lqb2weekly #157 (12 aug 2021)
hey,
wow! what a time to be alive. so much joy and grief and fear and excitement all mixed up together!
it’s been a month since my last newsletter and though i was feeling guilty about that gap, you’ll be happy to hear that i have released that guilt and continuing to enjoy the cuss out of my summer. photographic evidence here.
after leaving my beloved team at css in june, i hit the ground summering hard. as i try to bring my life more and more into seasonal alignment, i’m currently trying to shape my life summers to be more like my garden’s summer is: mostly on autopilot and requiring tending and water occasionally. what that looks like so far: lots of time in lakes, ponds, and rivers, working as little as possible, spending time with people as i can (#fuckcovid), reading and writing, and working my body. have i dropped some balls? for sure. am i aware that every second i live is one less second i have in this wonderous life i’ve been granted? you bet!
in other news, COVID IS WILD. i truly hate it. it sucks that, vaxxed or not, we’re back to masking indoors. it sucks that all those hard boundary conversations with pod and non-pod members last year are needed all over again. in the last three weeks, a total of 15 people in my family, close friends, or 1 degree away from me have tested positive for covid. it *really* sucks that the anti-vax disinformation campaigns (ht jamal jordan) are *so* effective. and it sucks that so many people are dying while it seems our collective country has not yet learned how to be with this.
and on top of that, climate change is ravaging in wilder ways faster than *some* of us were led to believe it would. wildfires in greece? california fire smoke on the east coast? heat waves… almost everywhere? i still don’t think people are taking it seriously… the thing i’ve been saying for probably a few years now is that “with climate change, there is no ‘over there’… at least not for long.”
i am thinking more and more about making sure me and my beloveds (which is a lot of people) have the skills, capacity, and networks we need to adapt well to this increasingly chaotic world we are living in. what does that look like? tbd…
but, now i’m just rambling. let me end this opening to this edition of lqb2weekly on a good note: i have realized that one of the excellent things about spending so much more time in nature is that i actually want the things consumer capitalism offers less. the more i swim in natural water and dry off in the sun, the less i feel interested in watching tv and buying the things instagram seems to know i want. i can only hope more and more of us wake up that reality as the things we’re conditioned to consume become even more obviously tied to undermining the planet’s capacity to hold our species (lol damn. i really did try to end that on a positive note 🤪)
on to the things!
oh, and i probably won’t write another newsletter until sept. maybe lqb2weekly becomes lqb2monthly in the summer. 🤔
(!!) pick of the pack
writing
some things i’ve written since the last newsletter:
Aug 12, 2021 | alternative futures: distributed parental/communal leave
Aug 11, 2021 | book review: the smell of rain on dust
Aug 11, 2021 | book review: undrowned
Aug 11, 2021 | book review: mushroom wisdom
Aug 10, 2021 | book review: a world without email
Aug 9, 2021 | book review: we do this til we free us
Aug 4, 2021 | oppressive systems condition us out of certain emotions
quotes
there is nothing new under the sun…
Unfinished projects can’t compound. — James Clear
When choosing a new habit many people seem to ask themselves, “What can I do on my best days?”
The trick is to ask, “What can I stick to even on my worst days?”
Start small. Master the art of showing up. Scale up when you have the time, energy, and interest. — James Clear
When it’s over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder if I have made of my life something particular, and real. I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened, or full of argument.
I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world. — Mary Oliver
It is impossible to get better and look good at the same time.
Give yourself permission to be a beginner. By being willing to be a bad artist, you have a chance to be an artist, and perhaps, over time, a very good one. — Julia Cameron
Every opportunity is attached to a person. Opportunities do not float like clouds in the sky. They’re attached to people.
If you’re looking for an opportunity — including one that has a financial payoff — you’re really looking for a person. — Ben Casnocha
I argue that the most powerful thing you can do to add healthy years is to curate your immediate social network. In general, you want friends with whom you can have a meaningful conversation. You can call them on a bad day and they will care. Your group of friends are better than any drug or anti-aging supplement, and will do more for you than just about anything. — Dan Buettner
Spend more time searching for better information sources.
A body filled with junk food struggles to move well.
A mind filled with junk thoughts struggles to think well. — James Clear
poetry
“This is How a Human Being Can Change” by Rumi
reads
some things i’ve read since the last newsletter:
Interview: Organizing to Learn, Learning to Organize | LaborNotes (!)
A Guide To Outdoor Transmission & The Delta Variant | romper
These Louisiana cities are getting more weeks of 'extreme heat' than 50 years ago | nola
Five Texas Democrats who fled state in protest test positive for Covid | The Guardian
listens
some audio and/or podcasts i’ve listened to since the last newsletter:
Sibling Miniseries #1: Naima and Leah | How to Survive the End of the World
Sibling Miniseries #2: Naina and Navina Khanna | How to Survive the End of the World
Sibling Miniseries #4: Una and Michi | How to Survive the End of the World
Sibling Miniseries #5: Makani and Robin | How to Survive the End of the World
Bringing the DJ to every part of his life with Steve Vassor | Let Me Introduce Myself (LMIM Show)
Wrestling with Self and Impact on the World with Hobson McCain | Let Me Introduce Myself (LMIM Show)
Finding Black joy amidst the darkness with Gabriel Lawrence | Let Me Introduce Myself (LMIM Show) (!)
watches
some videos i watched since the last newsletter:
jams
some things i’ve been (aurally) enjoying since the last newsletter:
too good — ayoni (!!)
jobs
Program Officer, Diversity and Equity Initiatives | Mass Cultural Council | $53-76k
Human Resources Director | Mass Cultural Council | $100-110k
Fiscal Information and Compliance Officer | Mass Cultural Council | $59-76k
Managing Weaver of Strategy and Operations | The Partnership for Democracy and Education | 120-150k
Solidarity Donor Relations Coordinator | Grassroots International | $60-71k
Director of Development | The African American Policy Forum | $85-95k salary
note - any recipient of this newsletter is welcome to send me job postings to share in future editions. however, i only share job descriptions with listed salary ranges.
housing
n/a
upcoming events
Telling the unvarnished history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (Online) | Sat Oct 9, 2p-3:30p ET
fill your cup: a radical self-care & empowerment retreat for #bosswomen (only 3 spots left)
$$ (fun-raising)
Be a Refuge 2021 (for the 2022 better selves fellowship. note: i am co-facilitating 2 of the 3 cohorts of the 2021 fellows this year!)
my friend, damali, is having some series health struggles and raising $50k to support her care. she’s now raised $36k and any extra bit helps. more info is here and here’s the link to her gofundme.
other opportunities
newsletters
Solstice newsletter: newsletter #3
emet ezell: a crossword puzzle of place
building belonging: Money, the gift economy, and belonging
astroradicals: THE MOOD: Minding Our Molecules
right now i’m learning…
that without flying, there’s still a shitton to explore.
mood
