It’s #GivingTuesday and the thing I’m most excited about is planting trees. Did you know that planting a tree only costs a buck???
$1 = 🌲
It’s been a rough year for… well, pretty much everybody. I’ve seen a lot of my favorite nonprofits make the painful call to let go of some staff. And some of the people who have it hardest were those who nonprofits serve. Those struggling with safety, food security, ecological health, etc.
🌳🌳🌳🥦
There’s this quote that gets attributed (probably incorrectly) to Martin Luther. “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
There’s a similar energy I’ve seen from @plantwpurpose communities this year. The image of families planting a tree that improves the land for generations especially stands out in the middle of a pandemic, tropical storms, political unrest, and everything else that’s come up. It’s the simplest act of hope and belief that their kids could still one day live in a better world.
Go check out the link in my bio to plant trees at a buck a piece. I can’t think of a better return. It’s one of the most accessible, low-cost, but high-impact ways to help people for years to come.
The Thankful List
What I’m thankful for feels kind of obvious: my family and the way this wild time has strengthened our ties. We’ve been safe and healthy. We have jobs we find meaningful, and we’ve grown so much in terms of finding our voice, setting boundaries, and being emotionally honest. It hasn’t been easy, but we have it good.
That said... here’s a quick list of some less predictable stuff I’m also thankful for this year.
🔸 My green micropuff jacket in heavy rotation these days.
🔸 Buying an oversized tent four years ago and reaping the rewards now with a kid.
🔸 Dancing to @kokokomusic with Rhys
🔸 MLB The Show.
🔸 Hummingbirds.
🔸 Over The Moon.
🔸 Ramy, season two.
🔸 Healthy enneagram 8s.
🔸 These accounts: @blackliturgies + @blackcoffeewithwhitefriends + @mspackyetti
🔸 Trader Joe’s Greek Yogurt Oatmeal Cookies.
🔸 The “We have _____ at home” dad meme.
What are the less obvious things are you thankful for?
Hard, But We'll Miss It
Moment of honesty here, the past two months have been hard.
Because of some pretty complicated issues going on in my family, our childcare situation fell through. Because we’re in the middle of a pandemic, we don’t really have any other options but juggling Rhys while doing our jobs from home. It’s a LOT.
I wake up basically as early as possible to do as much work as possible before Deanna starts working. Then around 10, I’m with Rhys all day, only getting stuff done during naps. He’s also a carbon copy of my energy level, a very early walker, and not the biggest napper, so those hours are a handful. I’ve taken so many meetings with a wild rumpus going on just off camera as I carefully DJ that mute button.
Here’s what’s kept me going (other than not really having a choice)– I know I’m doing the right thing, and I know someday I’ll miss this.
Even though days feel pretty long, I can still feel pretty good knowing that I’ve made my family the priority, been firm with boundaries, and left nothing undone to take care of them. It’s the sort of thing that you don’t regret.
And it’s come with the huge perk of getting to spend so much time with Rhys during this pretty dynamic time in his development. We go on near-daily adventures to parks so he can explore, and Rhys has become much more of a daddy stan lately! (Moms really have the early advantage, and rightfully so, but it’s nice to start getting some of that.)
Things are hard now, but someday, you’ll actually miss this.
I don’t know if that applies to your situation the way it does to mine, but if it does, give yourself that reminder as much as you need to. I’ve needed it!
Camping in Big Sur
Some of you might’ve never seen a cross-cut of a persimmon before, so here ya go!
It’s been 15 months since I’ve been out of state. My travel hiatus started pre-COVID, since we were in the late stages of a complicated pregnancy last fall. Needless to say, I am so ready to head out on an adventure without borders as soon as it’s back on the table!
Lately I’ve been feeling more optimistic about next year and future adventures and being able to collect stories from places afar. And it’ll all be with a richer appreciation for the adventure.
In the meantime, I’m thankful to Big Sur for giving me one exception the past several months.
Rhys' Baptism
Another happening from earlier this month... we got to baptize the wiggliest of the boys!
Rhys’ baptism was a day after his first birthday and while he was much bigger and squirmy than we imagined he would be if this didn’t get delayed by a few months, it was just as special. And that moment where he actually goes quiet when the water hits... 😇
One of the things about my faith that I appreciate more and more over time is the collective aspect and being part of a spiritual community. I’m finding a lot of growth in moving away from more individualistic expressions and in seeking oneness across cultures and generations. And I love sacraments that remind us of that.
