Take it With a Grain of Salt

By Zohra Damani

Love, insecurities, divorce, career adventures, questions about belonging, embracing a disability, losing a parent. These and more are grains put together with love, honesty and hope by Zohra Damani. As Zohra shares her life openly with you, it is with the intent of creating hope. Hope that you are not alone. Hope for days when you feel that you

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zohra Damani
• Release date: May 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781087960791

Book preview

Let’s chat...

Hi there. Did you bring your own beverage? If not, maybe now is the time to grab something to drink. Oh, me? None for me, thanks. I already have my cup of coffee right here.

While you are sipping on that cup, let me tell you about this itch I’ve had in my hands for over a decade, to write a book to tell my stories. These are stories about insecurities, losing a parent, experiencing love, or simply living each moment fully. I am a firm believer that through our unique stories, we have the power to connect deeply with those around us. And I wanted to use that power to connect with many who may share these experiences with me, or who want to get a glimpse into what it is like to go through life the way I have.

While I have always had this itch to write my stories, I just didn’t know how or where to even start. A part of me was buried under self-doubt and the fear that I would be judged. Another part of me was lost in all dimensions of my life. The old me couldn’t find the words to speak up for herself, let alone write a book. Fast forward 15 some years. I am still lost, but I have embraced every aspect of my life that continues to bend and fork the road before me. Whether it is a decision between Cajun or jalapeño loaded cheese fries or the decision of choosing a significant other (a.k.a., my weirdo), some people simply follow their gut, while mine is like a GPS still calculating the route.

That GPS continues to calculate because I haven’t found my true home yet. Yes, I’ve made choices about the people, food, the scenery along the way, but none of these has made me feel that I belong. I’m still searching, calculating, looking for the feeling of completeness where I don’t have to justify, explain, or second guess myself. It’s because of that continuing search that something feels incomplete.

In moments of feeling like something is missing in my life, I have been frustrated by the perception that everyone around me seems to have it all figured out. But it was in those sneaky comparisons I would find myself making that I realized, what glitters isn’t always gold. Some of those who appear to have life all figured out are just as lost as me. But you know the best part? It’s totally okay to be lost and not have it all figured out. It’s through the process of losing and finding my way that I discovered what I already had within. And it has been using those areas of myself that I found confidence and certainty to help me deal with the missing pieces of my life.

As I share with you the path to finding myself within these moments, I hope that it gives you the strength to accept everything about yourself, whether it be the way you eat, the way you laugh, the way you sleep or the way your eyes light up when you see your wishes come true.

It has taken me over two decades to realize this concept of self-acceptance and, because I hadn’t quite learned the lesson yet, the universe took me on some high and low adventures along the way. While I wouldn’t say that I have learned all there is to know, I can say that I am a work in progress. I am making my way there, at my own pace, still losing myself only to find myself all over again.

This journey of being lost and found over and over has left me with a gift: the gift of grains that I am now imparting to you. Within each grain is a story of a girl who has gone through insecurities, love, loss, trust issues, career adventures, questions about belonging, embracing a disability, and more.

My goal in sharing my