lqb2weekly #167 (16 feb 2022)

Feb 17, 2022

hey,

it seems like this is a moment of greats.

the great resignation, the great reset, the great pause, etc etc. this, imo, is what a battle for meaning looks like in real time. un/fortunately, these battles aren’t won quickly. the great depression naming might have happened by herbert hoover, the prez at the time in 1931 (it started in 1929), but he wasn’t the first person to use that term in the history of the country. when did we agree at scale to call the great depression the great depression? who knows. not i. but i do know that we are in years-long moment where the story of what’s happening is way, way up for grabs.

to that end, i’ll add in some cents of mine (more than 2). this is:

the great push-through - so many people i know are holding on by the skin of their teeth and still just pushing through. inertia is real.
the great denial - our systems are collapsing in front of our eyes and we just keep patching the tire. idk what else to do but i definitely get denial vibes at the national scale.
the great bore - in the last week, the number of times i’ve heard people in many different contexts talk about how tired they are of their lives is more than i’ve heard in a long time. one person called it a one-act play and said the stage is their home.

idk what to do (if there is anything to be done) about all this but it’s just what i’m seeing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

anywhozzle (this is me pushing-through lol), i can’t remember if i mentioned this but graduated from my coach training program! you’re looking at one of 38 newly-minted healing, justice, and liberation coaches.

to that end, i have 1 or 2 slots left in my new, 3-month group coaching cohort. starts march 1! details and RSVP here.

ok here’s a few short things:

holy wow! check out this epic black history month masterclass. i started watching it and phewwie. juicy. thx joann malone for sending this along.
the tea — just learned about this queer af newsletter by the movement for black lives
this friday, 4-6p ET, i’m facilitating a convo with beautiful ventures on networks for black futures. should be fun. target audience is network newbies. all are welcome, black folks are centered.
converge, a network i’m a part of, is hosting a network leadership series. great learning opportunity if you’ve got funds or PD monies.
check out these fresh solidarity economy principles. thx cheyenna for sending these to be shared. shoutout to my beloveds eli and rachel for contributing to this.

two slightly longer things (click through to read a little more)

on to the things!
(!!) pick of the pack

writing

some things i’ve written since the last newsletter:

Feb 14, 2022 | book review: the creation of patriarchy by gerda lerner
Feb 2, 2022 | notes on the birth center equity winter co-director retreat

quotes

there is nothing new under the sun.

You can have it all. Just not all at once. — Oprah Winfrey

In the middle, it feels slow.
In hindsight, it feels fast. — James Clear

Many of us seek community solely to escape the fear of being alone. Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape. — Bell Hooks

Success unlocks both opportunities and distractions. — James Clear

The greatest rewards in life are often delayed. The financial benefits of work and investing. The emotional benefits of marriage and friendship. The psychological benefits of creating something that matters. Meaningful outcomes take a long time to grow and compound.
Furthermore, most pursuits involve other people: coworkers, spouses, children, peers. If you want your results to continue to grow, then you need relationships that last.
One of the essential ingredients for success is being pleasant and trustworthy because it allows whatever you are building—a business, a relationship, a project—to continue. Many relationships disintegrate before the rewards accumulate. — James Clear

Your first step is just that: the first of many steps. For so long I would stand still, afraid to move in any direction because I wasn’t sure which was the course I wanted to follow for the rest of my life. Finally, someone explained to me that my first steps did not necessarily determine one path for all my tomorrows. There would be more decisions, and more opportunities to make a shift should I need to do so. — Ashley C. Ford

It is important to remember that the viciousness and wrongs of life stick out very plainly but that even at the worst times there is a great deal of goodness, kindness, and day-to-day decency that goes unnoticed and makes no headlines. — Isaac Asimov

poetry

beannacht by john o’donohue

reads

some things i’ve read since the last newsletter:

listens

some audio and/or podcasts i’ve listened to since the last newsletter:

watches

some videos i watched since the last newsletter:

jams

some things i’ve been (aurally) enjoying since the last newsletter:

garden kisses — giveon
gold — carolyn malachi
sister 2 sister — ibeyi
bon acteur — lous and the yakuza

jobs

housing

A friend is looking for a new place to live, preferably (but not exclusively) in Cambridge, Somerville, or JP. Rent under $900. Available to move-in any time after 2/1. More about him:

I’m a 23-year old white, queer, gender non-conforming man, vaccinated & boosted, mostly vegetarian. I work both at home and in the office. I like to play card/ board games, cook, read, make & write music, dance, craft, bike, and be among trees. As a housemate, I like to keep things clean, and build relationships with the people I live with through sharing food and generally hanging out. Big fan of direct communication and intentionality around conflict resolution and domestic labor practices.

Please send any leads to jordanmudd54@gmail.com!

upcoming events

networks that build black futures

$$ (fun-raising)

cynthia lin is fundraising for bcnc (now 52% of the way there!)

i am currently working on writing an essay for a tarot deck to be released this year: liberation tarot. you can check out some lovely previews and bios of the artists here and you can help support the fundraising here. here’s the fundraising ask from the website in case you don’t have energy to click through:

We are now looking to raise an additional $10,000 for the design and writing of the Liberation Tarot handbook! The handbook will include magnificent written contributions from emet ezell, Lawrence Barriner II, Elicia Epstein, and adrienne maree brown.

Can you help us reach $10,000 by May, 2022?

if you’ve got funds to help this project get over the finish line, here is where to send them. 🙃 i’m v excited. obvi.

other opportunities

Consultant for Union of Concerned Scientists to support the development of a Train the Trainer program for an effort called Science Rising
Group Coaching Cohort, Winter-Spring 2022 | Gibrán Rivera
White Men to Explore Humble Leadership towards Racial & Gender Justice | Three Sessions: March 8, 15, 29 (2-5pm ET, on Zoom)
Relaunch of Boston Opportunity Fund announced
Reading Work - Open Call (get paid to read abolitionist texts)
Rivers of Kusir: Path & Purpose - Men's Integrity Circle 2022

newsletters

solstice newsletter: newsletter #3
emet ezell: what kind of ancestor do you want to become?
building belonging: Democracy is the structure of belonging
astroradicals: THE MOOD: Pave with Purpose

right now i’m learning…

from david la piana about why 3-year strategic plans for nonprofits don’t really work.