SG, Brooklyn
the podcast, More Perfect; specifically an episode called "Sex Appeal" More perfect is a FASCINATING podcast about the Supreme Court and it has made me fall in love with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The episode Sex Appeal is about the sneaky, quiet, and genius ways she brought unlikely cases before the court as an ACLU lawyer to advance equal rights for women. B, Burbank The Universal Unitarian Church of Studio City's sermon on the spirituality of persistence. I'm a secular person yearning for fellowship so I've gone to the UUSC twice. You can be an atheist or a Jewish person or a whatever. The UUs are non-dogmatic and open to all. The minister's reading was from Sheryl Sandberg's book Option B, written after the unexpected death of Sandberg's husband. The sermon was about showing up for people who are grieving. The minister also said "this is hard and dark" but with climate change we will all be called to bear witness to catastrophe and grieving. Let me tell you, A REAL BUMMER to hear, but I was inspired to reach out to some friends--it helped me realize that I'd rather say the wrong thing than nothing at all. It also reminded me that we are, indeed, all in this together. Here's a link to that sermon. D, Toronto Be kind to yourself. Trust the season. This is really just a thought I am trying to hold within myself as the winter months slowly move forward. I can't make it be summer through sheer force of will. I can't guilt myself into being something/someone else. So I am being kind to myself. I am figuring out how to enjoy the darkness and make the most of the light. I am hibernating emotionally and awaiting the spring to bloom again. Be kind to yourself. L, Los Angeles city of heartbreak Woman of Size Podcast My friend Jana has an amazing intersectional feminist HILARIOUS smart podcast about women who take up space. It comes out every Monday and is so inspiring. I always feel supercharged up and ready to take on the world after I listen-plus, it makes me giggle a lot, and feel less alone in my experiences. n, santa barbara jack kornfield on loving kindness i've been putting my mind toward practicing loving kindness. i find it has dissolved some of the hard things lately and frees up the heart. this is a good listen. A, NY->LA->FL... NY is coming. I sometimes recite Rumi’s “The Guest House” before bed and it always stays with me awhile. Today my brother sent a line I probably glossed over before because it was in a decorative quote-box: “The cure for pain is in the pain.” -The Rumi Collection: An Anthology of Translations of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi I don’t know how this could always resonate. But today it related to my chronic illness. I fear I’ll end up in a hospital if I move back to a big city. When I’m caught up in the bustle, my treatment slips. But I need to be in NY for work, and love the movement of a city. I need to move toward the pain I associate with it. Today I committed to NY. Like many women with chronic illness, I don’t always get inspired by simple words about pain. By moving toward my pain in a way, I already feel a bit lighter. j, chicago. spiritual practice grounds my life. as of late my spiritual curriculum has been rough. as of late the whole world has been rough. in these times i turn to my teachers. andrew harvey is a queer modern day mystic who gives this talk on "a rigorous discipline of joy" which essentially states: joy = the sacred. joy = plants + animals + sacred relationships + play + art + your sacred mission. it's an invigorating talk that i return to often.... love! k, LA I am An Emotional Creature- Eve Ensler I had committed to teach TV and Film acting to kids and teenagers last Saturday during the Women's March. Everyone I knew was there and I really felt torn. But...the kids! My teenage class was all girls, so we discussed #MeToo, the March, and then started to explore the extraordinary book I Am an Emotional Creature by Eve Ensler. I felt we had our own meaningful march in the classroom, much because of the conversation and the expression this book derived from and inspired. It's a real gateway into the teenage girls voice, which resonates for me as a woman, too. B, Toronto Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers. The title says it all. Now, when I’m afraid of something big or small, I literally say to myself, “well, feel the fear (panic/insecurity/shame/low self worth…) and DO IT ANYWAY.” It’s amazing how I’ve been able to distill it down to that. This book is hugely empowering. Highly recommend. T, Syracuse NY More than once in my life fear has held me back. Actually, I can think of so many situations where *only* fear kept me from an opportunity, an exchange... what have you. As I grow and talk to myself as a friend I see that fear is not a negative, but rather a tool. I wish for every woman to know, even through the pressure we feel on a daily- one minute fear may fill to the gills...the next it is a memory. This has helped me so much. Life is fleeting and so is fear. Butterflies before an interview, the hesitation before you hit send, meeting someone new, the arrival of your babies...breathe in that moment. It will be a memory forever afterwards. b, la have you been good to yourself- song by johnnie frierson these very literal lyrics make me giggle and also feel serious at the same time. also, check out miracles.
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what is this?monthly inspiration by and for non-cis-men humans. like yourself. who live all over the place. archives
November 2021
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