There are some, even many, types of knowing for which we should rely on experts. For others types of knowledge, we need to rely on ourselves. Yesterday, I Googled “tips for orchid care.” I also Googled: “Why is being a stay-at-home-mom so hard?” One of these is fair domain for external experts. The other, well,Continue reading “I ask Google to avoid the harder work of asking myself”
Category Archives: feminism, antiracism, & social justice
Collaboration is a skill
The other night, I attended a talk at Macalester College about theater and social equity. The word brilliant is overused, but forgive me because I do think it especially applies to the two featured guests: Cláudia Tatinge Nascimento and Sarah Bellamy. I took a lot of notes. One thing I didn’t have to write downContinue reading “Collaboration is a skill”
Your body was built to change
Your body was built to change. Really, it was. It is a creation that is meant to be different depending on the time of the day and the date of the year. Your melatonin levels and your body temperatures are both higher in the evening than in the morning. Your belly is soft so itContinue reading “Your body was built to change”
You’re my home
Little kids have a habit that I find alternatingly very cute and very annoying, depending on my mood. I’m talking about the way they ask verrrrrrrry basic questions. And then ask them again. And then ask them again. Last week, Owen hit me with, “Mama, what’s a home?” I gave a pretty darn good answer.Continue reading “You’re my home”
Intuition is a part of rational thought
Yuvah Noah Harari is fond of saying “Emotions are algorithms.” This is a pretty phrase, and I see its logic. But, as a non-programmer, it still contributes to an otherness I sometimes feel around my emotions. Somewhere along the way, I internalized a belief that the best way to be in the world is devoidContinue reading “Intuition is a part of rational thought”
Courage is contagious
There’s no mistaking an outbreak of the stomach bug. Everyone’s symptoms may be different, but it’s not too hard to connect the dots from one violently ill person to another. It can be trickier to identify when feelings and ideas are spreading. But make no mistake: They are just as contagious. Good ideas andContinue reading “Courage is contagious”
I love myself
The other day, I was scrolling through Instagram, and saw a post that asked, “Who do you love?” I can’t remember a single thing about that post except my automatic answer. It wasn’t my husband, my sons, my parents, my brother, or my cats. The first person that came to mind was me. This isContinue reading “I love myself”
What if your intuition was right?
What if your intuition was right? It’s so easy for me to fall into the trap of needing external sources to tell me whether what I know inside is actually true. I think part of me has this naive fantasy that all that information taken together can serve as a kind of omnipotent being. ThatContinue reading “What if your intuition was right?”
Loving your body is a revolutionary act
It may not shock you to hear that I’m very Type A. But maybe you haven’t noticed that I also have a subversive streak. If a rule doesn’t make sense to me or doesn’t seem to help me or someone else, I am deliberate about breaking it. Example: If I need to cross a neighborhoodContinue reading “Loving your body is a revolutionary act”
You were made to take up space
Two of my most revelatory reads of 2018 were The Body is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor and Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski. They both helped me see how deeply I’ve internalized the messages that smaller is better and the smaller the better. I have noticed how much shame I feelContinue reading “You were made to take up space”