Stacey Abrams
I loved a post I saw by Lindsy Wallace encouraging us to look for the movement makers on our own home turf... so I had to give it some ink!
I like that Stacey Abrams herself insists that mobilizing isn’t a one person effort, and that the narrative of putting changemaking on the shoulders of one individual, no matter how incredible, isn’t sustainable.
That said, I was watching her All In documentary and found that her challenges of being underestimated or tokenized hit home. It was a lesson in playing the long game and leadership through teamwork. I couldn’t pick just one quote to illustrate!
Justice, Then Unity
Unity. We need it. But also, it’s a loaded concept sometimes, huh?
How can we seek unity in a way that doesn’t undermine justice? A concept of unity that doesn’t address damage done to people on the margins isn’t really unity at all.
I have more questions than answers at this point, but I’ve also been thinking a lot this week about the community in Colombia I had the chance to visit last year. They were torn apart by years of violent conflict, and are have since faced many of the same questions.
🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴
The biggest thing I learned: You can’t have healing without justice.
That doesn’t just mean punishing the “bad guys.”
🌐
It starts with truth-telling and people owning up to the harm that they caused others. I was amazed with how open some former fighters were about the damage they know they caused. Until people are unable to acknowledge how their decisions have harmed others, it holds healing at a standstill.
🌐
It also means creating a system and conditions to prevent a return to violence and harm. I was moved by ordinary people working with the next generation to make it harder for outsiders to recruit them into war.
🌐
It’s a process, not an overnight fix. A former combatant, very eager to start a new life, admitted that forgiveness was at a point too far down the road from where he was right now. But he was taking steps towards being able to physically be around his community again.
🌐
Healing is possible. But it takes time. It takes truth. It takes justice. But it’s definitely possible.
Purple Map Stories
Last week, while everyone was frantically hitting refresh, I came upon a post from Latif Nasser showing how a crest of consistently blue-voting counties from Arkansas to the Carolinas lines up perfectly with the shoreline of North America during the Cretaceous Era. The links? Being underwater ➡️ fertile soil ➡️ farmlands ➡️ slavery & sharecropping ➡️ high Black populations today.
(Look this up, it’s fascinating!)
🗺
Maps tell stories, which is why I’m kinda obsessed with them and could stare at them all day. Even when they aren’t electoral maps! In fact, I’d say the red-and-blue one we’ve all been staring at isn’t the best storyteller.
If you were to grab three West Virginians, odds are, one voted for Biden. Statistically. But you probably wouldn’t expect that if you automatically see red with West Virginia. The reverse it true for a consistent blue state like Oregon. Mississippi has a wall of blue counties, roughly 4x the amount of blue counties in the state of New York.
Why does this stuff matter, beyond reminding us of the Electoral College’s shortfalls?
🔵🔴 If we do need a road that leads us away from the divisive, polarized climate right now, research shows that the binary red-and-blue map increases perceptions of polarization and political stereotyping, versus more accurate purple maps.
🔵🔴 These maps also lead to the erasure of organizers who work to mobilize voters and participants in communities in states where we have the most stereotypical views. We saw the impact of Black women in Georgia and Navajo leaders in Arizona. There are many others creating movement in Missouri, Alabama, Texas, and many other places. When their efforts are ignored by a national audience, it becomes easier for their urges to be ignored by national leaders.
🔵🔴 And ideological stereotyping allows us to paint places with a broad brush, envisioning the South as racist while ignoring the problems in our own backyard. I’m writing this from California where this happens alllll the time. Like @Chimamanda_Adichie’s TED Talk points out, there’s danger to telling a singular story.
November 2020
#306 Baptizing Rhys
01 November 2020 // San Diego, California
The past couple weeks have been a LOT, but one beautiful thing that happened was getting to have Rhys baptized on All Saints Day, the day after he turned one.
To be honest, I’ve viewed my faith pretty individualistically for most of my life. And there’s some importance to make sure the decisions nobody can make for you are coming for your true self. But, my belief is that God is relational and experienced in community.
To me, it’s beautiful to know that my faith is something that has been passed through generations, and that it has movement that will go far beyond my own lifespan. That it has expressions and elements that are foreign to my own culture.
#307 Sippy
02 November 2020 // San Diego, California
Lots of posts starting off with “no matter who wins tomorrow...”
And most of them I basically agree with.
At the same time lots of real concerns of real people are really at stake.
The waiting room of an ER is no place to be singing “Don’t Worry Be Happy.”
