/humanKIND/
I share personal stories of gratitude, resilience, and connection—an invitation to see the good in each other, and to live up to the word that defines us: human. kind.
We’re all storytellers
I’m not sure how the conversation with the Pakistani High Commissioner in London started with my telling him the story of how Arif and I first met and he poured the whole bottle of chilli pepper into the curry he was cooking—not the usual way to start a formal meeting with a high-level diplomat you’re meeting for the first time!
What would you keep?
My dad bought this figurine from his family’s auction house in Kolkata when he was maybe 18 or 19. Why did this piece catch his eye?
My word of 2023
Be present, take your time, enjoy the process, let life simmer, take a deep breath and cool it down, savor the results — and slurp as needed!
A letter of gratitude
Whenever you came into the room to check on Arif, you stood by his bedside and placed your hand on his arm or held his hand in yours; that physical touch was so reassuring, even I felt it.
A cancer journey in letters
“I’ve got good news and bad news.” Not exactly the words you want to hear from a doctor. “It’s not malignant,” she said. “But it is atypical.”
“Nature is a beautiful thing”
My newest book is “BenchTalk: Wisdoms Inspired in Nature” — a collection of heartfelt reflections, gratitudes, and life lessons by people from all walks of life, young and old, shared in yellow journals—a treasure trove of hope and connection when we need it the most.
Life Lessons for my Son
Lying prone on a day bed gave me time to think about what I wanted to say to my dear Zayd as he embarks on this next chapter in his life—building his second start-up in one of the greatest cities in the world, while exploring the “life of the mind” at an incredible institution that holds so many memories for Arif and myself
Coming to America
I’m reminded me of the very first personal story I wanted to write — the one that revealed to me the power of our ordinary stories, and which ended up changing my life.
Fall down seven…
‘Fall down seven, get up eight’ is a Japanese proverb I often think about. My daughter tells me, it should be get up 100 for all the times I’ve fallen. But I’m getting back up!
When Arif Met Salma
I walked into the suite, he turned around and saw me, and poured the whole bottle of red pepper in his curry!
A story about a katori
I see a story in just about everything; and then ask myself what’s the deeper meaning. Like this katori. It had a story to tell. I simply asked.
Let others elevate you
An honor to present the 30 Days book and journal to the Pakistani Ambassador in Paris.
If you’re not being criticized…
“My Baba would say,” Dalia starts but has to hold back tears, “that if nobody’s criticizing you, that means you’re not doing any work.
If I could share one message …
If I could share one message with the world, it would be this.
The threads that connect us
And this is how our friendship began, on January 1st, 2022 – one story leading to another, about our fathers and mothers, about pottery, special friends, kind gestures, and pixie sticks… unraveling, story by story, the threads that bind us.
A year of kindness
A 2022 Kindness Calendar with inspiring stories, 365 ways to share kindness, and joyful art. Support KindWorks and spread kindness.
“You don’t love people because …”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison shares a wisdom from his Mom, who passed away in 2020.
The most important thing
Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim reads a wisdom from the “30 Days” book that my (then 16-year old) son wrote — one that has clearly guided him.