RIP Mr. Chadwick Boseman

 

Friday night I was messaging with someone when they said that Mr. Chadwick Boseman had passed away. I did not believe it until I confirmed the news online because it seemed impossible. 

Honestly I really just know Mr. Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther (though now I have a long list of other movies to watch in his honor). But Black Panther was enough and now I deeply mourn his loss. 

As a white woman even I could understand the power and importance of Black Panther. I loved the film because absolutely everything was imbued with meaning and I remember the joy of reading so many articles which helped explain that meaning to those of us who otherwise might have missed it.

Also seeing Black Panther made me feel anyone could be a superhero, that I could be a superhero in a way that even the first female-driven superhero movies did not. I also know whatever I felt around Black Panther others were feeling so much more. 

For example, this story has been going around online:

Mr. Chadwick Boseman's death not only has impacted us all because of his youth but also because we found out he had been quietly suffering with cancer for 4 years. Thankfully he was respected and honored as an actor during his lifetime but his death is a reminder that we never know what anyone else is going through. We never know who is struggling. We never know where someone's kindness might be coming from. 

I think the lesson, if there is one, is that we should all do our due diligence to make sure that everyone we care about, and everyone we love, know how important they are to us.

RIP Mr. Chadwick Boseman you have left a mark on this world which shall never be forgotten.

Wisdom In The Kitchen:

Today while looking over what food I happened to have kicking around, I was reminded that even stale bread can remind us of life truths if we are open to it.

Wisdom In The Kitchen 

Sometimes life is like a loaf of bread

That has been on the counter for too long

A little hard, A little dry, A little not impressive

But hope is not lost

Hope is never lost indeed

In the kitchen or in Life

The secret is to soak the bread

The secret is to soak our life

In the soup of Love and Belonging

(By Dreaming Ace)

Today it was a week old hard loaf of multigrain Italian bread which was softened in some split pea soup I had made. But I was reminded of the softening power of family and friends and community and fandom. And I am taking a moment to appreciate that knowledge.

May you find what softens any hard edges. 

May you find what moistens any dry places.

 May you find what you need to become 

Your yummy and wonderful and magical self. 

Responding To Collective Pain

 

When I saw this quote by James Baldwin floating around on Facebook it struck me. Now I don't think Hate is the only emotion which we collectively cling to instead of dealing with our pain, but instead of focusing on which particular emotions are involved, I am going to focus on how we respond to pain both collectively and individually.

I think it often seems easier to hide our personal and collective pain under a cloak of “I’m fine”, "No one else would understand", or "X is to blame" than to face it head-on. I think this is a combination of fear that we are not strong enough by ourselves to face our pain and a tendency to want to hold on to our pain too tightly like an almost lover because we become comfortable with the familiarity of our pain and forget how to imagine something past the pain. Too often our pain becomes who we are not what we are experiencing.

But pain is not simply individual, we all also feel the collective pain of today. The pain of police shooting unarmed black individuals again and again and again. The pain of the murder of our trans siblings especially our trans siblings of color. The pain of institutions and systems which are not going far enough to protect us from COVID especially those of us who are BIPOC.

Right now there is so much individual and collective pain that is being expressed as hate, self-hate, anger, and many other big emotions that can get in our way. This hate is being expressed by individuals, political figures, and systems. 

Collectively we need to take a deep breath and honor the pain we are feeling. We need to honor the sorrow we are feeling too. We need to honor where we are in order to be able to move past our pain and therefore past our collective hate. 
 

 

Welcome: Elul and Ganesh Chaturthi

Last Friday was the beginning of the month-long Jewish celebration of Elul which is a period of self-reflection before the high holy days. 

Personally, as I think has been clear from previous posts on this blog, I tend to be drawn to structured or ritualized periods of self-reflection. I am someone who loves adding rituals and reflections to my life during the period of Lent, and who therefore loves getting a second such period during Elul (or sometimes third or fourth depending on how many extra reflection periods I have added over the course of the year.)

This year I am getting several Elul daily e-mail's (If you want a good one which incorporates zoom meetings, comics, poems, embodied practices, justice, etc try out Elul Unbound) as well as keeping a separate Elul Journal in order to be in right relationship with myself and others and maybe even a "God". When the month of Elul is over I will write more about what I ended up exploring each day in my journal. 

