by Rudri | Sep 19, 2016 | Life Lessons, Love
On September 20th I turn forty-something. This birthday I’m contemplating past celebrations. Birthdays were small-big in my childhood home. We made a huge deal out of our birthdays by a single, small gesture – buying a cake with bright pink or purple or... 
by Rudri | Nov 11, 2015 | Love, Main Menu, Memory
I held the sparkler in my hand, a firework of sharp lights angling toward the sky. The smell of cashew curry, rising dough and the mixture of saffron, cinnamon and sugar dotted the air. Shouts of “Happy Diwali” erupted everywhere. The streets flooded with... by Rudri | Jul 13, 2015 | Love, Memory, Mothers/Daughters
I purposely delayed writing this post since it shifts my gaze toward the quick passage of time. Last week, my daughter turned nine and a half – a milestone before she turns double-digits in January. Her long limbs stretch over the sofa and when I try lift her... 
by Rudri | May 26, 2015 | Fathers/Daughters, Life Lessons, Loss, Love, Memory
We helped my father die in home hospice. The oncologist said those words, the ones that are repeated in hospital rooms, in the middle of alleys and in the back of ambulances, “There is nothing more we can do.” With those seven words, we began participating in his... by Rudri | Mar 6, 2015 | Everyday life, Loss, Love
I have a confession to make. I am wasting time. These five words rattle in my head like coins in a pocket. I hear the clang, but fail to remedy my inaction. Like all conflicts, I search for a source. Maybe it is the arrival of March that pushes buried emotions to the... 
by Rudri | Feb 17, 2015 | Fathers/Daughters, Loss, Love, Memory
As February winds down, I am confronted with the birth of March. It is a month that presents a paradox – the arrival of Spring, but the anniversary of my father’s death. This year will mark six years since we lost him. There are days that I still struggle...
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too. Read More