International Love❤️🌎🌓

This is a very special post for me to write, and I've been so excited to finally put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard). Bloggers write about our experiences, and this particular experience was life changing for me. I'm sure you recall that several months ago I met with Sassy Shif, a hugely popular lifestyle blogger and influencer from Mumbai, India. Shiffy had reached out to me in the beginning of January. She was coming to NYC for the first time, and wanted to meet up and collaborate. This alone floored me. That a woman from across the globe was aware of me, read my stuff, felt a connection, and sought me out as a fellow voice in the biz. Shiffy's warmth and authenticity was clear from her first email. I instantly liked her, not just because I was flattered that she reached out. It was incredibly moving to really live the power of social media. Shiffy finding me, getting to know me through my words and feelings, and then coming to collaborate based on a connection she felt, represents the best of what social has the potential to offer. Introducing and uniting likeminded souls from anywhere in the world, creating bonds and friendships, sharing knowledge, offering support to strangers. I was quite emotional about all this, and for the first time I realized the reach I have as a blogger. I've written my whole life, but writing things that are seen outside the notebooks I keep in my nightstand is still fairly new. Writing isn't a want, it's a need. At my happiest or at my absolute lowest, what I reach for is a pen and paper. Always. That or my music. I never understood my writing to be impactful because no one really saw it. Shiffy saw it and bonded with my thoughts before we ever met. How freaking cool???

The idea of bloggers from different countries joining together to share cross cultural ideas on fashion, music, pop culture, and spirituality is so beautiful and important. We are all roots on the same tree, so we should be growing together. I have come to think of Source Energy as that giant tree from the film Avatar. That tree was life, knowledge, and energy to all beings. We all need to breathe, eat, sleep, be loved... The list of how similar we really are goes on. That Shiffy is from India, the yoga motherland, was not lost on me. An added dimension for me was that this is the first year of my 40 year old life that I finally have non Jewish friends from other ethnicities and cultures. That new reality is so important to me. I have no more interest in living in a bubble and only being friends with one type of person. That no longer makes an iota of sense. Good people are good people and that's it. I want my tribe to include any pure, kind, creative, giving human. What religion or race they are is inconsequential. This is not new for anyone reading this who isn't an Orthodox Jew, but trust me, it's a big deal for us. We just don't have the exposure. We live in certain types of communities, send our kids to certain types of schools and camps, and really only know a certain social group. It's extremely limiting. It might be enough for some, but it is doubtlessly limiting. By meeting Shiffy I was like, "Holy F, I'm getting a buddy in India👏🏻🌎❤️". Words I never thought I'd say, and I am all about embracing new opportunity.

Fast forward to our meeting. I decided to take Shiffy and her delightful husband, Salman, who is her talented photographer, to the Lower East Side. I wanted to show her one of the hippest, coolest neighborhoods in NYC. Scratch DJ Academy, my second home, is right nearby, so I'm on the LES all the time. It's all it's rumored to be, FYI. We began our meeting at the Ludlow hotel, at the super cool restaurant Dirty French. I knew she'd love it. I was brimming with excitement; I was meeting my Indian pen pal📝💛. It is very rare that upon meeting someone for the first time, that I'm not the most exuberant. I've always considered myself a camp counselor type; the gal that sets the mood and energy in the room. Very seldom am I out the gate energetically matched. Shiffy bounded in, arms outstretched, and jumped in for a hug. Yasssss! I loved her on sight. It was a breath of fresh air to have someone else set the tone. This is the best way I can describe Shiffy: she is the kind of person to give you the clothes off her back. I know this since that's just what she did. After I complimented her on her beautiful, bright, Indian style ensemble, she literally took off all three pieces and handed them to me. So giving, so enthusiastic. We sat down to mimosas and ubiquitous avocado toast 🍾, and shot the shit about our respective hometowns. We discussed upcoming Spring outerwear fashion trends. I brought a large selection of my own jackets that I've amassed over the years, many of which are of the moment. Shiffy loved the metallics, the bomber jacket looks, and the two textured denim jackets the best. It was a fun show and tell situation. We couldn't stop chatting and marveling over the power social media has to connect and unite. I learned a lot about the blogging industry in India. We took fantastic NYC street photos, then had a lovely lunch at the iconic Laduree. It was such an instabond!

Our adventures over the next few weeks continued with numerous NYFW events, PR parties, and a photo shoot at the James Nomad hotel. I gave her a long list of places to go and things to do in NYC. She and Salman even came to my lesson at Scratch one day! Shiffy and I are constantly in touch, sharing respect, admiration, and love for each other. Our goal is to seek out like minded, substantial bloggers who truly wish to positively impact our followers. So many are in it just for superficial attention. Shiffy was a major Bollywood marketing executive before becoming an influencer. Follow her and you'll quickly see how she wants to share, spread, and include her peeps in the best life has to offer. Her positivity and honesty is clear. Time zones and continents are irrelevant when a pure soul shoots her arrow in the right way. My dream is to meet with her and Salman in Mumbai next time! It will happen. I feel so grateful that Shiffy stumbled upon me, researched me, and chose me to be her New York buddy. I feel even more grateful that I have a new friend for life. 🌎✌🏼️Namaste, Shiffy. The light in me most certainly recognizes the light in you✨✨✨. Om, shanti to all our followers, wherever they may be for now.