to remain well

Last month, I went to a retreat called "Yoga and Meditation in a Troubled World". We talked about presidential lies, climate change, feeling helpless and hopeless.

This was my favorite quote from the instructor:

"Self care is like self preservation, and self preservation can be an act of political warfare. To thrive, to remain well in systems of violence and oppression, is how we begin to dismantle systems of violence and oppression.”      -- Audre Lorde, activist

Audre Lorde

She means "self-care" in the sense of being at peace with yourself, not the meaning co-opted by the beauty industry to sell lotions and massages for $$$.

Previously I felt guilty if I felt at peace while horrible things were happening in the world. It was an epiphany to hear that it is actually useful.

Group yoga at the retreat

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linked

I've been reading books by Gloria Steinem. It is energizing!

I'm glad she is living a long life, and has written many books. I hope she writes many more.

Some things she has said, which I like:

Because I’ve had the luck of having friends from Indian Country here—and also visiting a few old cultures in India and Africa—I’ve had a glimpse of a time in which people were linked, not ranked. Those words are a good mantra: We are linked, not ranked.  

If we just stop looking up at leaders, and begin to look at each other, we find our power. [Can I still look up to her though?] 

Without self-esteem, the only change is an exchange of masters; with it, there is no need for masters.

Gloria Steinem & Dorothy Pitman-Hughes

In "Revolution from Within", she talks about how interracial marriage was a crime punished by prison time, until the 1960s. She points out:

Among the many victims of such antimiscegenation laws were Asian men brought to this country by the thousands in the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century as workers -- forbidden to bring wives from their own countries, and also forbidden to marry non-Asians here -- some of whom are still living.

Days

I have been taking care of my mom.

There are some days that are tough, and we both get impatient.

There are also really happy days. This photo was from a happy day: her birthday. 

15-month countdown

This presidency has destroyed my idealism. I used to feel joy frequently, and optimism. That's gone now.

It is not just the president's actions, though those are bad enough. It's disillusioning to see all the Republicans who support him, and the others who shake their head but then go right back to their daily lives.

On several occasions, male acquaintances said to me, "It really isn't that bad. I feared the worst after the 2016 election, but nothing too bad has happened."

I said, "Nothing bad has happened to you. Immigrants are being deported. Gay people are afraid that gay marriage will be revoked. Visas are much harder to get. Our climate is being destroyed. You haven't suffered consequences because you are not a woman, or a minority."

...

Is it all going to feel better after the 2020 election? Do I just need to hold out for another year, and this daily weight of dread and sadness will lift?

I worry that there is an innocence that is permanently gone. 

We need Buffy the ICE Slayer

Me: I learned that ICE often uses warrants that will allow them to deport someone, but doesn't allow them to enter a home or private space to make the arrest. So one of the top advice is to NOT open the door for ICE.

Aff: ICE doesn't have the right to enter if they're not invited?

Me: Correct. They are literally like vampires.

Aff: So, as long as you don't invite them in, they cannot cross the threshold.

Me: Take any vampire movie, and replace the vampires with ICE. The movie will still make sense.

good job, minnesota

I was touched by this support for Rep Ilhan Omar.

It is a gesture of allyship. Most protests are minority groups forced to advocate for themselves, such as the Women's March. There are allies present, but it's primarily the oppressed party forced to put themselves on the line.

This one is all allies. And it has a positive message. It's really nice.

I'm impressed that Ilhan Omar and AOC are not frightened. I have been frightened of the systemic injustice. I am inspired by watching them. Their courage is contagious.

Welcome Home, Ilhan Omar. pic.twitter.com/mAoVJ7Nk4A

— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 19, 2019

B-day time zone

Me: "Where should we go to dinner?"

Aff: "You should pick because it's your birthday."

Mom: "Oh, that's right! Happy birthday!"

Me: "Wow. My own mom forgot my birthday." 

Mom: "I wished you happy birthday yesterday."

Me: "But you forgot today, on the actual day."

Mom: "You were born in China. Your birthday was yesterday in China."

1 million of them would be bots

I have been reading a celebrity Twitter feed, which is very witty.

Me to Aff: "Do you wish I had 3 million Twitter followers?"

Aff: "No. Then you would be spending all your time trying to get to 4 million followers, and making me take photos."

Me: "You are smart."

...

Aff does not have any social media accounts. It is really great.