Boxing and Unboxing

Connection through intention and gifts

Photo by Steven Sebring

The recent days have been filled with the most incredible experiences of true alignment. In fact, it's something deeper than that, heavier and stronger than synchronicity or even serendipity. You know the feeling. Those moments that let you know you are truly on the path, nods of validation and support from the universe, signs that everything is more than okay, signs that everything, even within its imperfection, is absolutely perfect.

On Tuesday when I shared my post about the extraordinary book, ‘The Magic of Handwriting,’ I also wrote about calligrapher David Chang. He is a new friend in the last year or so, who I have only been able to see and speak with in small exchanges, mostly sharing time within text messages, and through the tangible power of his calligraphy pieces sent through the mail. Ink on paper, isolated words so beautifully charged and held with meaning. I’ve wanted to explore calligraphy more deeply with him, taking lessons, and also doing a session with him - the unique signature of meditation he offers, around a single word or name and the energy they carry.

He has obviously passed through my mind quite a bit within a handful of these posts, exploring themes of handwriting and our hands themselves. After I published Tuesday’s post, I sent him the link, wanting to share the small mention of him included. He immediately wrote in astonishment, assuring that I would be floored by the next step in this continued alignment story. I needed to visit Steven Sebring, a mutual friend we have in common, so yesterday David came over to pick me up so we could visit him together. 

My mom and I were having lunch, and David brought mysterious gifts for us both, that he assured us aligned with everything like a dream. From his bag he presented us with two drawstring pouches with ‘Regalia’ printed in black in his personally distinguishable penmanship. From each of the pouches we removed two beautifully crafted wooden boxes, mine made from maple, and my mom’s a burled thuya wood that looked hand selected just for her, as I’m sure it was. We carefully opened the lids to reveal the most fortuitous gifts - two nib holders for my mom - black and gold, resembling little beloved clarinets, and a nib holder and pen for me - each one painted with the faces of our departed cats, Cairo and The Kitty. 

David was completely amazed bringing these gifts to us, after reading my words on handwriting and his own work, on these explorations of thought surrounding the pen in hand and all it represents. My mom was amazed too, sharing that she had only recently got back into favoring her nib and inkwell as the best choice for writing in her notebooks. Do you remember in my Salt and Steel post when I originally shared about standing over her shoulder, watching her write? The photos of her hand holding the nib, the video and the sound it made pressing against the paper? It was already mind blowing to me that she had just received the book, ‘The Magic of Handwriting,’ so shortly after my original post for National Handwriting Day, especially as the book was published in 2018. This thread of stories has been amazing, hyper charged with magic, and has taken me through such different portals and magnificent discoveries.  

David told us about the person who made these pens and nib holders for us. His name is ‘Adriel,’ he told us. He is a boxer. I asked for his Instagram profile so I could write him a thank you message, and briefly saw photos of his face as I sent him these pictures of our pens, safely in hand.  

David and I said goodbye to my mom and made our way to visit Steven, stopping at Elizabeth Street Garden to say hello to Joseph and the sleeping flowers. Every visit to the garden is an energy burst, one of revelation and inspiration, new connections made, new ideas reawaken. The passion is also reignited, to protect and save our sacred gathering place and to collaborate on fresh ideas to share in its abundance together. We put a pin in our formulating plans for the Spring and continued on our way.

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We arrived at the front door of Steven’s studio, though ringing the bell there was no answer. We texted and called, shouted his name to the window, but he didn’t seem to be around as we had hoped. Becky, the co-founder of my non-profit, called my phone at that same moment, and along with David, the three of us stood outside, talking about ways to bring our efforts together for future collaborations. David and Becky connected immediately, as I was sure they would, two kind souls full of genuine warmth and creativity, open and curious, ready for new adventures. As they spoke on the phone, I continued to ring the bell, and suddenly we heard the rumble of someone unlocking the gate.

The door swung open, and to my amazement, the person standing there awaiting our arrival was Adriel, the maker of the pens. I was in a moment of pure shock, having just seen his face for the first time an hour before, having just received this personal and intimate gift from him, with no idea or concept that I would be seeing him in person. It was a surreal and strange feeling, though trusting in the universe’s ways and held up by the magic of it all, I succumbed to the wonder of everything and hugged him with full gratitude and celebration.

It turned out, as David had forgotten to mention, that they all had been previously connected with one another. Steven had met Adriel on the street, outside of Overthrow, a boxing club in NYC of which the founder and CEO is my friend and neighbor, Joey Goodwin. Adriel, a boxer himself, was training outside when Steven noticed him. Steven, being a photographer/filmmaker/artist/innovator himself, asked Adriel to come by his studio to do some test shots in the 360 camera rig. Steven filmed him solo, and with another boxer named Teo.