#308 Biden-Harris
03 November 2020 // San Diego, California
Have you listened to your neighbors? Do you know their deepest fears? Their concerns? Their dreams? Their names? Do you recognize the impact systems and structures have on these? Did you make a decision from a place of love? Have you gone beyond the mere feeling of love and moved towards the ferocity of love in public? Do you know what your next steps are after today?
Octavia Butler with the words.
#309 Late Night Waiting
04 November 2020 // San Diego, California
I don’t like to be too preachy here, but I keep seeing the same idea repeated again and again by, um, actual preachers: It doesn’t matter who wins, God is on the throne.
You can expect to hear this on queue each election, like Mariah Carey’s Christmas jams in mid November.
It’s a true statement, but also incomplete.
This shouldn’t be a phrase used to placate our concern for the poor, the vulnerable, the sick, or the oppressed- those who have the most at stake in each election. This shouldn’t lower the volume of our cries for justice.
Speaking to my Christian faith, while God is on the throne, Jesus completely rewrote the playbook on what you do with that kind of power. He got up to wash feet.
American Christianity is already too throne obsessed. The world at large can recognize all that we’ve compromised in a pursuit of power. Can a reminder of God on the throne be helpful for some of us? For sure. But a true awakening to how we find Christ among the marginalized? That’d be truly revolutionary.
#310 Evening Walker
05 November 2020 // San Diego, California
You never really get how much representation matters until it hits home, I think.
“When Kamala Harris was born, Black people weren’t allowed to vote and Asians were by and large banned from entering into the United States. Now, a Black/Asian American woman will hold the Vice Presidential seat. Regardless of your political views, this is worth celebrating.”
– Raymond Chang
#311 Sand Play
06 November 2020 // San Diego, California
I love seeing the video clips of people in New York absolutely losing it every time a USPS truck goes by.
I want us to keep up this level of appreciation for the “ordinary worker” well beyond 2020. Reroute some of our celebrity gaze, there’s plenty to spare.
#312 Biden Wins
07 November 2020 // San Diego, California
A lot can feel very complex right now.
How do we build unity without sacrificing justice?
How do we dismantle the conditions that led to the last four years?
How do we hold new leaders accountable?
How do we keep momentum, fight complacency, and resist accepting a “return to normal” as a substitute for a better future?
I’m learning a lot but I sure don’t have all those answers.
There’s room for all that complexity.
But there’s also clarity.
You can check in with your soul and body and ask, what thoughts or feelings can I absolutely not deny right now?
For me, and for so many, it’s joy. Relief. And yes, hope.
It’s immediately thinking of the next generation with bigger dreams.
It’s wanting to celebrate in community, but also wanting to protect that community, so adapting to a car parade on my street.
I saw Blair Imani share, “I’ve never heard of an organizing framework that says don’t celebrate.”
I heard of a Dreamer friend, who went out and bought shelf organizers this week. And something so simple was so worth celebrating. A chance to unpack. A chance to dig in and plant roots and to make a home and pursue good for the land.
Let complex things be complex.
Let what’s clear be clear.
And like my friend Kathleen wrote yesterday: if you lead with Love, you will be on the right path
#313 Wet Green Leaves
08 November 2020 // La Mesa, California
My transition into more meatless weekdays is making me happy. Mostly because I keep discovering one solid meatless option after another. Some faves?
Shakshuka
Radishes and Polenta
Roasted Shishito Peppers
Kimchi Fried Rice
Buckwheat Soba and Tofu
Impossible Lumpia
Cucumber Sprout Sammies
Mint and Peach Naan Flatbread
What else should I add?
#314 Leafy Stomp
09 November 2020 // San Diego, California
I don’t quite understand the point of resigning from your job in protest of your boss’ evil scheme if you know your replacement would just be a yes man who doesn’t stand up to him?
Couldn’t you just start doing your job like the sloth in Zootopia instead?
#315 Impossible Lumpia
10 November 2020 // San Diego, California
This time a year ago, I wasn’t just just getting acquainted with my newborn son. I was also starting to get acquainted with a new version of myself. Dad mode.
My transition to being a dad will always be intertwined with me entering my thirties, and the dramatic way a pandemic reset our world. None of the dust has settled. But all these things have certainly made me be more intentional about what’s really important.
I hope I’ve grown in the direction of Love. I think I have. But I know it hasn’t always looked like the sweet sentimental version of Love. Especially this year, it’s often been the fiercely protective side of Love. The kind that doesn’t humor toxic behaviors or ideas. The kind that goes to bat for the vulnerable.
