More Exciting News, Plank-A-Palooza & Disability Pride Month

I love collabs

In My “Representation” Era

Guys, your girl has representation 💅

So I’ve started working with an amazing literary agent named Sylvie Carr. I know she is probably reading this right now so I can’t gush too much and lose every last shred of professionalism I’ve been able to maintain so I’ll (try to) keep this casual. People say finding a literary agent is kind of like online dating—you have to find the right fit. One person could hate your writing style while it can seem incredible to the next. It’s all subjective—beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and all that.

I knew Sylvie was “the one” when I first read on her agency’s website that she loved books that were “undeniably emotional.” I think my heart might have literally skipped a beat when I read that because 1) I love using adverbs, specifically “undeniably,” even though most of my editors (mainly Rajul) yell at me to only use them sparingly (sorry I can’t help it!) 2) I’m also notorious for liking books more depending on how much they’ve made me cry, made me feel something, and 3) I think my story and my writing, in general, is exactly that: undeniably emotional.

Unfortunately, there won’t be any more news for awhile because my manuscript still needs a ton of work but I’m ready for the challenge. I think I ventured too far into the “show” territory and I need to go back through it all and add some “telling” and introspection. For you writing folks, most of my story so far is narrated by the “then” narrator but I need to add in some perspective from the “now” narrator who has the added wisdom of hindsight. Writing is tough stuff, man. But it is far easier and more productive when you have someone to help fight your battles with you.

Therapy Storytime

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m kind-of borderline obsessed with therapists and trainers. I just think it’s so admirable to dedicate not only your time, intellect and emotional energy towards bettering someone else’s life but also dedicating your own body and physical energy towards that goal. During a session, my trainer is often sweating more than me because they’re working so hard just so I can work hard.

For the past year or so, I’ve been working on doing a plank at my Back to Independence Rehab sessions. I started off by doing them with my knees bent and eventually progressed into the full plank seen above. At first, someone would have to help hold my hips up but now I have enough strength to hold my body as straight as a board by myself. I love the exercise because it’s an arm workout, leg workout and ab workout all completed in a few minutes.

We always challenged my body by measuring how long I could hold the position before my hips started to sink. My trainers, Adam and Tia (pictured above), were determined to help me get to the golden three minute mark. But I would always start collapsing around two minutes and could never break that wall. I knew Tia was leaving in mid-July to start OT school so I was determined to get to three minutes before she left because she was always so invested in my progress and always so focused on positioning my hands in just the right spot to maximize my strength.

So on Monday, I knew it was one of my last sessions with Tia. First plank - barely two minutes. Second plank - barely one minute. Ugh. We adjusted my hand placement a little. Third plank - THREE. FREAKING. MINUTES. We were ecstatic and I’ll never get tired of seeing pride at my little successes reflected in other people’s eyes. My accomplishments are their accomplishments, after all.

Whenever I listen to a new album, I try to listen to the tracks in order from start to finish. But I inevitably jump around to the collaborations first—they’re always bangers. Whether it’s Taylor Swift with Bon Iver killing it on “exile” on the folklore album or Kanye West with Rihanna on “All of the Lights” on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, collabs always end up being some of the most iconic songs. The strengths of each come together to create something bigger and more beautiful than them both individually. And I’ve seen that time and time again in my life: whether it’s with my agent or with my trainers or even with any of my friends (like last night when two of my soaking wet girlfriends tried to transfer an equally soaked Harshada into the car amidst a Bollywood-style summer monsoon) everything is better as a collab. Life is better as a collab.

We Win Updates

Tickets are now on sale for our September 9th gala in Charlotte, NC! We haven’t been able to have a fundraising gala in four years because of the pandemic so we’re hoping this is a big success! You can purchase tickets here, if interested. If you can’t make it, donations are welcome.

I originally started this organization because I had found so much value in physical therapy, both emotionally and physically. And I just really wanted everyone who needed therapy to to have access to it. So far, we’ve helped 146 people do just that!

Advocacy Updates

The religion + disability panel discussion went well. There were representatives from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism (me). The other panelists seemed to have some background in theology so I was a bit out of my depths, but I think—I hope—I held my own. I mainly discussed karma (deed) and dharma (duty) and how they serve as explanations and offer guidance through any kind of adversity. The Vedas also focus on seeing the body as merely a vessel—a constantly changing shell that is separate from your consciousness. I discussed that despite all of my misgivings surrounding religion, this philosophy of “You are not your body” was transformative for me during my journey.

Overall, it seemed universal that every faith struggled with disability inclusion when it came to organized religion and community events because of the widespread stigma associated with disability that still, unfortunately, pervades most communities. On the other hand, singular practices like meditation pose no problem. And the solution to combat stigma in religious communities, like in every other community, is disability visibility and dialogue.

Also, July is Disability Pride Month! You can celebrate by showing support for disabled creators and their content (like/share/follow), disabled entrepreneurs and disability organizations/causes. One of my favorite disability advocates and creators, Lolo Spencer, has a comprehensive list in the comments.

Quote of the Moment

My favorite quote about working together and having good people in your life is actually a Beatles lyric: “I get by, with a little help from my friends.” But that feels too short so here’s another one from an amazing novel I read years ago:

“That's the funny thing about America--the blessed thing. As many people as there are to hold you back, there are angels whose humanity makes up for all the others. I've had my share of angels.”

― Abraham Verghese, Cutting for Stone

Book Talk

Last month’s read:

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel - Excellent read. A collection of seemingly separate sci-fi short stories that come together beautifully in the end. A bit over my head but deeply thought-provoking. 4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Currently reading:

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (audiobook) - It’s supposed to be incredible but it’s been a little slow for me so far. Stay tuned! I love the disability representation though!

Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett (Kindle) - Just started but already engaged and tickled by its quirkiness. It’s about a small town and narrated by the spirits in the local cemetery. I’ll let you know if it lives up to my hype!

Thank you so much for reading and for supporting me through all of my random endeavors. I have some pretty freaking amazing collabs with a lot of you too ❤️ And if we don’t, let’s change that—leave me a comment or reply! I feel like each person is in your life for a reason and I appreciate each one of you in my world. I’ve had my share of angels ;)

Btw I’ve added some silly little rewards to encourage people to share my newsletter so check it out, if interested!

Okay, time to listen to T Swift’s new album on repeat. See ya’ll next month! ✌🏽

Yours,

Harshada

PS - My all-time favorite collab: