Narmeen Lakhani

March 20, 2022

I am always being born

Birth is defined as a one-time activity. You are born, you "start to exist" as the OED says, and then you die. But, as I am sitting here overlooking the expanse of nature's creation through a glassdoor barn in rural Pennsylvania, I am asking myself what it means to "continue to exist".

January 24, 2022

Whose side are you on?

In the middle of a heated argument with someone, I'll sometimes resort to asking, "But, whose side are you on, anyways?!" And, the resounding response is, "Yours, always." I believe that. When the people who love me tell me things I don't want to hear, I believe that even their criticism is in service to their intention to look out for my best interests.

September 27, 2021

Manifestation as an act of gratitude

For many years, I interpreted the popular notion of "manifesting your dreams" as a forward-looking exercise for conjuring what I don't already have. What has been interesting in the past months is the re-presentation of this idea to me through a lens of gratitude for where I am and what I have in front of me today. It positions me in a strange conundrum to be sure – what does being 'still' today have to do with moving forward tomorrow? Is my life as it is now, anything short of a dream?

February 20, 2021

What compels me to new heights

I have a fascination and intimate, mysterious relationship with words - they follow me, fill me up, and find me when I am lost. They challenge and test me. They both limit me and show me endless possibilities. At the end of 2020, a year that many will argue was one of extraordinary global circumstances that pushed us all to our breaking points, the word I witnessed was Al Jabbar - The Compeller, from the 99 Names of Allah.

January 17, 2021

For the love of tupperware

Have you ever found yourself caught in the vicious cycle of the tupperware game? You know, the one where somebody makes a neighbourly gesture to bring you some of their mom's delicious homemade butter chicken in one of those fancy matching Ziploc containers?

July 1, 2020

What improv taught me about falling up

What does it mean to fall up? How can failure ever take you "up to the roof tops, up over the town, up past the tree tops, up over the mountains, up where the colors blend into the sounds"?

March 1, 2020

Don't ask me where I'm from

A four-word question that can have the power to either give you a sense of belonging or exclude you from the status quo: "Where are you from?" If, like myself and many other immigrants, you have lugged suitcases around much of your life, you might have a perfectly rehearsed response (much like the one in my bio) that usually ends in the bewilderment of your audience and a follow-up, "Of all the places you've lived, which is your favourite?"

December 31, 2019

The anxiety of ending a decade

If you face bouts of high functioning anxiety like I do, then the turning of a year comes with an overwhelming impulse to hide under a blanket fort until all the hype about "the end of the decade" passes. Did I accomplish everything I was supposed to? Am I running out of time? Change is the enemy - nobody move and maybe we can all hold on to the present for as long as possible.

October 30, 2019

It really does take a village

Three weeks ago we welcomed the cutest addition to our family (yes, I reluctantly conceded my crown to a more formidable contender). By the time baby Kinza reads this, the world may have done away with social media, but I hope you and I will still be around to tell her that she made her debut surrounded by immense love and light. This will be an important reminder when she begins to witness the "bang-ups and hang-ups" (Dr. Seuss) that go along with this journey, but it will be critical even more so, when she feels alone in navigating them.

September 16, 2019

Paying homage to your journey

I hope that everyone reading this has the opportunity to experience a pivotal moment in their lives when resentment or anger for your struggles transforms into immense gratitude for bringing you to where you stand today so that you can tell your story with head held high.

July 24, 2019

An immigrant narrative of risk-taking

Do we need to take big risks to succeed? This is a question many of us probably struggle with regularly given the constant glorification of professional risk-taking on our social media feeds. It is a growing narrative, at least in the western market where jobs are scarce and "discoverability" is the buzz word. Can anyone really discover you if you are too afraid to put yourself out there?

June 28, 2019

Bulldozers and Ben & Jerry's

I do not know if I am in a state of heightened awareness right now, if the job market is dissipating, or if it is just a coincidence that many of my 30-something friends and I seem to be in the same sinking boat of hopelessness in the search for just one opportunity to achieve our potential. Major déjà vu of life after undergrad. You go to school, you work hard, you come out on top - and then what? You start losing your mind trying to prove yourself to an uninterested economy.

May 31, 2019

Living the life of a millionaire

Waiting to become rich before feeling like we can make some impact in this world is like watching an open field in hopes that a door will magically appear to walk to the other side. The barriers are entirely invisible and self-created.

Workshops for Children's Authors & Illustrators | Highlights Foundation • May 14, 2019

Fellows Announced for the 2019-2020 Highlights Foundation Diversity Fellowship

Narmeen Lakhani is one of ten Fellows named in the inaugural Highlights Foundation Diversity Fellowship. Working with celebrated mentors and faculty, each Fellow will receive five unique opportunities at the Highlights Foundation retreat center focused on craft, community, and mentorship; as well as remote guidance on works-in-progress and publishing goals.

April 17, 2019

Keeping gold stars out of reach

Have you ever gone back to something that seemed much bigger in your childhood memory than it does now? That tiny apartment was once big enough for all of the cousins to form a single file line on the living room carpet at the annual family sleepover. Now it seems like an imposition not to check into a hotel suite with a giant king size bed all to yourself.

March 27, 2019

Why eating your cake matters

I come from a family that celebrates anything and everything. We have the usual suspects, you know, birthdays and anniversaries, but those pale in comparison to the milestones that most people dismiss as the everyday mundane.

February 23, 2019

Currency exchange between the corporate and creative worlds

My exposure to the Arts and creative community in recent years has pushed me to unpack this survival toolkit in a profound and self-critical way. In these safe spaces, the question asked is not "What do you do?", but rather, "Tell me about your life".

February 11, 2019

What to do with empty boxes

I think life is a constant process of receiving pieces of yourself to get closer to the revelation of a final masterpiece that you can only dare to imagine. I say "dare" because perhaps it takes immense courage to believe that you have a purpose, but what's even more audacious is to allow yourself to pursue that purpose.

December 7, 2018

Mischief managed: a roadmap to adulthood

When I was a toddler, I stuck a sock pin up my nose out of sheer curiosity to see what happened. I'm not sure whether I expected to be transported to a magical land or to push m&m's out of my ears, but the ensuing hours are a faded blur of my mom's panic amidst Friday evening prayers, interrupted by a podium announcement to find my dad and rush to the emergency room.

November 18, 2018

What our grandmothers knew

I have been a worrier for as long as I can remember, but my grandmother was a warrior like many others of her generation. As much as we'd like to believe that we are better off today to be equipped with advanced degrees and mind-bending technology, perhaps we have lost sight of the biggest asset of their time - unwavering conviction in God's plan.