lol...hi again

Wow…just about 5 years later and everything has changed, and yet so much remains the same. The last time I wrote we were just going into lockdown, a term I use very loosely, as I was living in South Carolina at the time and that wasn’t really something we did. We were playing pretty fast and loose with the rules, especially compared to states like New York and California, but never really took the hit for never formally closing like Texas did. Since then, I have moved to two different states, worked for three different companies, picked up some more crafting skills, became a wife and dog mother - life has happened.

I feel profoundly changed by the events of 2020 - looking back on my last post here I was so hopeful that we would come together and pull out of this. That we would finally look around with appreciation for the things that we have, for the creativity and sacrifice of teachers and medical professionals and service workers. That we would bring more dignity and respect to the workplace, as well as finally understand that constant production does not equal progress, and we should show more appreciation for the quiet moments at home with our loved ones. I thought that we would come out of 2020 with a much deeper respect for people, and an understanding that this country was built with blood, stolen from people who were stolen from their native lands. That our current system was unsustainable and we needed to take a long hard look at everything that the United States of America has become, and finally, finally pay respect and reparations to the people that made this country possible. To stop police killings, to dismantle white supremacy, to break down the systems that have been oppressive to so many for so long.

It turns out that kind of change is not made swiftly. In fact, sometimes, facing that change is so unbearable for certain people that they want to violently swing the pendulum in the other direction. Instead of facing facts that are difficult to stomach and hard to understand, we are pushed to move on. To forget about a virus that has killed millions of people, go back to work, forget this happened. We are told that our [white] children should not learn about a history that could potentially make them feel bad, so we ban books and change the curriculum to be a prettier version of events. We give even more money to the police, we reward people for their violence and punish peaceful protesters on their college campuses. We elect the oldest man ever for president, and then we double down and bring in someone who is not only elderly, but twice impeached, and a convicted sex offender. And he has come back worse than ever! More organized than ever, with people willing to do whatever it takes to maximize profits for the few at the top.

So what was it all for, and what does it all mean now? Maybe it doesn’t mean anything, we refuse to learn the stories of what came before us, so we continue a cycle of violence. White people have been the last to know because these systems have been designed to benefit this specific group. And even when lower income white people are not benefitting from the systems in place, they are told to place the blame on the people of color around them. That is literally how this country was built. Poor white people were told they were elevated from the African people brought over, from the Native people already here, and because they were given this flimsy scrap of a distinction, they fed into the oppression. I didn’t learn that in school, but I did learn it in 2020, when I attended the YWCA Racial Equity Institute (something that rocked my world and shifted my perspective on so much - I truly do recommend).

Maybe that is part of the point. People willingly opening their minds, taking the propaganda blinders off, and staring the truth boldly in the face. It is unfortunate that we have to sink this low to see the truth - that it has never been an Us vs. Them in terms of race, but it has always been a Them vs. Us in terms of wealth. Those at the top win by keeping us down and fighting with each other. By obscuring the truth of the matter, which is capitalism and corporations do not care about us - the people. These few at the height of wealth and power stay there by taking everything they can from us - our time, creativity, bodily autonomy - giving us the dregs and telling us it’s our fault for not hustling hard enough, it’s someone else’s fault for coming here and stealing our jobs, it’s a failure on us and not theft by them. The powers that be have been stalling this awakening for a very long time, but you can’t steal knowledge from people. Once something is seen and known, it cannot be unknown.

We have seen the oppression of Black people in this country, we have seen the oppression of Trans people, we have seen the oppression of women. We have seen our tax dollars being sent away in the form of bombs dropped on innocent Palestinian men, women, and children. We have seen our government do nothing to protect us or provide basic care and services. We have seen the punishment and are currently feeling the squeeze of the last desperate grasps at keeping control, maintaining the status quo of keeping We The People down. But more and more of us are seeing things as they truly are. More and more of us are seeing the facts laid bare and are willing to wake up and fight FOR each other, no longer against. It has been a difficult five years, and I know we are all preparing for even more challenges ahead, but there has been joy. Art has been made, babies have been born, people have fallen in love and moved happily together into their future.

Things feel so dire right now by design, we are purposefully being worn down. But our Knowing is indelible. Our distinctly human instinct to learn and share and grow is powerful, and we can harness that to make life better for all, no longer just the lucky few.

I say this to encourage myself, and to encourage you, to bear down and fight for the things that you love. It feels so overwhelming and like everything is on fire, and that is because it is - BUT there are so many of us out there that care. The people around you care a lot, and I know you care a lot - for your family, your friends, your pets, the earth - there is passion and love there. Pick something that resonates with you and get involved. We all have special interests, something that has profound meaning to us. For me, I have always been drawn to education, it is the foundation of a high functioning society. I am going to volunteer with local groups dedicated to educational equity and continue to donate to my local library. I am going to continue to have conversations with my friends and family about these issues that matter to me. I am going to continue to learn and read and pursue insight from people that came before me, people that are much smarter than I am, people that have a different life experience than me. I am going to continue to invest in my local community and create a positive impact in any way that I can.

How will you show up today? What are you willing to put in right now? Whatever it is, I guarantee it is needed. You might not see the impact made immediately, but whatever you choose to do, so long as it is authentic to you, authentically you, I know you will never regret it. Don’t let them push you to numbness. Your power is in your Knowing, and if you feel like you don’t know enough, the great news is there are so many resources out there for you to utilize. Arm yourself with knowledge and wrap yourself with love. We will only get through this together, and you are a vital piece in this resistance.

sending you love and light, i’m going to put some real energy into crocheting now lol love you see you next time.

adding an image of one of the most joyful beings I know - my sweet girl, Wiggles. I hope you take a page out of her book and spend some time laying in the sun with a smile.