But so far in summary: "Use the period of Elul to avoid becoming Neil Gaiman’s The Day The Saucers Came", "Dear Ganesha please help remove the obstacles in the way of me facing my pain, so that I can bring healing to that pain, and boldly go forth in Belovedness and Belonging. (In response to a James Baldwin quote)" and "It is in the disconnect between others and the self-knowledge of where I am where I typically feel the pain I want to avoid."

In addition, this past Saturday turned out to be the start of Ganesh Chaturthi a 10 day Hindu festival dedicated to Lord Ganesha, son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. 

Lord Ganesha is a cool god who I am drawn to for a number of reasons. He has an amazingly fun origin story for a God, he is always jolly and joyous (sorta like the spirit of Christmas present in The Christmas Carol) and I bet would be the best god at cuddling, he is a God who loves sweets, he is the remover of obstacles which is always helpful, he is the patron God of us writers (Thank You Lord Ganesha), and he is typically celebrated (like many Hindu Gods) with fun music, bright colors, dancing, and yummy foods. 

I am celebrating this Ganesh Chaturthi (which I learned of during a virtual "summer dance" program here in Chicago earlier this summer) with music and dance and some sweets I am sure. I am taking time to be jolly and joyous with Lord Ganesha.

The Democratic Convention: Day 3 + 4 Review

Note this is my personal review so what I participated in or what stood out to me if you want more details you can always look up one of the major news networks summaries.

Day 3

What events I got to:

The Interfaith Council Meeting: Panel Interfaithing the vote: About actions and values, not just faith. No candidate is perfect about who most willing to grow in understanding. Role of faith traditions to create a world where everyone can flourish. Changing public discourse. Work will continue beyond the election. And Cory Booker showed up for the meeting: This nation too accepting of injustice. Values are shown in how we treat people. Our laws and policies don't reflect love. Panel Faith and Democracy: No second class faiths in America. Turn to religious and public services to respond to COVID, Restore other democratic issues such as public servants can do things for public gain. Prayer of John Adams. 

Win the Era Happy Hour w/ Pete, Chasten, and Liz :): Oh it was nice hanging with everyone again. :) Pete and Chasten always make me feel I belong and always leave me with more hope and more joy.

Night 3:

"We are the "We" in "We the people"" Issue areas explored included gun violence, the climate crisis, immigration, and women's rights. Then there was a focus on the importance of people being seen heard and known. Hillary spoke. Can't be another woulda, coulda, shoulda, election. No matter what Vote. So much to vote for vs just against. We need numbers so overwhelming that they can't be cheated. To young people: don't give up on America. Pelosi: Ran because another woman said to run. House 60% women/BIPOC/LGBTQ+. When women succeed everyone succeeds. A segment followed on how Joe Biden got violence against women act passed. Warren: COVID's impact on childcare, like a good plan and Joe has good plans including, ones for childcare. Her aunt came to live with her to provide childcare as Warren was working but not everyone has an aunt to come and stay for 15 years. Obama: (I miss Obama) Should expect the president to protect the ideals of America. Considers Biden a brother. Biden has resilience, empathy, dignity, understanding that everyone counts. Has the character and experience to make America a better country. Will restore our standing in the world. Care about every American and care deeply about this democracy. We need active and engaged citizens. Kamala: All the shoulders we stand on.

Day 4:

Today there were not many early events I was interested in so I spent some time catching up on the various interviews Pete has done this week:

Monday's PBS News Hour (7mins):  Biden will be a president who cares about us, unlike the current one. Biden is steady and consistent which is what we need right now.

Wednesday? CNN interview (1 min clip): Generational change is about a relationship between generations

Monday's MSNBC Morning Joe (1 min clip): No progress is guaranteed, but imagine what a Biden/Harris ticket could deliver.

Tuesday's Washington Post Live: Democratic National Convention: Former Presidential Candidate Pete Buttigieg and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (43 mins) Process issues are never sexy but they are important. We are policy people but we have to speak to the morals behind those policies. Our country it at its best when it makes room for everyone when it expands the sense of belonging which we all need to get by.

Voices of Victory: A Convention Celebration!: Celebrating out LGBTQ+ elected officials nationwide with a focus on Pete.

Night 4:

Tonight I am just going to be watching and not worrying about having to take lots of notes. John Legend and Common sang Glory. Duckworth lead into Bo Biden Tribute leading right into Pete :) and a former 2020 Dem candidates panel on how wonderful Biden is. Biden spoke. 

And then the convention was over. It has been a long but interesting 4 days but like after any convention now I am exhausted. So off to rest for a bit. 