The stakes are higher, but at the same time, the simple moments are also elevated. I’ve gotten more joy from reading the same picture books over and over, from bath times, and from piggyback rides in the park than ever makes sense.
#316 Carseat Driver
11 November 2020 // San Diego, California
Last week, while everyone was frantically hitting refresh, I came upon a post from Latif Nasser showing how a crest of consistently blue-voting counties from Arkansas to the Carolinas lines up perfectly with the shoreline of North America during the Cretaceous Era. The links? Being underwater ➡️ fertile soil ➡️ farmlands ➡️ slavery & sharecropping ➡️ high Black populations today.
(Look this up, it’s fascinating!)
🗺
Maps tell stories, which is why I’m kinda obsessed with them and could stare at them all day. Even when they aren’t electoral maps! In fact, I’d say the red-and-blue one we’ve all been staring at isn’t the best storyteller.
If you were to grab three West Virginians, odds are, one voted for Biden. Statistically. But you probably wouldn’t expect that if you automatically see red with West Virginia. The reverse it true for a consistent blue state like Oregon. Mississippi has a wall of blue counties, roughly 4x the amount of blue counties in the state of New York.
🗺
Why does this stuff matter, beyond reminding us of the Electoral College’s shortfalls?
🔵🔴 If we do need a road that leads us away from the divisive, polarized climate right now, research shows that the binary red-and-blue map increases perceptions of polarization and political stereotyping, versus more accurate purple maps.
🔵🔴 These maps also lead to the erasure of organizers who work to mobilize voters and participants in communities in states where we have the most stereotypical views. We saw the impact of Black women in Georgia and Navajo leaders in Arizona. There are many others creating movement in Missouri, Alabama, Texas, and many other places. When their efforts are ignored by a national audience, it becomes easier for their urges to be ignored by national leaders.
🔵🔴 And ideological stereotyping allows us to paint places with a broad brush, envisioning the South as racist while ignoring the problems in our own backyard. I’m writing this from California where this happens alllll the time. Like Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi’s TED Talk points out, there’s danger to telling a singular story.
#317 Upas Park
12 November 2020 // San Diego, California
Unity. We need it. But also, it’s a loaded concept sometimes, huh?
How can we seek unity in a way that doesn’t undermine justice? A concept of unity that doesn’t address damage done to people on the margins isn’t really unity at all.
I have more questions than answers at this point, but I’ve also been thinking a lot this week about the community in Colombia I had the chance to visit last year. They were torn apart by years of violent conflict, and are have since faced many of the same questions.
🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴
The biggest thing I learned: You can’t have healing without justice.
That doesn’t just mean punishing the “bad guys.”
🌐
It starts with truth-telling and people owning up to the harm that they caused others. I was amazed with how open some former fighters were about the damage they know they caused. Until people are unable to acknowledge how their decisions have harmed others, it holds healing at a standstill.
🌐
It also means creating a system and conditions to prevent a return to violence and harm. I was moved by ordinary people working with the next generation to make it harder for outsiders to recruit them into war.
🌐
It’s a process, not an overnight fix. A former combatant, very eager to start a new life, admitted that forgiveness was at a point too far down the road from where he was right now. But he was taking steps towards being able to physically be around his community again.
🌐
Healing is possible. But it takes time. It takes truth. It takes justice. But it’s definitely possible.
#318 House of Finland
13 November 2020 // San Diego, California
You never really get how much representation matters until it hits home, I think.
Disney’s UK Christmas advert hit all the right notes for me.
Then I see the preview of Joshua de la Cruz having his Lola over for Blue’s Clues episodes, and it feels just right.
#319 Park Player
14 November 2020 // San Diego, California
I found myself missing parties and people and travel and so many things this week. Cautiously... the news about Pfizer’s vaccine this week is really good news!
And we’re just on the cusp of a really hard stretch of this pandemic. But I’ll take a light at the end of that spike-rimmed tunnel.
The “grey lining to a silver cloud” would be that they’re getting data (aka positive cases) at a much quicker rate cause cases are surging. Be careful out there!
#320 Jigueros Preserve
15 November 2020 // Fallbrook, California
I discovered the Chinese phrase 報復性熬夜, which sort of means “revenge to stay up.” This describes people who have their hands full all day that they stay up later because they treasure their freedom before bed.
I get 3-5 hours of “free time” each night between when I put the kid down and when I go to sleep. This is definitely me. I just wanna know how to pronounce this!
