Got my first dose vaccine today. It was the most structured and efficient healthcare experience I’ve had.
Period.
The volunteers in East Brunswick were kind, helpful, informed.
And present.
Vaccine debates in some cases, are valid. Our history with medical experimentation on certain communities is not a stain that wipes away easily.
For people with that context, we hear you. Vaccine debates that anchor in personal freedoms and misinformation, I struggle with. My understanding of freedom doesn’t start and end with what I can and can’t do, it acknowledges that my freedom must respect everyone else’s as well, and more importantly, is governed by civic responsibility. But above all, this brings me one step closer to the people I love.
Full stop.
And I thank everyone who made it and today possible.
#iamgrateful and #iamthankful for the vaccine. For science and for how fast these came to market as a result of vaccination advancements since H1N1.
We’re one step closer to being closer to our loved ones and loving our loved ones more closely.
I had the opportunity to lead Anaiya’s Girl Scout Troop meeting yesterday. The original goal was something around one of the books I’d written at Dream Village, Where Kids Build Better Tomorrows; but we quickly realized that the meeting fell perfectly on World Thinking Day 2021, with a theme of Peacebuilding.
How would I connect Just Shoes, a story about all the people involved in bringing a simple pair of shoes to life (helping kids realize a simple pair of shoes aren’t so simple)?
It clicked though as I thought more about it. When I wrote Just Shoes I wanted Anaiya to appreciate that everything has a story. And I realized that’s kind of the basis of Peacebuilding.
Taking the time to understand that everyone, everything has a story. And when you invite that story to be told, and when you hear it, you’ve inevitably set the first brick for a peaceful interaction.
That was the narrative arc I tried, inelegantly, to walk the Troop through. We started with defining peace. Than building. We then brought pants and shirts and read the tags about where all their clothes were made. We set up the “everything has a story” vibe.
I then quickly read through Just Shoes.
And tried to bring it together. If your shoes have a story. Imagine what your classmate has? Your sibling? Parent? At a time when they do something that maybe doesn’t make you feel happy.
You can be upset at what they did. That’s fair. But as peacebuilders, at some point, the best way forward is to start by asking them “why”, and then hearing their story.
It’s not just relevant for our kids. It’s a lesson for me as an adult too.
#iamgrateful and #iamthankful for the opportunity to teach a small lesson and learn an even bigger one.
Also … every Daisy participated. At least 2x. And that warmed my heart. Thanks Mary Barrett and JulieAnn ZoMo for having us.
We closed with “Random Act of Kindness” Bingo for the Troop to do at home over the next month; ideally every Troop member gets a new badge when they hit their RAK. One of the highlights of the night? Was having each Troop Member start by doing one of the Bingo actions, which was fun and adorable and heartwarming.
The night ended with my tucking Anaiya in and asking her how she felt about the day. She was hyperactive during the session. All over the place. When I asked her about how she felt she said she was so excited she couldn’t control herself. Not a bad way to close my night.
In my earliest days, I remember family road trips. We were always making our way to a highway. Heading up or heading down the New Jersey Turnpike, or it’s parallel artery, 295, to save toll money for part of the way in either direction.
There were a few landmarks that signaled critical stages in our journey. Often inverted. The truck stop at the intersection of 295 and The NJTPK for example, was a welcome sign on our way home (less than a half hour until we’re home) but a reminder that we had more ahead of us than behind us on our way out.
One of the most memorable for me? This beautiful, bright, canary yellow two door sports car parked just after the first left turn we made on our way out and just before the last right turn we made ahead of our driveway.
There was no internet then. So the first time I learned the name was when I could drive, could stop on the road myself, and walk up and read the plates.
Karmann Ghia.
As non living things go, I don’t think I’ve loved or appreciated anything more than that Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.
When I graduated college and wanted my first car, that was the one. My dad hated it. My mom and dad fought about my impractical decision for months. I just wanted to buy it.
I mean folks, tears were shed. Poured onto tabletops, newspaper classifieds, and everywhere in between.
My dad wasn’t having it.But there’s one power stronger than a dad not having it.
That’s a mom not having a dad not having it.