The Democratic Convention: Day 1 + 2 Review

I know others found the giant zoom call format which is being used this year because of COVID not as exciting as past conventions but honestly, I enjoyed it. Now honestly I don't remember ever paying that much attention to the convention before so I am not sure I can make a good comparison but this year I feel more connected to the process. I am getting to caucus meetings I would never have otherwise gotten to and several pre-game events. 

Note this is my personal review so what I participated in or what stood out to me if you want more details you can always look up one of the major news networks summaries.

Day 1

What events I got to:

The Democratic Black Caucus Meeting: I appreciated the diversity in black voices represented including women, LGBTQ+, etc and the focus on intersectionality

Part of the Democratic Youth Council Meeting: I only got part of this because of confusion over timing but what I saw was an interesting panel on environmental justice and its intersectionality with social justice.

Watched Chasten's Instagram Interview with Shepard Fairey (on replay) about the power of arts and the role that the arts can play in the election.

Convention Night 1.

The focus of the night was Unity (ok I forgot to write down the official focus and I can't find it listed now oh well)

Night 1 was a night focused on the need of justice. It was also the here are all the Republicans who are now on team Biden. Sanders spoke and called on his sporters to support Biden because this election is so important.

The keynote was Michelle Obama which was amazing and spoke to character, compassion, and competency.

Day 2

What events I got to:

The LGBTQ+ Caucus Meeting: Many interesting individuals spoke including my Pete (of course) who spoke about how this election is not just what we are against but also what we are for such as empathy and belonging, that the LGBTQ community has made a lot of progress in the past few years but this progress is incomplete, how we need to be allies to everyone (#BlackLivesMatter), the importance of down-ticket candidates, and how politics is about everyday life. Chasten then spoke about the issue of homeless youth (40% of homeless youth are LGBTQ) and the need everyone has for hope and dignity. (I always love how clearly in love with each other Pete and Chasten always are, plus Buddy their puppy was doing his duty by taking a nap during the event lol) At the end of the caucus meeting, there was an interesting panel of black trans women.

The Future Is Now (Event by Latino Victory) which featured Lin-Manuel, Joe Biden, and many Latinx individuals from celebrities to politicians.  As Assistant speaker Ben Ray Lujan (the highest-ranking Latino in Congress) said if you are 1st, it is important that you are the 1st of many, not the last./

The Veterans and Military Families Council Meeting: This is one I had playing in the background because I was really just waiting for my Pete to speak. There was a wide range of interesting speakers including Madeleine Albright. Some of the vet issues that were brought up included the need to lower the amount of vet homelessness, deal with the high rate of vet suicides, fix the VA, and increase education and job opportunities for vets. Pete spoke about the power of national service.

Convention Night 2:

The focus was on leadership. 

The night started with a clip show of current and future leaders across America. Then it was president corner (Caroline Kennedy, Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton) Then there were speeches/ endorsements for Sanders and Biden. AOC seconded the nomination of Sanders. (This was a procedural thing that happens at conventions, not any disagreement over who was going to end up the candidate) Then it was an elevator speech about Biden (a real elevator speech actually about meeting him in an elevator) then Biden nomination speech, Then was roll call (the equivalent of the parade of nations at the Olympics just states instead) and it was kind of fun to see each and every state and territory. I liked seeing my Pete, Win the Era's Jamie Harison, and the virgin islands mentioning Alexander Hamilton. The Keynote was done by Dr. Jill Biden and was really good. :) And then the night ended with John Legend because John Legend is everywhere.

The Democratic Convention: A Personal Viewers Guide

 

Today the Democratic Convention starts and while the cosplay will not be as good as at most science fiction conventions I have realized I am looking forward to the week. Since COVID is still happening this year's Democratic Convention is online which means we all have more opportunities to go to panels with interesting people or interesting topics. You can check out the day by day Convention Schedule for this week.

In short, the big keynote speakers each night are:

Monday: Michelle Obama 

Tuesday: Dr. Jill Biden

Wednesday: President Barack Obama 

Thursday: Joe Biden 

There are many different ways to participate in the convention:

You can put each evening's program on.

You can follow a particular individual or group of individuals.

You can follow a particular issue area such as LGBTQ+ panels.

You can watch or read a summary of the convention from your favorite news source.

Like all conventions, the best way to enjoy is to choose your own adventure.

