The Story
An Unplanned Life
I spent much of my life trying to figure out where I belonged. Looking back, the path makes more sense than it did while I was living it. A difficult childhood, people who loved me when I needed them, friendships, failures, languages, professions, countries, businesses, buildings, and eventually a family of my own. None of it followed a plan.
Archival photograph
Chapter One
The People Who Saved Me
A difficult home, a complicated mother, and the people who offered a child glimpses of safety and affection: grandparents, Aunt Molly, a sister, and the adults who made belonging feel possible.
Chapter Two
Becoming Joel
Junior high and high school brought lacrosse, humiliation, determination, friendships and first loves—then Brandeis, chiropractic school, and a long search for something that might feel like a life of my own.
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Chapter Three
The World Opens
When chiropractic no longer fit, Italy opened a door. Italian led to Viareggio, Israel, Hebrew, and the growing realization that languages and the larger world might offer another way to live.
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