A Little Philosophizing, Gala Tickets On Sale & My Next Slightly Controversial Book Club Pick

I think therefore I am?

In My Socrates Era

The other day, I was re-reading a beautiful essay a friend had written about me a few months after my stroke. She talks candidly about how jarring it was to have been laughing and dancing with me one day and then visiting my semi-conscious, vacant form in the ICU the next—my supine, still body with unfocused eyes staring at some point behind her is an image that was burned into her memory. I’m eternally grateful I never saw that image myself. I don’t think I would ever, ever be able to unsee it.

She writes about how she wants the pre-stroke Harshada back. Not the imposter I’d metamorphosized into overnight. This got me thinking—did she ever get that iteration of me back? I don’t know. I don’t think so. On the outside? Obviously not. On the inside? Maybe. I’ve changed enormously from the bubbly, carefree, unabashed optimist of my early 20s. But I guess we’ve all changed with time and life’s inevitable ups and downs. Matured. And that’s not a bad thing. On the deep, deep inside? I think so. I know that the fabric of me is exactly the same shade it’s always been. Maybe just a stronger material.

I love reading her essay because I so rarely get to understand what other people were feeling and going through during that traumatic time. And she refers to me as a “mythical cool nerd” which is pretty much the best compliment ever in my book!! Also, it was written about the hospital version of me—a version that I feel so far removed from. It feels like it was another life altogether, and I know I’ve traveled leaps and bounds away from that version.

But recently, I overheard that a good friend admitted they missed the old me. The one who could dance and party with them. Now, that is gutting. A friend grieving the loss of you while you’re still right there. What does that say about the version I am now?

If you want to break my cold, cold heart
Just say, 'I loved you the way that you were'

— TS

I don’t know what to do with that. I obviously miss the old me too but have spent the past fifteen years learning to embrace the new me. I have forced myself to look forward when all I’ve wanted to do is look back. I just never realized others would still be looking back too.

Am I still that girl? Just sitting instead of standing and a few more grey hairs? 🤔

Tickets Now Available

Tickets are now on sale here for We Win’s Diwali Gala! November 2nd in Secaucus, NJ! Limited seats available so get them quick! Can’t make it? Donations always welcome 🙏🏽

Remember the little guy I told you about a few months ago who was born with a spinal cord injury? Here’s a picture of him doing rehab that We Win is helping him receive (Spoiler alert - he’s adorable):

Next Book Club Pick!

I like to pick fictional stories that people wouldn’t normally pick up and ones that can teach us about a people or a place we don’t learn much about in school. This next book definitely meets both of those criterion and helped me learn so much about a conflict I desperately needed to learn more about, especially right now. It centers the question so many of our book club books have touched on: Who gets to control the narrative?

Here’s my original review: Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I follow a brilliant Jewish author on TikTok and they recommended reading novels by Palestinian authors and the title of this one was enough to sell me on it. It follows the story of a displaced Palestinian woman who finds herself in solitary confinement in an Israeli prison. The beginning and end were incredible and the middle was a tad slow in comparison but it had suspense, romance, family drama, everything!! Overall, it was super fascinating, eye-opening and insightful. 🤩

I’m super excited for you all to read it so we can chat about it all and try to figure out what the hell is going on in our world.

Back to work! See yall in a month! ✌🏽

Best,

Harshada