#321 Roast Shishito
16 November 2020 // San Diego, California
You kind of have to go out of your way to add roast shishito to a recipe. It’s not the most common ingredient. And yet… it makes so many things better! What a versatile pepper.
Thanks for always pushing me to be a little more creative, Meatless Monday.
#322 Shakshuka
17 November 2020 // San Diego, California
I like that Stacey Abrams herself insists that mobilizing isn’t a one person effort, and that the narrative of putting changemaking on the shoulders of one individual, no matter how incredible, isn’t sustainable.
That said, I was watching her All In documentary and found that her challenges of being underestimated or tokenized hit home. It was a lesson in playing the long game and leadership through teamwork. I couldn’t pick just one quote to illustrate!
“We are strongest when we see the most vulnerable in our society, bear witness to their struggles, and then work to create systems to make it better”
“Because I learned long ago that winning doesn’t always mean you get the prize. Sometimes you get progress, and that counts.”
“I was raised to believe that my faith should never be a sword to strike down another community, it should always be a shield to protect.”
#323 Can We Travel Yet
18 November 2020 // San Diego, California
Some of you might’ve never seen a cross-cut of a persimmon before, so here ya go!
It’s been 15 months since I’ve been out of state. My travel hiatus started pre-COVID, since we were in the late stages of a complicated pregnancy last fall. Needless to say, I am so ready to head out on an adventure without borders as soon as it’s back on the table!
Lately I’ve been feeling more optimistic about next year and future adventures and being able to collect stories from places afar. And it’ll all be with a richer appreciation for the adventure.
#324 Bienestar
19 November 2020 // San Diego, California
I learned about a seminary professor from Casper ter Kuile who requires students to learn the names of 10 species of plants and animals in their neighborhood. After all, they are part of getting to know one's "congregation.”
My congregation includes parrots, skunks, jacarandas, snapdragons, and a whole lotta alley cats.
#325 T Gwynn
20 November 2020 // San Diego, California
Some favorite things from my Big Sur trip:
🗺 The Hwy 1 drive is a highlight in and of itself, and there are a few trails partway to stop at if you wanna interrupt the drive with a hike
🗺 Walking the Garrapatta Trail was super easy with a kid strapped to my back, and such a photogenic trek
🗺 Big Sur Creek runs through a lot of the main camp areas and has plenty of secluded points. Perfect for Rhys and I to splash around in.
🗺 Carmel and Monterey have a lot of good spots to eat. We didn’t really get to do much there, but at least we know where to look!
🗺 This place is a photographer’s playground, but while it’s easy to take a good photo… it’s a bit more challenging to take an original one. But, creativity loves a challenge like that!
Unfortunately it’s not the most dog friendly place, which is why there are some key highlights missing from here. We’ll have to get a sitter next time. Speaking of next time, what else can’t I miss?
#326 Autumnal
21 November 2020 // San Diego, California
It makes sense that this is part of getting older, but it feels like each month that goes by makes me less and less interested in trying to please everybody and making approval the goal.
Simultaneously, I become more and more convinced that by being transparent and honest, I’m being kind. Even when the truth isn’t an immediate crowd pleaser. If nothing else, I owe people my clarity.
#327 Frazier Park
22 November 2020 // Frazier Park, California
I’m an oversubscriber. I definitely have the habit of seeing a few too many podcasts, YouTube channels, etc. that look appealing. And we all know where that ends up. A whole bunch of unheard episodes that I never end up getting to blocking out things I genuinely want to watch.
This week, I took the time to pare down some of my YouTube subscriptions, and to clear out a lot of my podcast backlog. And that was so helpful. I’m actually excited about what’s left and eager to learn and get inspired.
Curating is always better than collecting.
#328 Good Morning Park
23 November 2020 // Bakersfield, California
Moment of honesty here, the past two months have been hard.
Because of some pretty complicated issues going on in my family, our childcare situation fell through. Because we’re in the middle of a pandemic, we don’t really have any other options but juggling Rhys while doing our jobs from home. It’s a LOT.
I wake up basically as early as possible to do as much work as possible before Deanna starts working. Then around 10, I’m with Rhys all day, only getting stuff done during naps. He’s also a carbon copy of my energy level, a very early walker, and not the biggest napper, so those hours are a handful. I’ve taken so many meetings with a wild rumpus going on just off camera as I carefully DJ that mute button.
Here’s what’s kept me going (other than not really having a choice)– I know I’m doing the right thing, and I know someday I’ll miss this.
