A Bucket of Blessings

Kabir Sehgal started his class newspaper in second grade and has been writing ever since. A bestselling author of several books, he is also a jazz bassist and Grammy Award–winning producer. He lives in New York City.

Surishtha Sehgal was a university professor for many years and now enjoys reading to children during story time. She is the founder of a nonprofit organization that promotes social responsibility among students, and she serves on the boards of two universities and a national arts center. She lives in Atlanta.

I don’t think of myself as one thing or another. I think of myself as someone who lives creatively. If you were to visit my studio you’d find evidence of this— my cello, surf board, paints, inks, notebooks, eraser dust everywhere. I’m really good at making lots of mistakes. Luckily, I am surrounded by people who encourage and guide me. And most times, I just listen to my intuition. The one thing I’ve learned through the years is that I am what I practice. So even though I will never reach perfection, I’ll keep getting better. My favorite part of the day is when Mike (author/illustrator) and I walk with our dog Prudence. This is when we share ideas we’ve been brewing, dream about possibilities, or just enjoy the trees and creatures we live with. We talk to deer, owls, and rabbits. In the winter we sing from the bluff, hoping the gray whales and orcas will hear us. For awhile, we talked to the sheep, but they soon figured out we were imposters. Now they won’t even look at us.