Author: akashah

I was recently reminded by a friend about a few other parts of my Iran experience – the jewelry, the rugs … and the drugs. So, here is a snapshot of this other side of Iran. I feel extremely lucky to have lived there during Iran’s most recent heyday and when I think of my […]

I once went to Iran to visit a boyfriend and left 2 1/2 years later at the beginning of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. I didn’t realize how lucky I was at the time to have seen Iran in all its glory because gone today is the Iran that I loved so much. This episode is […]

What does adventure mean to you? For me, adventure means doing something out of the ordinary, something that takes you out of your self and your routine and into a whole new world that’s ripe for exploration. Adventure can be held within a single, simple moment or part of a greater collection of moments, but […]

Poetry touches the most tender parts of me. Poetry has a unique way of teaching me about myself. Poetry brings me to my knees with overwhelming gratitude and I know I am blessed because poetry tells me so. Now That You Ask is a podcast that looks at topics that range from death to desire, […]

I have noticed a funny thing about extending kindness to another person. When I do something unexpected and generous for another person, I often end up feeling grateful myself. While I don’t do this for selfish reasons, many times I will still experience a gift of unexpected grace, like a boomerang I didn’t know was […]

I have lived a charmed life and as I publish this 100th episode of the podcast I find myself reflecting on my beautiful existence and this particular concurrence of life and purpose. I am grateful that it happened while I’m still able to appreciate my life and I still feel thrilled to sit down at […]

I’ve been a member of an elite club for over a decade. At first we called ourselves the Death Salon and we talked about things like DNR forms and what to do if we became incapacitated. Now 10 years later, we are rethinking what we want the end of our life to be like and […]

I’m currently recovering from knee surgery. As you can imagine, this has slowed me down quite a bit. Slowing down and appreciating the here and now is something I have been thinking would be beneficial for me, although I did not expect to go about it surgically. Still, as a result, I am finding myself […]

For me, there is nothing more to life than a shared table, especially if I can contribute to the offering. I delight in the creation, the finished product, and in sharing it with friends. I even enjoy washing the dishes. I mean really, is there anything more satisfying? Now That You Ask is a podcast […]

I have a plant hospital dedicated to plants I may have overwatered in my enthusiasm to care for them or plants which my cat, Sid, decided to give an extreme makeover. These are the lessons I learned when I decided to pull the plug on my plant “patients.” Now That You Ask is a podcast […]