Even though days feel pretty long, I can still feel pretty good knowing that I’ve made my family the priority, been firm with boundaries, and left nothing undone to take care of them. It’s the sort of thing that you don’t regret.
And it’s come with the huge perk of getting to spend so much time with Rhys during this pretty dynamic time in his development. We go on near-daily adventures to parks so he can explore, and Rhys has become much more of a daddy stan lately! (Moms really have the early advantage, and rightfully so, but it’s nice to start getting some of that.)
Things are hard now, but someday, you’ll actually miss this.
I don’t know if that applies to your situation the way it does to mine, but if it does, give yourself that reminder as much as you need to. I’ve needed it!
#329 Follow Me
24 November 2020 // Bakersfield, California
When you wanna be a travel influencer but spend all your days with a one year old and the only place you go is the dining room.
Can’t wait for the world to reopen again.
#330 jANET rETURNS
25 November 2020 // Bakersfield, California
Here are three books that have been getting quite a bit of hype over the past year... deservedly so in my opinion!
Most of my reading this year has been towards the heavier side of nonfiction, but sometimes the truth is best told in a story. Here are #somebooknotes
📙 Where The Crawdads Sing was great as a genre defying, expectation juking tome. Characters were richly developed, and I loved the love the novel had for its setting and its ecology in particular.
📘 Such a Fun Age was really effective at showing how good intentions don’t always have good impact.
📗 The Vanishing Half was a strong second novel for Brit Bennett, and introduced the topics of colorist, identity, and generational trauma through a family epic.
#331 kERN rIVER
26 November 2020 // Sequoia National Forest, California
What I’m thankful for feels kind of obvious: my family and the way this wild time has strengthened our ties. We’ve been safe and healthy. We have jobs we find meaningful, and we’ve grown so much in terms of finding our voice, setting boundaries, and being emotionally honest. It hasn’t been easy, but we have it good.
That said... here’s a quick list of some less predictable stuff I’m also thankful for this year.
🔸 My green micropuff jacket in heavy rotation these days.
🔸 Buying an oversized tent four years ago and reaping the rewards now with a kid.
🔸 Dancing to KOKOKO with Rhys
🔸 MLB The Show.
🔸 Hummingbirds.
🔸 Over The Moon.
🔸 Ramy, season two.
🔸 Healthy enneagram 8s.
🔸 These accounts: @blackliturgies + @blackcoffeewithwhitefriends + @mspackyetti
🔸 Trader Joe’s Greek Yogurt Oatmeal Cookies.
🔸 The “We have _____ at home” dad meme.
#332 wEIRD yEAR thANKSGIVING
27 November 2020 // Bakersfield, California
Processing in real time the challenges of this year, the truth of all I have to be thankful for, and the indigenous pain associated with today.
I do think the most honest expression of gratitude leaves room for grief. Both remind us of our place in a much bigger story.
#333 cRUNCHY lEAF pARK
28 November 2020 // San Juan Capistrano, California
This is usually one of my favorite times of the year. All the gaps in the usual hustle give me a chance to catch up on some of my favorite makers’ creative work, and I tend to end up really inspired for things I want to make.
This year is sort of like that, but a couple things are different.
1) I’m really hungry for creative adventures. I’ve missed being able to launch out into the world, gather stories, and tell them creatively. It looks more and more like that’ll be back on the table in 2021, and there’s a lot of bottled up creative energy going on.
2) I’m less interested in simply doing things, this time around, but truly enjoying the process. I want my creative outlets to feel more and more like a playground. I think that time is coming.
#334 Hate is a Virus
29 November 2020 // San Diego, California
I haven’t watched this show in like 20 years (unless you wanna count Slumdog) but Dave Chang’s win makes me happier than makes sense.
#335 bIRD pARK gROVE
30 November 2020 // San Diego, California
I read a thread online about what people would be doing by 6pm if the pandemic were to just suddenly end around 3.
Just a hunch, but I don’t think the pandemic’s going anywhere by 3-6 pm.
But the responses… hopping on planes, partying with octogenarians, even licking Times Square.
On the flip side I do think we’ll see something to be hopeful about in 3-6 months, so I am saving these replies so I can really savor doing those things then.
(Most of them. No licking Times Square for me)
Election Reflections
A lot can feel very complex right now.
How do we build unity without sacrificing justice?
How do we dismantle the conditions that led to the last four years?
How do we hold new leaders accountable?
How do we keep momentum, fight complacency, and resist accepting a “return to normal” as a substitute for a better future?
