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
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