I showed up one weekend and stepped into the garage only to see that car there. Waiting for me. My mom. Bought it with the money she made at TJ Max as a side hustle.
I saw something bright yellow flash by me this mornnng. It was a stencil on the trailer of a truck. Every time I see that yellow, I think of that car. I think of my mom.
Yellow is a bright happy color. It’s my runaway favorite. But the happiness it brings me isn’t chemical, it isn’t Coldplay or Pearl Jam, it’s associated to this car.
We ran that car into the ground. I donated it to a charity and it raised a good few grand for kids developmental needs and educational needs.I was moving to Chicago. I had no place for it.
But I miss it. And I love it. And #iamgrateful and #iamthankful that my mom, brought that dream to life. Love you Renu Bhatt. You’re the best Mumma in the history.
That gift still gives me infinite joy. And I don’t even own it anymore. Who says cars are a depreciating asset?
Everytime I see yellow. I think of that car. I think of my mom. And now…as of this morning, I remembered my job as a parent. Is to bring that joy to my kids. The pandemic has made it hard. Life makes it hard. But if we’re open to being reminded that we can do better, well, we’ll get better.
Treadmill for some miles (I think I can get in 6-7 before the kids wake. UPDATE: Walked for 108 minutes.)
#iamgrateful and #iamthankful for this setup downstairs and the motivation not to just sit on the couch while the night winds down and the day wakes up.
This sounds magical. I’m hungry. And I miss eating out.
#iamgrateful and #iamthankful for those in the restaurant and service industry putting it all on the line to keep their dreams and businesses alive while also finding ways to innovate and bring us new and thrilling ways of thinking about food.
Locally, I look no further than the team behind Menya Ramen House in Metuchen.
People run out of steam. People burn out. People celebrate the hustle. People focus always on what’s next.
Perpetually operating in that mode is why so many people are unhappy. The past year was brutal. On all of us. I adapted something I’ve been doing at work with my teams for years into a more structured and tighter framework. People liked it; so I thought I’d start sharing it more broadly. As a way to pay it forward.
If you take 18 minutes, right now, to ask your self three questions, in this order, I’m confident you’ll find new energy, new inspiration, and a bunch of things you’re energized to pursue going forward.
Interested?
Message me and let’s grab 18 minutes together.
#iamgrateful and #iamthankful for discovering and refining this approach over time. I’m happy some folks have found it useful.18 minutes.
I’m certain you’ll find it to be one of the most effective uses of your time.
Passed out on the couch at 11 last night. Stumbled my way upstairs only to wake up fully at 3. I snuggled my wife for a bit and then by 3-5 acknowledged slew wasn’t happening so I stopped trying.
Came downstairs. Did 2 hours of work. Then jumped on the treadmill for 6.5 miles. All by 6am.I’ve stopped fighting what my body needs. If it’s telling me to sleep, I sleep. If it’s telling me to get up, I get up.
I’m also trying to translate what my body actually needs from what I want to give it. Like…when am I confusing hunger for thirst?
I’ll likely take a nap during the day at some point. What I live about the pandemic lifestyle and our global client base and team, is I can always be on. Because someone I work with and support is on somewhere.
The flip side of that is liberating. I use the fact that “I can always be on” as a way to let people know I need to be deliberate about taking space.
#iamgrateful and #iamthankful for that flexibility and that ability. To take space. And to listen to what my body is telling me more and more.
Instead of resisting, get out your surfboard and saddle, harness, tame and ride those waves. Especially on a snow day when you know the next 16 hours are going to be relentless bandying between work and kids.
I am a huge fan of octopuses (< grammatically correct, though “octopi” is so much more fun to say). When Edith Widder and her team talked about finally capturing video of the giant squid, I watched the video over and over again.
Ocotpuses are brilliant; and sensory. And though alien in form are more human / primate in engagement than you’d imagine. Truly brilliant lifeforms.
When I saw this documentary, I had to watch it. Quietly. On my own time. Undistracted. Working through bits of it as life permits.
And it’s been well worth the time to indulge. It’s cinematically beautiful but the story is powerful. I felt more connected to the main characters (octopus, predators, prey) than I did in most movies I’ve watched that are scripted narratives.