I’m learning a lot but I sure don’t have all those answers.
There’s room for all that complexity.
But there’s also clarity.
You can check in with your soul and body and ask, what thoughts or feelings can I absolutely not deny right now?
For me, and for so many, it’s joy. Relief. And yes, hope.
It’s immediately thinking of the next generation with bigger dreams.
It’s wanting to celebrate in community, but also wanting to protect that community, so adapting to a car parade on my street.
I saw Blair Imani share, “I’ve never heard of an organizing framework that says don’t celebrate.”
I heard of a Dreamer friend, who went out and bought shelf organizers this week. And something so simple was so worth celebrating. A chance to unpack. A chance to dig in and plant roots and to make a home and pursue good for the land.
Let complex things be complex.
Let what’s clear be clear.
And like my friend Kathleen wrote yesterday: if you lead with Love, you will be on the right path
Not Just the Throne
I don’t like to be too preachy here, but I keep seeing the same idea repeated again and again by, um, actual preachers: It doesn’t matter who wins, God is on the throne.
You can expect to hear this on queue each election, like Mariah Carey’s Christmas jams in mid November.
It’s a true statement, but also incomplete.
This shouldn’t be a phrase used to placate our concern for the poor, the vulnerable, the sick, or the oppressed- those who have the most at stake in each election. This shouldn’t lower the volume of our cries for justice.
Speaking to my Christian faith, while God is on the throne, Jesus completely rewrote the playbook on what you do with that kind of power. He got up to wash feet.
American Christianity is already too throne obsessed. The world at large can recognize all that we’ve compromised in a pursuit of power. Can a reminder of God on the throne be helpful for some of us? For sure. But a true awakening to how we find Christ among the marginalized? That’d be truly revolutionary.
Choose Your Leaders
Have you listened to your neighbors? Do you know their deepest fears? Their concerns? Their dreams? Their names? Do you recognize the impact systems and structures have on these? Did you make a decision from a place of love? Have you gone beyond the mere feeling of love and moved towards the ferocity of love in public? Do you know what your next steps are after today?
Octavia Butler with the words.
A Year in Dad Mode
This time a year ago, I wasn’t just just getting acquainted with my newborn son. I was also starting to get acquainted with a new version of myself. Dad mode.
My transition to being a dad will always be intertwined with me entering my thirties, and the dramatic way a pandemic reset our world. None of the dust has settled. But all these things have certainly made me be more intentional about what’s really important.
I hope I’ve grown in the direction of Love. I think I have. But I know it hasn’t always looked like the sweet sentimental version of Love. Especially this year, it’s often been the fiercely protective side of Love. The kind that doesn’t humor toxic behaviors or ideas. The kind that goes to bat for the vulnerable.
The stakes are higher, but at the same time, the simple moments are also elevated. I’ve gotten more joy from reading the same picture books over and over, from bath times, and from piggyback rides in the park than ever makes sense.
Rhys is One!
ONE YEAR!!!
🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
Rhys, I tell you this every day and I still can’t tell you enough how much I love being your dad.
I love your combo of curiosity and determination. I love how much you love playing outside. I love seeing you explore the world and seeing you and your mom love each other.
Let’s have a costume party today, mmmkay?
The Centrist's Problem
Being moderate won’t fix division
When our world is as divisive as it is right now, I think more moderate positions start to look appealing. To be able to say that you “see both sides”- or better yet, to be able to constantly critique both sides can seem like the calm and rational approach.
I want to challenge the idea that defaulting to a moderate position is the right one.
On the issue of abolishing slavery in the 1800s, I wouldn’t have wanted to be a moderate. They weren’t in the right.
In the Civil Rights Era, Martin Luther King said he was most disappointed by the white moderate.
On a number of issues today, there is a side I very clearly want to be on.
Centrism for the sake of centrism isn’t a virtue. And strong convictions aren’t necessarily wrong. Trying to “see both sides” can be a good thing, but it’s no substitute for doing the honest work to know where you stand.
La Politique
“We don’t really want to get political around here…”
I get the appeal of wanting to stay out of politics. You walk past a TV with a bunch of angry talking heads and think “I really don’t want to sound like that.” You hear your cranky uncle go off on another dinner table and think... yeah, not for me.
But the problem isn’t so much politics, it’s the culture around politics. Striving to be apolitical often seems like a way to be “above the fray” but often enough… it can be just as bad.
The French have this saying that basically translates to: If you don’t want to ‘do’ politics, you’ll be done in by politics.
