The Quick & Messy: August 5
Hey y’all. Lonnnng time no see. Rather than get too deep into excuses (travel, a major blog hack, general lack of inspiration to write) I’m going to try out a new format: short, quick posts that give me the opportunity to check-in and tell you about whatever I happen to be excited about at the moment. Don’t look for a ton of photos or fancy formatting – the idea is that this is something I can write in 10 minutes and redevelop a bit of consistency. Make this fun again. We’ll see how that goes.
So? What am I excited about? Well, everything. But here’s what I feel like telling you about today…
What I’m reading: I just started Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by adrienne mare brown. It’s a radical self/society/planet help book. To be honest, I don’t yet fully understand emergent strategy (“strategy for building complex patterns and systems of change through relatively small interactions” – often applied outward to movements for justice and liberation or inward to “change ourselves to grow our capacity to embody the just and liberated worlds we long for”) but I feel like my brain is challenged and expanding as I read and the emotion I feel is hope.
She gives examples of emergence in nature. Birds for example. “There is an art to flocking: staying separate enough not to crowd each other, aligned enough to maintain a shared direction, and cohesive enough to always move towards each other.” ((Anyone else thing the democratic primary candidates could take a cue from birds and learn that art?))
I also love this: “to really transform our society, we will need to make justice one of the most pleasurable experiences we can have.”
What I’m listening to: 70 Million, a documentary podcast about (the need for) criminal justice reform. The episodes I’ve listened to so far have focused primarily on the bail system, a commercial and highly political industry that perpetuates the cycle of poverty (particularly among people of color) by allowing those that are better off to await trial at home, while those who aren’t must await trial in jail separated from family – losing income, opportunity and hope. I recommend it for anyone who wants to become a bit more woke to just how hard the CJS fucks poor minority communities and/or find hope in the initiatives happening in cities all over the country to fix it.
If you can’t decide where to start, start with “How Bail Shackles Women of Color” because the story was reported by my friend Pam and I think that’s pretty bad ass.
Where I’m working out: F45. The F stands for functional. It’s a HIIT workout done circuit-style. It’s energetic and upbeat. What I love is that each day is something different – a mix of cardio (M/W/F) and resistance (T/Th/S). Tomorrow is day 7 of our 7 day free trial and Courtney and I both love it. We’ve gone every single day, and so far we’ve not gotten bored (sore AF, yes – but not bored!) Will we join? Probably not. It’s all the way up on U St. and a bit pricey ($35 drop in, $55 weekly membership, $145/5 pack). I’m bummed it’s not on ClassPass. But hey! My half birthday is in 4 months and 2 days if you’re looking for a gift.