#iamgrateful and #iamthankful for these documentaries and the time and energy and money Netflix and Amazon and all these streaming services put into bringing these to broader audiences. What an incredible film.
“THE B-Line” or BREAKFAST: Priya KC Bhatt loves brunch and breakfast. To watch her eat is sometimes as satisfying as to eat yourself. She just enjoys it so much. A good brunch. I don’t know if I enjoy anything that much (maybe good standup?)
It’s a a full heart, body, mind, soul moment (stole that from my business partner, David Sudolsky).
For breakfast on Valentine’s Day I made a thing for her. I’ve always enjoyed turning dinners and leftovers and spare parts into an indulgent breakfast. Like taking samosa a and chutneys and turning them into a spicy frittata. Or using leftover pastries and making bread pudding.
In this case, I used the rich Sunday gravy I made for our parents anniversary as a way to tie this breakfast together.
Key thing? Outside of the sauce (which you can substitute any vegetarian or meat sauce with some success I’d gather) the breakfast took minutes. Which is all we have these days with two young’uns running around on a Sunday morning.
Two pans one saucepan and you can multitask and assemble this quickly. Stuff to do before the pans come out?
1) Cook the bacon.
2) Get the sauce warming.
Step 1: Cook the bacon. Before it stiffens create a nest. Use a circular plate helps. Substitute? Skip the bacon. Use roasted broccoli or kale that’s well seasoned (soy sauce, nutritional yeast, etc).
Step 2: Whole Foods Olive Loaf. Thick sliced. Slathered with butter, garlic, Italian herbs, sea salt. Pam fried on the grill. Plate it inside/atop the bacon nest. Substitute? Any thick bread that can hold the butter and all that’s about to follow without becoming a soggy mess.
Step 3: Fried egg in that same butter. Sunny side up but for Priya a quick flip to seal it while keeping the egg runny. Rest atop the olive slice. Substitute? Chickpeas. With black salt. Seriously.
Step 4: Place egg atop loaf. 1-2 eggs is dope.
Step 5: Cover with sauce. Make sure some of the egg is exposed so when you slice it you see the yoke drizzle through the loaf, next and sauce. Substitute? Any tomato sauce. Need something acidic as well as rich.
Step 6: Top this rich, spicy, acidic, buttery, unctuous stack with a bright, chilled, burrata and crack black pepper generously atop it. Substitute? Be careful. If you’re to this point maybe just leave it be.
Eat. It. Right. Away.
It’s called the B-Line because it’s a bee line straight to someone’s heart!
#iamgrateful and #iamthankful that little things like this fill her heart and tummy. I got a few pings about this so I figure I’d share the recipe in detail here.
HBD Babe! Your birthday was the last “event” we celebrated pre-COVID and today (and this past weekend) we celebrated in ways that showed just how adaptable we’d become to this new way of living. Delivered food and drinks. Zooms and (failed) Google Meets and Houseparty. Virtual celebrations. “Group Texts” galore.
And not skipping a beat.
Also ,,, can you imagine these things happening let alone being essential to your birthday celebration a year ago? WTH?!?!?That’s what the last year has taught us. To be, adaptable. To adapt.
Judging by this weekend, we’ve found our way forward.
Hopefully, you felt the love you deserve, want, desire, and have earned. From us. From your family. From your friends. And from the world.
#iamgrateful and #iamthankful that through all the haymakers the world has thrown our way, we continue to find our way.
Look no further than these smiles as evidence and proof.
Love you Priya KC Bhatt. Here’s to what’s behind us making it clear that we can conquer what’s ahead of us.
Shout out Dyson. The Air Wrap is a hit. PS – For those wondering on that food tip, the way to Priya’s heart is through her stomach. The homemade breakfast in that circular dish is called “The B Line” because it’s the “bee line to her heart” and is as follows:
Slice of olive loaf, spread with garlic butter, and pan fried.
Topped with a fried egg over easy.
Topped with homemade Sunday Gravy (rib eye and pork rib based).Topped with truffle burrata.
Not a bad way to close my night.
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Suneet Bhatt 