It makes me think of how in 2012, I campaigned for refugee support in the Midwest- both in rural conservative towns and on progressive campuses. Helping people escaping conflict seemed so widely agreeable. After 2015, something changed. It got “political.” For the refugees themselves? They had no choice. “Political” things determined their survival.
Meanwhile, I hear the phrase “we don’t want to get political” used all the time.
I’ve heard churches use it to explain why they said noting after Charlottesville.
I’ve heard institutions use it to explain why they won’t enforce mask wearing in a pandemic.
When we put being “apolitical” on a pedestal, we really shrink our willingness to love other people.
I’m not saying you need to have a hot take on everything. Or that you need to be rigidly partisan. Or that you need to be an insufferable dinner table guest. Please don’t do that. But challenge the assumption that “staying above politics” is the default course for the pure at heart.
Voted
And there goes the ballot. Bumoto ako.
I remember the first time I ever voted, sharing every single pick pretty publically on MySpace! These days I may be a little more selective and strategic around speaking on different issues, but I still know when I can’t stay silent in good conscience and simply gotta speak from the heart.
🗳🗳🗳
I don’t like how our two party system reduces our creativity towards problem solving. I hope one day we move to something that doesn’t breed division so effectively. But I do like the popular analogy of how voting is more like public transportation than marriage. You don’t need to find your match of destiny. Just the vehicle to get you to the next stop, a little closer to your destination. And hopefully not one charging in the total opposite direction.
I hope we get the change of direction we really need. Between climate and the pandemic, there is real urgency. I don’t have everything figured out, but I do know I’m really tired of how stoked white supremacists and hate groups have been over the past few years. I’m tired of leaders who constantly say inexcusable things and rig systems to zero consequence. I’m tired of how simple, low-hanging opportunities to protect the most vulnerable, like admitting refugees and wearing masks unnecessarily become the sourest sources of debate.
It’s tough to pick the thing that’s made me maddest but right now the answer seems to be the whole batch of kids who’ve seen a whole generation of adults not only fail to reject bullying, bravado, and dishonesty, but actually praise and celebrate it.
Today, hope takes the form of a vote. And while there’s plenty more change needed beyond voting, it’s a very important step that makes much more change possible.
The Next Right Thing
Somehow these days everything feels like a series finale except for the fact that it all also feels endless. Large parts of California are still on fire. Virus cases are spiking again. Injustice is suffocating.
🌲🌲🌲
My biggest lifeline these days has been to just focus on the day ahead. I love the phrase “the next right thing.” Seems like such a simple concept but maybe it’s simplicity makes it a bit too easy to overlook its importance.
The thing about the “next right thing?” It can be a completely different thing from one day to the next.
⛺️⛺️⛺️
For me, one day it’s putting pen to paper, figuring out the words to write that can help people process a very difficult thing that just happened.
Another day it’s bringing up a challenging conversation with a loved one that would be easier to avoid.
Some other day it’s spending hours playing MLB The Show- the only way I get to see the Phillies in the playoffs. Never thought I’d be into video games like I’ve been this year, but it’s part of learning how to rest.
Another day it’s putting work and creative projects on the backburner, having fun with Rhys and listening to Tagalog children’s songs together.
And the past few days it’s been pitching our tent in state parks and public lands, cooking gumbo over a pocket stove, and splashing in a cold creek.
It’s not over yet! You can say those words with an exhausted voice or a determined voice, but you’re still here. What’s your next right thing?
A Local Adventure
Looking for us? We’ve been on an adventure!
After having our whole slate of 2020 trips cancelled, we managed to get in a road trip around our home state of California. Between monitoring COVID cases and wildfire containment, park and road closures, getting a new car that could handle the trip, and work stuff, it felt like we really had to fight for this one! But adventure is always worth fighting for.
🏕
California is massive and has so much diverse terrain. Even though I’ve lived here on and off for most of my life, there are still so many corners I haven’t seen, and I enjoyed getting to discover a few of them.
🐿
I typically place a premium on places hard to get to. Often, distance, remoteness, and challenge add to the appeal of a destination. It puts places like Madagascar, Namibia, and Tierra del Fuego on my bucket list. But right now, learning to love what’s local is important for the sake of keeping others healthy, and holding climate change at bay.
Thankfully, there’s a lot around nearby to marvel at.
Goku Conference
Finally met our Uncle Daniel.
We had a Goku conference in our matching Dragonball swag, hit up a pumpkin patch, and played with a lemon. Bom processo!