On train rides to the province with my grandma, the wheels and tracks did most of the talking. I’d patiently wait for her to reach into the large pockets she’d sewn onto her dress. Together, we’d crack and peel hard boiled eggs and let the shells fly from our window.

Mari Kitina writes to find beauty in the mundane and to uncover the secrets that live within her. She is a self-published author of Back to Dance: How I Revived My Dance and My Spirit and How You Can Too, a personal memoir and self-help book born out of her passion to inspire the creative spark in others.