Monday Matter: The alchemy of language, Dil Se and this old dog

Your weekly Foreign Bodies roundup

Every Monday, I send subscribers and gift recipients of immigrant mental health and storytelling newsletter Foreign Bodies stories I recently inhaled and adored. This is also a chance to do some housekeeping and give shout-outs and all that jazz.

First things first

A little housekeeping

Life hack: Bookend your toughest days with moments of joy

The past 72 hours have been an absolute whirlwind, and I’m only expecting the week to get more chaotic from here. I have a lot on my plate—maybe more than I should’ve committed to—and am hoping to have time management on my side as I tackle every deadline and expectation. Did I mention I start graduate school this week, too? Phew. My plan is to start my days early with a short walk around the neighborhood with Lady whenever I’m home and end with some painting. Bookending my most exhausting days with wind-downs have, in the past, helped me stay on top of my shit without losing my mind. Wish me luck! A few things, people, creatures etc. keeping my spirits high amid the disarray:

• my dadi, who is recovering well in the hospital

• my brother, who has been studying hard for the Bar

• the friends who’ve checked in on me in recent days

• rainstorms in Georgia

• Kazuo Ishiguro

• Wordle group chats

• daydreaming in the coffee shop

• stickers from my neighbor, John

• the privilege of being able to afford a new laptop after mine stopped working a week before I head to grad school lol

• Nisha’s Internet Tote Bag newsletter

• Prozac

• Dil Se

• these crop camis from Parade

A musical (late) start to your Mondays 🎧

One song to groove to, cry to, drive to and share

I’ve been rewatching some late-90s Shah Rukh Khan classics and recently returned to Dil Se, which has one of my all-time favorite Bollywood soundtracks. Fun fact: Pink Floyd bass guitarist Guy Pratt played bass on this title song produced by none other than A.R. Rahman.

Resource(s) of the week

Something helpful and interesting and cool (*storytelling opportunity)

• ANMLY: an intersectional journal of literature and the arts dedicated to providing a platform for works of art that challenge conventions of form and format, of voice and genre