For me personally, while there will be many interesting and well-known guests at the convention the one I am following is my Pete Buttigieg. Typically I do not pay much attention to the convention, might watch a few keynotes but that is about it, but this year I am planning on going to several virtual caucus meetings and various tailgating events throughout the week. This is in part because I started really paying attention to the whole political pre-season about a year to a year and a half ago because I fell head over heels for Pete and Chasten, and Team Pete, and the Rules of the Road, and now Pete's Win The Era.  And I am lucky and he will be all over, at panels, a keynote speaker on Thursday, on various news channels, etc and most of his events are free.

So while I know I will not get to everything on Pete's Schedule (especially the early morning stuff, sorry Pete I need sleep LOL or things I have to work too hard to track down links) here is generally which panels I will be at this week.

Pete’s Official Schedule

Follow throughout the week as Pete talks to different organizations, party councils, and reporters about why he’s so excited to help unite our party and work to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. We will update throughout the week as appearances and interviews are added.

Note: all times are in EDT and subject to change based on when events start.
Monday

7:40 am – Live on MSNBC Morning Joe
2:00 pm – Black Caucus Meeting – RSVP here
5:30 pm – Youth Council Meeting – RSVP here
8:10 pm – Live on PBS Newshour
8:30 pm – Live on CNN Primetime Convention Coverage

Tuesday

1:00 pm – LGBTQ Caucus Meeting – RSVP here
4:00 pm – Washington Post Live with Robert Costa – Streaming here
6:00 pm – Veterans and Military Families Council Meeting – RSVP here
8:45 pm – Live on MSNBC Primetime Convention Coverage
9pm – Roll Call Across America – Streaming here Watch as Pete, in his role as chair of Indiana Delegation, casts his vote for the nomination of the Biden-Harris Ticket

Wednesday

Morning – Live on CNN New Day
Afternoon – Live on MSNBC
7:15 pm – Win the Era Grassroots Happy Hour – Get your ticket here
8:00 pm – Young Americans for Biden Watch Party – Link to come
8:30 pm – Iowa for Biden Watch Party – Link to come

Thursday

7:30 pm – Voices of Victory Event in support of the LGBTQ Victory Fund – Get your ticket here
8:30 pm – New Hampshire for Biden Watch Party – Link to come
9:00 pm – Pete Buttigieg addresses the 2020 Democratic National Convention live from South Bend – Streaming here

 

 

3 Ways To Support The Post Office Today

We are currently in a time period where the post office, yes the post office of all organizations, has been politicized because certain individuals in government don't want to allow registered voters to be able to vote. While I could write a long post on that alone, and end up very frustrated and angry, instead I am turning to something more productive and exploring 3 ways we all can help the post office right now.

1. Send Mail

If you are in a financial place to do so send some mail to friends and family. You don't need anything fancy, any paper and an envelope will do. You can check-in, say congrats for an accomplishment, send a message of Love, become pen pals with someone, write a note to someone you care about, write a celebrity, write those in senor homes, write a vet overseas, on and on and on. For example just today I mailed some birthday and anniversary cards and while these cards are not going to save the post office by themselves, if everyone who lived in the US sent a handful it would add up quick. 

2. Order Free Mail

Even if you are not in a financial place to send mail, you can order mail which also supports the post office. Order that free catalog even if you just want to look at the pictures or use them for crafts. Order that free sticker, booklet, resource, or product. Order that free travel guide and use your imagination to go on a vacation or pick a setting for your next story or book. It does not matter what free resources you request they all are pieces of mail in the mail system and money going to the post office.

3. Contact your elected officials

Call or email or even write a letter explaining how you expect them to vote to support funding for the post office. Make sure your elected officials know how important the post office is to you and that you do not take it for granted. Unless you make noise and encourage others to make noise elected officials can believe that their constituents don't care about the post office. If we all band together we will be heard.

Wild Paths Of Interconnections

Recently I have been pondering the wild paths of interconnections we all have experienced. 

A few of my recent personal examples:

• A connection made at a street festival in the days long past (well before COVID) which over a year later is reverberating into a soon to be sharing of one of my poems to a new and larger audience. 

• A comment made on someone's Instagram Live promoting their soon to be coming out autobiography leading to interesting self-reflection around what I want, need, and desire in this world and how my own history, my own story, impacts me both positively and negatively. 

• A conversation with a friend around their job search helping me clarify that I am indeed a freelance writer and that I can focus on that path instead of focusing on finding tons of apps to submit simply to feel I am making progress in my job search. That my "job search" can simply be building more freelance clients. 

Interconnections are like starlight and can take lightyears to appear in your sky. Interconnections are like flowers (or maybe Banksy Street Art) which pop up in the most unlikely of places. Interconnections are like a song of justice which starts very softly but grows and grows until it is changing systems.

