Prioritizing joy in Liberation work is about holding complexity

I’m find it hard to hold the complexity

...the ongoing genocide in Palestine,
...the ongoing wars around the world (Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, to name a few),
...the bullying turned killing of a non binary, indigenous, and trans kin,
...the celebration heritage months with the pain of not seeing structural changes for historically-excluded groups,
...the election season upon us and wanting democracy to continue to exist,
...the microplastics in everything, 

… and allowing for joy to exist in the everyday.

It’s integral to who I am, and the work we are doing, to be able to hold the complexity of being alive right now.  To feel joy in the little and the big while working for systemic changes and allowing for emotions to flow through me. It’s all part of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility work. (It’s really liberation work.) We have to start or continue to take care of ourselves and those around us amidst ongoing challenges. We have to amplify and lift up the voices of rad humans. We have to do the work that brings us alive, and if we are finding that our work is not bringing us alive, that’s okay, too. We can keep finding ways to bring joy into our lives that isn’t bound to us making money.  My joys: making art, crafting, listening to podcasts and music that fill my soul, watching movies and tv that help me learn or allow me to relax, being in nature - sometimes that’s a walk around the neighborhood and sometimes that’s driving somewhere to hike, connecting with friends, taking care of where I live, or making a delicious meal. 

Whatever you’re doing–work wise, life wise, liberation wise–don’t forget to take care of your human self.