If I could share one message …
If I could share one message with the world right now, it would likely be the one I had the opportunity to share recently with German TV (above, 30 secs), thanks to KindWorks, an amazing nonprofit that I have the privilege to help lead as a Board member and CIO, Chief Inspiration Officer. (Full news story on kindness here.)
As we slowly emerge, inshAllah, from this challenging time, may we carry forward the things we’re learning — that we need each other for sustenance and and companionship; that helping each other makes us feel good and eases our worries; that kindness is a sustainable, renewable, always available, source for good that has the power to change one life … and the world.
If you could share one message with the world, what would it be?
Pablo Picasso’s “The Soup”
Is the older woman, her body bent with sadness, giving soup to the young girl, or receiving it from her. Picasso likely left it intentionally ambiguous, but in either case the piece is centered around the hands holding and receiving the steaming bowl of soup. It hardly matters who’s giving or taking, simply that nourishment is being shared in a time of need. For me, this beautiful Blue Period work of art captures the spirit of KindSoup.
For the past 2 1/2 years during Covid, KindWorks, the nonprofit I help lead, has been making soup every week for people in need, from our kitchens while connecting by Zoom. We’ve shared nearly 10,000 quarts of soup with shelters, food banks, neighbors, refugees, the elderly, expecting mothers, essential workers, healthcare heroes—really with anyone who could use a nourishing, warm hug, which is just about all of us right now.
In the process, we’ve built a sense of community at a uniquely lonely and stressful time—stirring and sauteeing while sharing stories of our grandmother’s traditional recipes, our favorite kitchen gadgets, who we’ve been sharing soup with—where to track down mung beans for Afghan soup recipes!
My desk faces a window overlooking the front staircase; I keep a freezer outside the door. One of my most joyous moments is seeing people come up the stairs and drop off their soup. Each time I leave the house I peak inside the freezer and see it fill up, sometimes overflow, with KindSoup.
Next Sunday, November 13th, is World Kindness Day. We thought there could be no better way to celebrate than by inviting everyone, around the country and across the world, to make soup with us over Zoom to share with neighbors. We’ve chosen the most loved soup from the over hundred recipes we’ve made so far—it’s Tieghan Gerard’s creamy white bean lemony pesto orzo soup. And we’ll be joined by the world’s greatest female swimmer — Katie Ledecky!
All details on our website; join us any Monday evening, 5:30-6:30 pm EST: