2023 was a year of a lot of changes for me. I’d been living in New York, and I moved out to California. I work in the film and television industry trying to be a TV writer, and a couple months after I got to California, we had the writers’ strike. So it was a year where I was adrift, I think, is a good way to put it. I was in a new place.

In thinking about what kind of philosophy or spiritual guidance I felt hungry for, Buddhism seemed like a natural place to start. It was definitely that feeling of being in transition, which I think is difficult in the modern world, where you’re always supposed to be striving toward something like career development or personal fulfillment. And here I was explicitly unable, at least, to pursue the career development side of things.

I think a lot of the teachings have been really helpful in navigating that. It’s been a tough year, but I also think it’s been a transformative year amid that difficulty. Teachings about not striving, about being present where you are—even when that’s uncomfortable—have been incredibly resonant in my life as of late and have helped me find some measure of peace.

And of course, there’s a wonderful community here. It’s been a really wonderful community to join.