Day 372, March 24, 2021
Rejuvenation
Tonight's soundtrack: The Headhunters, 1976 and Return to Forever and The Headhunters, 1974
I was in a meeting today and was surprised by a colleague asking me, What new thing am I going to incorporate in my routine? We were trying to model integrating new tactics into our toolbox to reach a goal, but I had not prepared and I froze for a moment like an opossum caught in headlights.
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| Franklin smells something in the air. |
My mind raced through my day. When could I possibly find time to do something new? I feel like every hour is already fitted as snuggly as a nicely tailored shirt around the activities I have on any given day. Some days, I manage to eat lunch in a matter of minutes and by the time I am done with my activities, I am ready to call it a night. I don't understand how I managed to also drive to work in the before pandemic times.
It is, of course, not just work that takes up my day. We prioritize what is important, and whether that is reading, writing, playing music, or riding a bicycle. If we are not intentional about incorporating an activity into our lives, then it becomes something too easy to let go of. That is one of the strengths of routine. It allows us to retain the things we care most about and prioritize them as most important. Perhaps that is a different way of looking at what it means to be busy. It is more about having a life full of important things.
Of course, that is not the only way to exist. I relish the idea of a more relaxed lifestyle where one can leisurely sit outside at a picnic table and eat olives and fresh vegetables for lunch. I yearn for a time when I can regularly return to playing music. And for my colleague, I offered up bicycle riding. With the advent of warmer weather, I am eager to get my body moving again. I am a little nervous how it will feel to get in the saddle again (Is it true, one never forgets how to ride a bike?).
Rather than a daily routine, I pledged to go on one ride in the coming week. I imagine I can fit that in somewhere. It feels a little concerning that I am not able to easily identify when I would go for a ride because to take an hour for a ride would mean cancelling an hour of something else and in the moment my schedule feel immovable. Some day soon, my schedule will change. I will incorporate a commute. I will probably have to let go of this blog, at least with this regularity. I will have band practices, gigs. I will go out and see performances. Life will return to something like it was before.
Some people are more adept at finding balance. I need to remind myself that there is importance in that too. My inclination is to join and embrace everything fully... to immerse myself in a thing. And then, I become tired. What we all need, more than ever, is rejuvenation and I worry that it is infinitely harder to be rejuvenated if while one is also tired.
But it is also enormously fun and rewarding to be engaged in so many things. Hence my conundrum.
Here's to bike rides, playing music, and being engaged in the things we love,
Leo
From Our Friends:
From GEO and the Taiwanese Students Association at UMass:
There will be TWO RALLIES this Saturday at Amherst Common in response to the hate crime that happened in Atlanta last week. The rallies are to address the racism AND sexism behind the tragedy. The event in Springfield is organized by groups of western Massachusetts Asian and AAPI women leaders and community members. The one in Amherst is organized by the Graduate Employees Organization at UMass Amherst. This rally is specifically dedicated to Asian American Pacific Islander Women who deal with sexism and racism in daily life. There will be time allocated for AAPI women to step forward and share their stories. Please contact Dora Tseng( dora@geouaw.org) if you or anyone you know will be interested in speaking. The community at large is welcome to participate and please bring a sign, a mask and an open mind to learn. Thank you for your attention!
Hear Us All: A Rally Specifically Dedicated to All AAPI Women
Where: Amherst Common
When: March 27 (Saturday) @1PM - 3 PM
Facebook Link: https://fb.me/e/3gLFD09Ws
Stop Asian Hate Rally
Where: 36 Court St, Springfield, MA 01103-1602, United States
Time: March 27 (Saturday) @11AM -12 PM
Facebook Link: https://fb.me/e/41IZ9zFKc
From LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics):
#StopAsianHate Friday, March 26th, 2021 |
With all the anti-Asian hate, harassment, bias and now murder that is happening and has happened our communities across the U.S., Canada and globally, LEAP would like to invite our community members to a LEAP Coach facilitated check-in this Friday to provide a space for how we can support and help each other and our community by creating and holding space for those looking for a place to grieve and process together with other Asian Americans.
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From the It Gets Better Project:
Ten years ago, comedian and actress Margaret Cho joined the chorus of voices sharing messages of hope on social media, telling LGBTQ+ youth that it gets better.
"We need you, the world cannot go on without you," she pleaded.
A lot has changed over the last decade, and Margaret's passion for seeing LGBTQ+ young people not just survive but thrive is stronger than ever. Join us as we revisit her original It Gets Better video and discuss coming out as a lesbian (then straight and then bi), growing up in her parents' gay bookstore in San Francisco, and the hurdles we still face as a community!
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