Expansive Joy
I sit at my computer on a Sunday evening feeling the weight of this work. My interaction with the news must now be dosed in small amounts to allow me space for rest, for reconnection, for restoration. However, it is becoming quite commonplace for these small doses to have lasting effects, to cause a sense of hopelessness and despair at the persistent and unabashed threat to our lives. It is not tenable to be a bystander in this work. To be a witness, to be a human being, is to be enraged. I am tempted to quell this feeling, however to do so is to allow. I instead choose to transform it. Transform this rage into action, love and connection. To return to my community and bask in the joy of lives lived freely against these terrible odds. For all who find themselves hopeless, enraged and in despair, I offer a small salve in the form of trans and non-binary joy. It is only with rest and the present manifestations of our purest imaginations that we can remain focused on the fight.
Check out these wonderful sources of fortification:
Ancestral Links
It all begins with an idea.
As I embark on this journey of building, on the generative and creative processes required to bring forth my greatest imagination, I find myself seeking connection with my mentors and ancestors, channeling their energy and spirits as I navigate the uncharted waters of this time.
I draw inspiration from those who seek to live authentically, those who have questioned the status of affairs and been so bold to carve a new path forward. I remind myself that this work is sacred, that what is required is a reorientation towards curiosity, towards acceptance of our vulnerabilities, fallibilities, misunderstandings and idiosyncrasies. I meditate on our potential to evolve, to change, to see one another as a multitude of truths and identities. To allow myself the space to be - the space to experience love, joy, peace, anger, rage, frustration, fatigue - the space to be free.
Present sources of inspiration:
The Institute for Radical Permission presents: What If You Get to Be Free? - adrienne maree brown, Sonya Renee Taylor, Alok
Doctor’s Aren’t Burned out from Overwork. We’re Demoralized by Our Health System, NYTIMES.