This will be a quick note just to let you all know that I delivered Samiyah Rumi Sadhal on August 4, 2010 at 7:17pm after 22 hours of labor – and yup, I did it without a lick of drugs. Samiyah came out healthy, screaming and completely wide-eyed. It was amazing and of course, a miracle.
Being a new mom has me in a different world of only her and her needs first, but she’s down for a nap now and I’m taking a moment to just let you know that writing songs waits for when I can find a few hours of quiet time. They say that may happen in 18 years!
I’ve spent the last month immersed in nesting here at the house. For the moms out there, you know what I’m talking about. It’s that bizarre time during pregnancy when you frantically run around the house cleaning, organizing, tidying, and stocking up before your baby arrives. For me, I’ve got about 10 weeks left. And about 40 books to read, the latest of which is about maintaining an organic food pregnancy.
Over the years, I’ve been slowly learning more and more about nutrition and swapping out the items in our cupboard and fridge for organic and whole foods. But then, as I read more in this book, the debate came up about whether it was better to eat organic if it got shipped in from around the world or was it better to eat non-organic from a local farm? How much gas and energy and water did it take to get me an organic peach? How organic is that overall? If an item is local and not organic, is it because it’s not certified organic but is still grown without pesticides and driven in that day to the farmers market?
The last time I hit Trader Joes, I started to read the labels on the top that says where the food came from. Product of Chile. Product of New Zealand. I didn’t pick up the peaches. Nothing against Chile or New Zealand, but it was hard to buy something that expended that many natural resources and feel good about feeding it to my family.
So I started to investigate other options. This book tipped me off to a website about CSA farms. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, I as a consumer can opt to help pitch in financially to a local farm or a local farm collective, and in exchange, I’ll get a basket of produce every week or every month – whatever I opt for. That sounded like a great idea.
With a baby on the way and life full of career and family demands, I don’t always have the time to spend at the local farmer’s market and shop at leisure – as much as I love the community and meeting the farmers. So this is an idea I’m seriously considering – joining a CSA farm and having my produce brought to me locally. What I get in my basket will dictate what we eat for the week, but that sounds like fun and a bit of a culinary adventure.
Nesting has me thinking not only about my home but my baby’s world. In all that I do everyday to try to make this a better place for her to live, can’t help but to think that this will only enhance her life too. Simplify life. Bring things back to local community. Be aware of the impact we have in every way possible.
Also wanted to tip you off to the idea if you haven’t considered it yet. Partly it’s selfish. The more people I can get to join in on this adventure, the better it is for all of us, including me and my family – cleaner air, cleaner water, cleaner food. Thanks for indulging my little bit of activism for the day!
During this phase in my life’s journey, I’m finding tremendous comfort in classical music. There is something very grounding when immersed in ragas that are hundreds of years old. That is the trick about being pregnant for the first time – trying to stay grounded in something that is so new and so foreign. For me, tucking my baby behind my sarod is one of the most soothing, calming acts of my pregnancy. She seems to like it too. It is the only time when she is absolutely still for an extended period. No kicking…no turning…no hiccups in Mama’s belly.
On Saturday, April 28, I had the privilege of playing Raga Kafi with Meena Makhijani on tabla at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. A few photos from the event. We made a bootleg recording….I’ll test it out and share some of it with all of you. This is officially my baby’s first performance – in utero!
Very happy to announce that SoulAvenue and I landed one of our tracks – Here We Go (Ehru Blues Mix) – on the latest Buddha Bar compilation and this one was remixed by DJ Ravin. The album’s slated to release April 6! Hope you enjoy!
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