed groceries, or even water bottles during a heatwave. Every contribution—no matter how small—matters.

Want to volunteer? Sign up here!

Like what you read? Keep the caffeine (and confetti) flowing by buying me a coffee! ☕️✨

Your thoughts, rants, or tiny joys are always welcome here. If you'd like more of these scattered sparks in your life, I'd be honoured to land in your inbox.