We need each other
It's always a good time to invest in community.
I don’t know how to process my grief on Sonya Massey’s murder. Yet another Black woman killed by police in her own home. After calling 911 for help, police entered her home and ultimately she was fatally shot in the face. I created this as a reminder that we are not separate from her. We aren’t separate from the victims of genocide, foreign or domestic. All of us share in the suffering of the most vulnerable. Privilege isn’t an exemption from our humanity. Rest in power, Sonya.
It has been two months since my last post. Life looks drastically different. My family moved out of our home, stuffed most of our belongings in storage, and drove across country to spend the summer in a small town in North Carolina where my partner grew up. Being back in the South is weird. Like going back in time. Aside from the dreadful humidity and ravenous mosquitoes, I’m mostly not a fan of the predatory police presence, enormous confederate flags waving alongside major highways or above thresholds, and the overwhelming obsession with guns. Needless to say, I don’t totally feel safe here.
As with everything, experience is contradictory. After more than a decade of self-exploration in the spirit of hyper-independence, we are now surrounded by a gang of family and friends. Being held in this much care has created a deep sense of safety I’ve never experienced. What makes this transition from isolation to togetherness so special is the ability to be seen, supported, and validated on a new level. Engaging in healthy communal living requires a depth of vulnerability, honesty, and trust that I am certain I did not possess when I consciously ran away from home many years ago. I am grateful to have done significant inner work on my own to witness the fruit of growth in my intimate relationships, both local and long distance.
We are living in wild times. Under these corrupt and failing systems, building genuine, like-hearted community is of utmost importance. I have no clue what the future of our country/world will look like, but I hold plenty of space to imagine possibilities that are rooted in equity, care, and justice. We belong to one another. Today is a good day to look around you and assess who is in your corner.
THANK YOU to those that have held me down in this season of life. The spiritual, mental, financial, emotional, and physical support I’ve received in this last year has melted away the ridiculous amount of pride in thinking I could do anything on my own. I love y’all.
Journal Prompts | Get Curious About Yourself
Reflect on your closest relationships. Ask yourself:
Are the shared values that initially brought us together in alignment with the personal values I live by today? How have they shifted?
What role does convenience/inconvenience play in community? (shout out:
)How do I discern between transformational and transactional relationships?
Take care of yourself and each other.
If you see me, I see you.
