One of my aunts just sent this list of national protests on our family text. If you’re looking for ways to resist our current Administration, then maybe you can join in. Along with continuing to call your Representatives. I’ve called mine a couple of times recently.
From March 7 – 14, many will choose not to buy from Amazon. And on March 14th, some will choose to strike and not work for 24 hours.
It’s up to each individual to decide how to resist, but all of us can be more intentional about where we choose to spend our money.
For me, it sometimes comes down to the “ick factor.” Do I feel “the ick” when I associate myself with this organization? Last month I finally quit Twitter for good. I could no longer deal with supporting that platform. Now I’m figuring out the rest. What about you?
This morning when I looked into this pot, I noticed a new jasmine seedling. When did that happen?! The last time I checked, there was nothing. Then all of a sudden, new growth! I couldn’t figure it out and decided that it didn’t matter. Maybe I don’t need to understand. Instead, I can just be in awe.
Sometimes we cannot understand the how or why about certain situations. Maybe we will never understand. As someone who often performs mental gymnastics trying to figure things out, it’s exhausting.
It feels freeing to let it go. Giving myself permission to only observe and maybe enjoy the mystery without the understanding.
Revel in the miracle of it. Remove the analysis. As a Virgo lawyer, that’s extremely counterintuitive. But better for my mental health. Especially as we head into Round Two of the Trump Era. I cannot understand it. And as part of this country literally burns to the ground, the weight of it all is very heavy.
We are all born into a particular era. So apparently this is the timeline that I’m supposed to be in. Maybe I have something specific to contribute. Maybe I’m supposed to observe and learn. Probably a little bit of both.
January is coming to and end, but the year is still as fresh and new as this jasmine seedling. So I have to be open to what 2025 has in store. Future me knows and hopefully she’ll give me some guidance.
I’m not sure exactly what the occasion was for this photograph, but it must have had something to do with his work as a Boston school teacher. He taught in the Boston Public School system for more than 20 years. Writing found on the back of the picture gives the names and date.
The timing of finding this picture seems especially poignant. Sometimes it feels like overall not much changes in the world. But it does. Step by step.
The week that I found this picture, showing one of Boston’s most influential mayors from last century, Kim Janey made history as the city’s first woman and first Black mayor of Boston. Janey is the 55th mayor and White was the 51st.
And the way it happened was completely unexpected! I remember being so excited when Michelle Wu decided to run for mayor back in September. Then just weeks later, Andrea Campbell put her hat in the mayoral ring. Boston could have a woman of color as mayor!
Then several others decided to run and there’s been speculation about even more. With so many people, it wasn’t as exciting anymore and I was over it. After all, I don’t even live in Boston, so I wouldn’t actually be voting.
But then, out of the blue, President Biden tapped Mayor Walsh for Secretary of Labor. Suddenly, we have a Black woman becoming mayor during Women’s History Month. And the mayoral election had nothing to do with it. Plot twist!
When the time is right, change happens in ways we can never imagine. Like the way the first woman mayor in the United States was elected back in 1887. It was supposed to be a cruel joke — only Susanna Madora Salter won.
My father loved politics and was quite the conversationalist. When a major event happens, I always wonder about conversations we would have had. Which makes me think even more about this picture.
Since the opportunity presented itself, I’m sure my father must have said something to Mayor White. I can only imagine. But on that day back in 1971, Mayor White got the chance to have a conversation with Thomas Johnson. Which is something that I now miss everyday of my life.
Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken,
but simply unfinished.”
~ Amanda Gorman
Watching the inauguration this past Wednesday was a breath of fresh air — a spiritual cleansing for the nation.
The previous two Wednesdays featured an insurrection and then an impeachment. It was heartbreaking. While our democracy is still in a very fragile state, it feels good knowing that our current president, unlike the previous one, is not actively seeking to harm our country.
