Author Archives: paulefallon

About paulefallon

Greetings reader. I am a writer, architect, cyclist and father from Cambridge, MA. My primary blog, theawkwardpose.com is an archive of all my published writing. The title refers to a sequence of three yoga positions that increase focus and build strength by shifting the body’s center of gravity. The objective is balance without stability. My writing addresses opposing tension in our world, and my attempt to find balance through understanding that opposition. During 2015-2106 I am cycling through all 48 mainland United States and asking the question "How will we live tomorrow?" That journey is chronicled in a dedicated blog, www.howwillwelivetomorrw.com, that includes personal writing related to my adventure as well as others' responses to my question. Thank you for visiting.

When Vocations Call, Who Answers

Posted on 03/13/2011 by paulefallon

This piece was presented as an editorial commentary on WBUR in March, 2002. I recalled it when I read a recent NY Times article about he unfolding sex-abuse scandal in Ireland, which I discuss in a companion piece. There is a crisis … Continue reading →

Posted in United States | Leave a comment

Lessons Learned from a Welfare Queen

Posted on 03/06/2011 by paulefallon

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is getting a lot of traction calling out public sector employees as 21st century welfare queens. Thirty-five years ago Ronald Reagan popularized the phrase during the 1976 presidential campaign, spinning elaborate tales of women, mostly … Continue reading →

Posted in United States | 2 Comments

Yoga Among the Chrisitians

Posted on 02/27/2011 by paulefallon

In Haiti I practice yoga first thing in the morning. I claim a spot on a concrete slab at the far end of the mission house grounds. I face the sea. The sun rises; the warmth of the day climbs; … Continue reading →

Posted in Haiti, Yoga | 1 Comment

Somewhere

Posted on 02/20/2011 by paulefallon

In the opening shot of Sofia Coppola’s most recent movie, Somewhere, the camera sits in a single position revealing about a third of a race track in the California desert. A car enters the frame, circles around, disappears. The sound … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | 1 Comment

A Tale of Haiti

Posted on 02/12/2011 by paulefallon

When I think if Haiti, the first image that comes to mind is my son Andy and me sitting in our folding chairs wedged against the chain link wrapped boulders that form a sea wall along the beach at Grand … Continue reading →

Posted in Haiti | Leave a comment

Yoga in the Storm

Posted on 02/05/2011 by paulefallon

I woke at 5:15 am, as usual, last Thursday and peered through the blinds to review last night’s snow. Eight inches or more and still falling. I called the Bikram studio and, alas, no weather cancellations. I shrugged into my … Continue reading →

Posted in Yoga | 1 Comment

Jameson – Revisited

Posted on 01/30/2011 by paulefallon

There he was, halfway up the road to the new orphanage the first day I returned to Haiti. Jameson has an internal compass that points right to my heart. I wrote about Jameson here on 12/11/2010, and as I prophesized, … Continue reading →

Posted in Haiti | Leave a comment

Treating Abby, Healing America

Posted on 01/23/2011 by paulefallon

My 22 year old daughter Abby spent ten hours in an emergency room in Miami Beach over our vacation with a high fever, chills and aches. Malaria symptoms, we assume, from our trip to Haiti. She received three lumbar punctures, … Continue reading →

Posted in United States, Yoga | Leave a comment

Construction – Haiti Style

Posted on 01/14/2011 by paulefallon

“Haitians love to drive backwards. They just look over their shoulders and gun it.” Renee Edme laughs as she says this, the two of us staring down Route 2 as one of the Mission of Hope staff speeds backward in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Haiti | 1 Comment

Resolution – More Smiles, Fewer Guns

Posted on 01/01/2011 by paulefallon

My children and I took the T downtown to see The Fighter at the multiplex. Riding over the Longfellow Bridge Andy mentioned that 2010 had been the best year of his life. Abby seconded the sentiment, and I had to … Continue reading →