Yep, You’re Feeling Some Kind of Way . . .

Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. And the inauguration of the new administration.

For many of you, this may have been a moment that you have completely dreaded. The time was heavy and upsetting. The impact on so many people is so great, you may be included in this.

I want you to take a deep breath.

Go ahead. I’m waiting.

This is not me saying everything is going to be ok. I’m certainly not convinced of this.

This IS me saying we are going to have to be grounded with our eyes wide open to navigate the next period of time.

The administration wants to keep up running and running and up to our eyeballs in reacting to them. They want us fully ensconced in their reality.

My response. Naaaah. 

How do we do this?

  1. Stay in your lane.

Yes. There are so many populations that are currently being targeted by this administration. Immigrants. GLBTQ folk. Women. Black folks. Environmentalists. Journalists.

It’s a much longer list than this.

Yes, so many people need support.

But what is your zone of genius? All of these populations aren’t.

During this administration 1.0, I had thoughts about trying to do immigration work. Get the license and get back into the ring.

Two things . . . (a) my spouse has dementia and I couldn’t make sure she didn’t burn the apartment down if I wasn’t around, and (b) I’m not sure I really wanted to go back and learn all the things . . . it would have been a steep learning curve. This wasn’t my zone of genius.

So, if you are the world’s greatest  English Literature professor, DO THAT. We need what you do. It’s derided and undervalued, and it’s also needed. If you’re a tax attorney, DO THAT. I fear that this administration will turn the IRS on regular people and regular people and small businesses need you to help with taxes.

As for me, I’m really good at helping calm peoples’ nervous systems (EFT/Emotional Freedom Techniques/Tapping). We need me to do this. This is what I’m going to do. My sister does pregnancy justice work, she’ll do that. We’ll stay in our lane

Notice, this isn’t keeping your head down. This is to be proud of your strengths and let them shine more than ever. This is taking deep pleasure in keeping your part of this planet earth spinning. THIS IS RESISTANCE.

  1. Community matters.

Who are your people and where are they?

It’s time for dinner with people – not necessarily restaurants, but the potluck affairs where we get quiet and whisper something and then erupt in laughter and no one knows what the f*ck is going on with us.

It’s time for artists to get together and knit and crochet, sing, write and read their half written work together. I know you . . . you got some of that in you. Some of the greatest art comes from times like this . . . 

The historian is entering the building . . . I live in Harlem, New York City. The 1920s were a vicious time for African Americans in the US. Lynchings were unrelenting, the press wrote all sorts of garbage about us, and, right, there was Tulsa. 

You know what happened at the same time? Zora Neale Hurston, Madame CJ Walker, Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, Marian Anderson, and so many others. So much of the art and creativity that defines African Americans emerged from this period. It’s because they knew each other and would spend time with each other. 

They built a community.

You already have one, likely multiple, including your families. Keep them close.

  1. Self-care and community care are the same thing.

Y’all have heard about my sleep chronicles. I’ll spare you of more of this. But this has been helpful in getting other people to think about how to take care of themselves. Making sure that they sleep. Going on media fasts. Updating vaccinations. All sorts of things.

We don’t need to be burning the candle at both ends. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Sleep is one of the most important ways you can take care of yourself. Full stop. It prevents cancer. It increases focus. It helps digestion, keeps your weight down, and I could go on and on and on (oh yeah, I write about it all the time). GET. YOUR. SLEEP.

Eat well. Eat your veggies. Yeah, eat sweets, but let’s talk about balance. 

Move your body. If you have all manner of aches and pains, try Pilates. It was created to help soldiers after war. That can get the body back together. Stretch. Do weightlifting . . . if you’re a woman of a certain age, ahem, this is the best way to prevent osteoporosis. But don’t wait until you’re a certain age, start now.

Your community doesn’t have you if you’re falling apart.

And finally, have as much pleasure as you can get, whatever form that takes. Books, sex, good food, smelling essential oil, you do you boo.

I’m stepping off my soap box.

We’ve been here before. 

We get to respond differently. We need to.

Do you want to talk about all this, respond to this email and we’ll set up a call.

Blessings.

As Mary Oliver said, take care of this one wild and crazy life.

Michelle

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