 Outside of the Knoxville, TN courts where Kiran was sworn in as a US citizen. Feb 2023. The first time I visited America was in 1988. I was 12, traveling with my family, who had saved for years to give us a classic American vacation. We went to Disney World, Sea World, and New York City, where my father took us to see the Statue of Liberty. It felt cinematic, like the films I’d grown up watching.
Worldwide, we recognize places through iconic monuments we see on postcards and Wikipedia, even if we don’t know them well. As a kid, I saw the United States, as the Statue of Liberty, but now, after 13 years of living, and raising a family in a place I now call home, I associate this country with the image of the humble kitchen table. The space around the kitchen table is, in my mind, the best place for sharing stories from the heart. A place to create empathy and cultivate compassion for others’ experiences. The U.S. is full of these stories, bursting with struggle, perseverance, sorrow, joy, celebration, and more. Behind every story is a desire to love and be loved. Most Americans welcome newcomers and are curious about different cultures. I’ve been invited to many dinners & potlucks and shared stories over meals with friends in my home. Hospitality and kindness are values I know that most Americans embrace. Recently, my friend Lynn Borton and I discussed storytelling as a gift of hope on her “Choose to Be Curious” podcast and what if this kitchen-table storytelling could be expanded to our town halls and community gatherings, perhaps it could help us rise to our potential as a nation by making sure there’s room for everyone to grab a seat at the table. Lynn informed me our conversation has been picked up by Pacifica Radio Network and will be distributed to non-commercial community radio stations starting November 6. So many kitchen tables! — around the country. I hope you’ll pull up a chair and listen with us. In the meantime you can also view the original episode on Lynn’s podcast directly, here. Comments are closed.
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