Welcome to The Moth Podcast. I'm Emily Couch, producer of special projects and radio at the Moth, and your host for this episode.

When I was in high school, and even younger, in elementary school even, I was a complete perfectionist.

All A's, all AP classes, gave myself a panic attack during a chemistry quiz, you name it.

My dad would often tell me, lovingly, it was okay to get a B. That said, I think I inherited a lot of my perfectionism from him. It was more of a do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do sort of lesson. Regardless, I didn't listen to him at the time. But finally, as an adult, and after many reminders from him, as well as my own growth and

therapy, I do find that I've been able to internalize his words and let things slide

here and there.

It's now a lesson I remind my dad of.

When he was spinning his wheels, trying to finish his house, and putting an amount of detail

and work into it that no one except for him would ever

appreciate. I was his voice of reason, reminding him that good can be enough and that he and his

house didn't have to be perfect. In this episode, we're going to share a story about the lessons

you can learn from a father, the things that stay with you no matter where you are in life.

Masuma Renalvi told this at a Kate Spade showcase in New York City with a theme of the night

was uncharted territory. Here's Musuma, live at the moth.

26th August, 2010, there was torrential rains lashing across Mumbai.

I had just landed into the city from Delhi and was sitting in a cab going to my parents' house.

My father had just passed away.

I was numb.

The constant pounding of the rain on the cab matched the pounding in my heart.

My mind was racing back.

My father was my hero. He was my biggest protector and champion.

I grew up in the small, tight-knit, Shia Muslim community in Mumbai with rigid customs and traditions.

...