I have been paying attention to these moments of interconnection, and because I have been paying attention I am seeing more such moments. If you pay attention what moments might you rediscover in a new light?

A Week Of GISH In Review

Last week was a very Gish filled week. I  did a personal record of 25 tasks over the course of the hunt last week. In addition, Saturday I did a personal one day record of 7 tasks.

And together during this past week and earlier miny Gish events, we did an amazing amount for charity.:

Collectively, in this past year, we’ve managed to donate over one million meals to children in families impacted by COVID, almost $200,000 for the NAACP Legal Defense fund, and in this Hunt you also raised over $50,000 to help fight malaria in Africa and over $154,000 for #cut50 and Dream Corps to help reform the criminal justice system in America

I am still catching up on everything that was put on a back burner because of Gish so instead of a long post I will leave you will a sampling of the tasks I did last week.

"Antisocial Butterfly"

"Didactic Statute" 

Mine Was "Be Bold + Love"

"Full Body Mask 6 feet away from a Greebie"

"Something that should never be tie-dyed"

"60's and 70's style postcard art"

"Poster For The Organization Inspringchildren.net"

"Spidermannequin"

"A Cowboy"

Library Chalk Art

Today as I was out on a walk I found some wonderful chalk art leading to the library. Someone on staff is an amazing chalk artist. We all know libraries are amazing so I hope you enjoy these pictures.

Fill Out The Census Now:

The census is only running until Sept 30 this year and much of the door to door counting which has occurred in the past has been limited by COVID. If you have not completed the census yet please do so.

The census is important because it is how communities get federal money. In short, the more people in your community the more funds your community gets for things such as infrastructure or schools. As we continue to sit in the midst of COVID we are all even more aware of the importance of federal money can be. 

The census is maybe even more important because it is how congressional representatives are broken down. Depending on if your community had gained or lost individuals will determine how many U.S house members you get. I think the vast majority of us can see the importance of representation in the current political situation.

The census is so important my city of Chicago has a Census Cowboy to help remind everyone to fill out the census, and we have had city-wide competitions (with prizes of ice cream for the local kids) between neighborhoods to see which can show the greatest improvement in response rates. While the Census Cowboy has been thrown a bit of shade he still is highlighting something important.

So how is your neighborhood doing? 

Check out: Census Hard To Count Maps to drill down and see the current response rate neighborhood by neighborhood.

Do you still need to complete the census?

Go to 2020census.gov 

The questions the census asks include:

1. How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment, or mobile home on April 1, 2020?
2. Were there any additional people staying here on April 1, 2020, that you did not include in Question 1?
3. Is this house, apartment, or mobile home ...
4. What is your telephone number?
5. What is Person 1's name?
6. What is Person 1's sex?
7. What is Person 1's age and what is Person 1's date of birth?
8. Is Person 1 of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin?
9. What is Person 1's race?
10. Print name of Person 2...
11. Does this person usually live or stay somewhere else?
12. How is this person related to Person 1?

None of these questions is extremely personal or hard to answer.

Do you know others who have not completed their census?

Direct them to 2020census.gov. If the person struggles with technology or does not have internet access see how you can connect them with official census takers who can help fill out the form.

Encouragement As August Begins:

Welcome to August. 

(Note: This week is Gish which means I am doing tons fun and wild projects this week (I will post some of these once the hunt is over) and that I will not have as much time to dedicate to this blog this week).

So because today has been a rainy gray day, I decided we all could use a bit of encouragement either for today or to put in our pockets for a future gray day (gray inside or out). Remembering we are made of stardust and starlight is important.

 

8/3/20 

Knowing we have come from stardust,
And we shall belong to starlight once again
We walk forward, step by step by step
Through rains which wash us clean
Through winds which blow us off course
Through thunderstorms which light the skies

Knowing we have come from stardust,
And we shall belong to starlight once again
We walk forward, step by step by step
Embracing the darkness
Embracing the light
Embracing the multifaceted gray in between

Knowing we have come from stardust,
And we shall belong to starlight once again
We walk forward, step by step by step
Knowing belonging
Knowing excellence
Knowing joy

Knowing we have come from stardust,
And we shall belong to starlight once again
We walk forward, step by step by step
We are Worthy
We are Belove
We are LOVED

Knowing we have come from stardust,
And we shall belong to starlight once again
We walk forward, step by step by step
Into what shall be to come
Into what can not be known
Into what magic we can not say