Who are the Apsaras in your life?

If you are lucky, over time you begin to have friends who have been with you most of your life, friends who can remind you of your own essence.

My college sisters from Wellesley are such friends, steadfast and honest and caring and true. Among these sisters is the amazing Variny Yim, who is the most loving person I know.  It is no effort for Variny to see the best in people; it’s what she really sees. Every time we meet I am inspired to be just a little more like my courageous friend (courage! strength of the heart!).

Now Variny has recognized a longtime dream, publishing her novel, The Immigrant Princess. It is such a joy to see this story of a Cambodian immigrant family shared with the world, and especially wonderful to realize that at its heart, it is an unconventional love story, illustrating the ties within a beautiful, complicated family of women. The motif of Cambodian Apsaras dances through the book, and the story can’t help but prompt the question, who are the Apsaras in your life?

I am grateful for the lovely, crazy, inspiring dancers in my life, and hope that you each have your own troupe, inspiring you and cheering you on.