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The Great Candy Swap - Eden Moon

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When I think back to what made growing up so special for me, one tradition immediately comes to mind: what my cousins and I called “The Great Candy Swap” ( Every year we would replace the year at the end of the name, for example, "The Great Candy Swap of 2016") which let it change right alongside us. It was something we started when we were so young that the rules of trading weren't exactly fair. My cousin, who was three years older than me, had quickly mastered the art of scamming his younger brother and me out of all of our good candy. Looking back, I can see how much candy we lost to him, thinking we had made some incredible deal. Of course, he knew exactly what he was doing. Somehow, he always managed to walk away with the best of everyone's candy while the two were left wondering how we had ended up with so little. At the time, though, none of that really mattered. We were too caught up in the excitement of dumping out our candy, sorting through our favorites, an...
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Giving Thanks to Thanksgiving

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 I always go to two Thanksgivings each year. One at my grandma's house on my mom's side and one at my aunt's house on my dad's side. They are both very different. The one at my grandma's house consists of just myself, my siblings, my grandma, and my mom. It is a small group of under 10 people, since my mom's side of the family is very sparse. My grandma is Jewish, while the rest of my siblings and I are Atheists, so it is mostly free of religion. The food is not traditional, as my sister, grandmother, and I are all vegetarian and my carnivore brothers have grown to accept a mostly meat-free family dinner. The conversations are intimate and direct, with awkward silences and glances as my sister and I laugh at something my gauche grandmother has said. It is nonetheless our tradition, as it's bordering on 11 years since my parents got divorced and we had to separate our thanksgivings.  My dad's side of the family is the opposite. Him coming from a large Iri...
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religion in the kitchen - the notes of the female hand

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 Most people remember a dish connected to their heritage or family. I've noticed that, with overwhelming frequency, that dish was made by a woman. Grandma's lasagna, mom's muffins, what have you.  The holiday season is my grandma's time to shine with her cooking. She makes us cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, and all throughout the season, she has a steady supply of spiced nuts ready for us, homemade. If one thing tastes like the holidays to me, it would be those spiced nuts.  Christmas is another round of spiced nuts, as well as a fruit bake with the ham. I never quite understood why you would want to bake fruit until I heard talk of us not having one, and I launched a prompt protest.  Together on Christmas night, she and I would work together to make something we simply called 'log.' The log was made of chocolate cookies (a specific brand that has now been discontinued) and homemade whipped cream. I was always partial to a can, but for this I would push aside ...
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Seeing Beyond What is in Front of Us

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  Puja Ritual      When I think of vision, I associate it with physically seeing individuals in front of me. However, after reading Diana Eck’s Darson: Seeing the Divine Image in India , I began to think about how seeing can have deeper meaning, especially when it is connected to religion. In the reading, they introduce the concept of darsan, which is the act of seeing and being seen by the divine. What I found particularly interesting about this concept is that vision is not simply looking at a religious image or statue. Instead, it is about creating a connection between the individual and the deity.       I do not identify with any religion, but one thing that really stood out to me is how Hindu worshippers do not necessarily view religious images as ordinary objects. They are seen as providing the viewer with an experience to connect. The idea that the deity is looking back at you adds a bigger perspective for the viewer and makes it much more ...
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Sounds & Safety in Solitude

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          Due to the frequency with which I can be found sitting alone (in silence) on Wheaton’s campus, it may be surprising for some individuals to learn that moments of complete noiselessness can (occasionally) feel uncomfortable to me. While often I’m quite content providing myself with peaceful moments of relative/partial quietness, it’s usually the case that the presence of background noise(s) tend(s) to act as a sort of accompaniment (to me). This unconscious preference isn’t something I’ve just now recognized; it’s always been the case that I possess an affinity for white noise in some capacity. For instance, during moments where I am left home alone (or at the very least, with my pets as my only form of company), I have a tendency to switch my living-room TV on to a random movie or series (usually cartoons for my dog to enjoy), while I go about doing some other activities in another part of the house (like school-work, for example). I find that th...
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Peace and Sound

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✴︎ Peace and Sound  ✴︎         I used to have the biggest phobia of needles and when the covid vaccine came out my 8th grade year I was so nervous that I couldn't eat in the days leading up to my CVS appointment. I had these huge over the ear headphones and I wore them constantly because music was the only thing that could keep me calm. After I finally received my shot, I had really strong side effects including a loud constant ringing in my ears. I remember telling my parents it sounded like an angel's choir.     The reading discusses the importance of sound in religious ceremonies. Sound unities, sound resonates very deeply with our souls, sound makes you transcend your physical state. How many of us have felt like we were floating at a concert?  To me, sound is different than any other sense because of this transformative ability. It connects people and creates community (perfect for religious use). I think it brings the soul out of t...
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Feeling the Sound

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      I have always enjoyed loud noises since I was a child, even though they will damage my ears in the end. My town holds an annual event called “Old Home Day”. For those who are not from New Hampshire, it is a celebration of the town’s founding. One of the main highlights of this local celebration is the over-the-top fireworks show for a town population of 5,700. I can recall the large booms shaking my bones from the inside out. The sensory input was insanely satisfying. I remember the endless times my mother scolded me for yelling “BOOM” as the fireworks launched.      Now that I am older, I have a different preference for how I consume my loud noises. I enjoy playing music at almost the top volume in my car while driving. The subwoofers shake the bones in my chest and vibrate all three of my mirrors. Although the sounds have changed from fireworks to music, the feeling remains similar. I enjoy how sound can be more of a physical experience, rather than...
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