The strongest relationships I've had in life have all stemmed from getting to know another person until we are intimately familiar with each other's worlds.
I feel most connected when we have an internal map of one other's major life events, fears, dreams, and desires.
The more we understand about another person's experiences, the easier it is to be kind. We can recognize where their choices and perspectives may come from.
Although these roots may not always be easy to embrace, they are the source of the empathy we need to overcome interpersonal conflicts.
The challenge with my relationship with my parents was that we never gained that deep knowledge of each other. We also had a language barrier, so almost all of our conversations were surface-level.
On my journey to get to know my parents, having deep conversations was what transformed our relationship.
When my friend Candace first told me about this idea for creating a bilingual card game to help immigrant families have more meaningful conversations, I nearly jumped out of my seat. I knew it was something I would never regret working on, even if it never made any money.
Just helping one family develop more empathy and connection would make it all worth it.
Asking my parents a question every week from the Parent Are Human card game has helped me forge a friendship with them that I never knew was possible.
Seeing our creation help other immigrant families has truly been a dream come true.
I will go to my grave knowing that this was one of the proudest things I have ever worked on.