Steven, having met David last year at a performance with us, introduced David and Adriel to each other, and they connected on ideas surrounding craftsmanship and calligraphy. It turned out that Adriel, a truly interesting renaissance being, was starting a new venture in creating custom wooden pens and nib holders. David told me the story this morning through a text, ‘I visited Steven for the first time. Adriel popped in to gift Steven a pen for his birthday. Steven was very touched by Adriel‘s gesture. And then I asked Steven if I could get a piece of paper from his notebook. I wrote ‘Happy Birthday Steven’ with his new pen in my calligraphy. And that was my first connection to Adriel. I met with Adriel a couple days later to discuss a collaboration, Nyc’s first nib holders.’

I was amazed meeting Adriel yesterday and learning more about him - a woodworker, a classical musician, and a boxer. ‘I have a lot of hobbies!’ He told me with a warmhearted laugh. I asked which activities are hobbies and which ones are work, to which he didn’t answer right away, and I liked that very much.

His website reads, ‘Adriel Lyles is a musician, boxer, and woodworker based out of NYC. While performing in Germany, Adriel was introduced to the craft of woodworking and pen making, an art form he would continue to learn about over the course of the next couple years. Honing his woodworking trade during the pandemic, Adriel began creating unique and intricate pens with exotic woods and resins.’ 

Steven had no idea that David had brought my mom and me the pens that morning, and I had no idea Adriel would be there at the studio when we arrived. As we all sat together sharing stories and ideas for the future, it was clear there was a surreal sort of powerful magic bubbling in the room. The connections and web of design here is beyond what needs to be dissected and analyzed, it could just be felt, understood without explanation between us.  

With David and Adriel

Adriel asked if I wanted to train with him in boxing, and I told him my concerns around injuring my hands. He assured me they would remain protected and safe, and somehow I trusted him. A person who plays a musical instrument, tapping the frets on a double bass in time, examining specimens of wood and adding intricate details to bring to life a writing implement someone will want as their creative companion for years and decades to come. It seems that if he says my hands will be safe, then he would know the mindful way to protect them. 

This morning I texted him and asked him to share some thoughts about his work and personal practices -his ‘hobbies’ he might humbly say. :) Here is what he shared with me:

‘All of these skills (boxing, pen making…) came into my life very randomly, and amazingly are so intertwined with my relationships and personal experiences, especially in this past year. But I think a natural touchpoint between, is how my boxing/fighting art and pen/woodworking art are both mirrors to my life and experiences. There are so many lessons that I’ve gotten from fighting and pen making - resilience, dedication, skill building, experimentation, personal expression, being emotionally open (from the devastation and healing from losing my first fight to my extreme excitement of creating a never-before-seen piece of functional art, especially for close friends). Being able to apply these skills in my life, forming new relationships in my communities, dealing with loss, adapting to situations out of my control, dealing with the struggles of changing careers and finding new inspiration… My random skills and my journey growing with both of them have transformed my life. In my discovery mode.’

-Adriel Lyles

‘Find Your People.’ Meeting Adriel. Photo by Steven.

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My very first Substack experience was a guest post written on my mom’s page in September 2023 when Cairo died at almost 22 years old. Our other cat, The Kitty, died of cancer when she was 16 in October 2014, 10 years ago this year. Those two cats are such powerful beings of courage. They are fighters in completely different ways. The Kitty was a fighter in life, Cairo was a fighter in death. Our peaceful warriors, watching over us now. I expressed in a previous post about injuring my finger playing basketball when I was 16, and the difficulty that has presented in life around writing with a pen with my dominant hand. I also shared an invitation to everyone to join in this 1 year challenge to do daily exercises to develop writing ability and dexterity in the left hand (or non-dominant hand). I also expressed wanting to go deeper into calligraphy with David Chang, and to reconnect with and appreciate more intentionally, my own handwriting and the energy it carries. So here I am now, sitting at my desk, and opening this beautiful maple pen box, I find The Kitty and Cairo looking up at me, my own peaceful warriors of strength and dedication, there to guide and support me in these new practices. I believe they will bring courage and push me forward as they always have, bright green eyes looking up from my hand. <3

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Thank you with all my heart to Adriel, for creating these special pens and nib holders, for this generous gift of kindness. The website says that these objects are ‘a piece of functional art that will last a lifetime.’ Thank you to David Chang for making this connection happen and for putting this beautiful gift into motion. Thank you Steven and Overthrow for keeping classic NYC serendipity alive and thriving. And of course, thank you to the makings of the universe for bringing everything together as you always do. We are listening and we hear you. Time to get to work! 

So revisiting the challenge for developing our left-hand writing, let’s start today!! Here is the link again with the original idea it came from. We’re all helping and supporting each other. Let’s continue to do so. As David said to me today, ‘I feel all our connection came from a spirit of gifting,’ sometimes in tangible objects, sometimes in efforts, actions, words, or intention. I feel it all and I am effortlessly grateful.

Calligraphy by David Chang

 Links and Resources:

Regalia Pens 

David Chang Calligraphy and Sessions

**I have been so deeply moved by all of your handwriting submissions and stories within the Chat thread. I will spend time through this weekend looking at each one. I’m looking forward to talking with you all about the examples you shared. If you haven’t added yours already and joined the conversation, please do! Thank you so much to everyone!!