Spring forward. Ta-Dum. Inhale—exhale. Heel—toe. Here—Now. Cha-cha-cha. Ta-Dah.
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Together, woven into a ragtag assembly, our eyes meet naturally and hold. Such sweet bedlam engulfs me for almost five hours. Not one raised voice, not even one—those leaving the tent and unable to get the vaccine nevertheless calmly detail the snafu and proudly show off their new appointment cards. No complaint, not one, from those in wheelchairs or dressed in shirtsleeves.
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Thinking outside the box? There isn’t even a box, for anyone. New eyes, new hearts, new minds embrace every possibility. The sky isn’t the limit. Any and every thing right here and now presents possibility.
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Here’s my December 4 interview on WTJU with host and longtime friend Brian Keena. The music and memories shared in this two-hour show extend a hand for holding tight until the vaccine liberates us all. The songs come from a windowsill radio beloved by Maria and me—my mother June’s tunes the kickiest kitchen spice in my childhood home celebrated in Leaving 1203.
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“We’ve got to get some light in here.” The gardens of our hearts beg for starting over, untying knots, pulling weeds, letting go, opening up. Reaching higher, turning over, clearing away, giving thanks, unwinding brambles. Laboring today for tomorrow’s promise.
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Can we defeat our lapses into stereotyping? Can we free others and ourselves? Yes, we can. It’s never too late. Freedom always matters.
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Representatives Lewis and Ocasio-Cortez have changed the soundtrack of this country. Often captured with their heads thrown back in laughter or dancing, these two messengers radiate joy in spite of it all. They inspire us to keep the faith, try harder, do more. And laugh and dance.
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My Black teachers today offer perspectives only they can. I’m humbly astounded at how much I learn daily, how much I didn’t know. Forget my assumptions. I know some things—my instructors Know Things. Here’s where I turn—just some of my mentors.
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Yes! I present as exhibit A+ the ordinary, and therefore extraordinary, moments that revitalized my spirit.
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I appreciate my grandmother and father in a spanking new way. Neither talked about past hardship—they did what needed doing. How humbling, their sacrifices. What little I know of deprivation or terror. I must latch on to this worthy perspective. “Getting over myself” seems the least I can do. May empathy always triumph over ego.
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Good communication always eases dis-stress, and especially now. Trust in the rewards of listening and being heard, touching through the distancing. Don’t lose faith in our human sameness—revel in its proof. Closed in, we can nevertheless open up.
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Accept fear, anxiety, heartbreak, mood swings, and mind games as part of daily life. You are not alone. Nothing has proven more dramatically how interconnected we are—the planet and its inhabitants just one wool scarf, knitted together for warmth. All stitches must hold. Empathy cements those stitches.
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I was born in Stuart Circle Hospital, named after the striking sculpture of the Confederate general at the circle’s center. Over the years from the backseat of the family station wagon, I anticipated the galloping horse as we got closer, turning to look back at the rider’s plumed hat and cape. My last image was always of the spurs on the heel his left boot, barely secured in the stirrup. Fortunately, mine is not the only imagination captured by this sculpture. Meet Kehinde Wiley’s 2019 re-imagination of another whinnying horse and purposeful rider.
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“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (from The Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews, 13:2).
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Patiently wait for your pitch. No panic. Never doubt. Give it your all today. Natitude.
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Old friends root our lives—our bonds remain the same despite time’s passing. I no longer wonder why I feel comforted and assured, despite chaos rumbling, local to global. In the midst of an ever-changing world, old friends stand taller than the test of time.
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Arthur Ashe’s life could have been the long story of all the things that he could not do. Instead, through inner resolve and self-confidence, he did it all. What a fine example he is in these dark days in the United States. He suggests to each of us a way forward. In Arthur’s words: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
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This time I was struck by King’s call for “creative tension” to shake loose the status quo and force dialogue.
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So much matters—I sow seeds with my attitude, each gesture however small, tone of voice, the language I use in conversation and also my inner voice, my behavior. While what I do matters, it matters equally what I choose not to do. I’m always planting. You’re always planting.
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Learn new dance moves. Clear the mind. Take a walk. Hold hands. Have faith in a new generation of leaders. Discover and support winning coalitions. Focus on efforts to reverse the deadend course ahead. light at tunnel’s end - night stars and morning glory - positivity