Hello hello,
I’m having a hard time deciphering a few changes in my life. I can’t tell if they are attributed to a) the changing world around me b) this particular phase of life or c) some combination of a & b. I’ll give you some examples:
- I give zero shits about any sort of fashion especially below the knee – I’ve never cared if my socks matched, but I’ve reached a whole new level. I don’t care about any sock / shoe / pant combination. I am only aiming for comfort these days, and I have no energy to care about aesthetic. I’m talking full blown Birkenstocks-with-socks realness. And, I’m almost nervous the outside world (particularly in the Bay Area!) will think it’s a ‘look’ I’m consciously going for when in fact, I’m just trying to get to the store to get some wine…
- I can’t comprehend that anyone uses a curling iron/hair straightener in 2022. Spending more than 1 minute on hair is of zero interest to me. Now, is this because I have too many kids? Is it because I’ve accepted that I look completely unhoused during all of my video-on meetings all day? Is it a special relic of Covid? Or is this a natural progression of age? I still see a lot of people that look exactly how they looked before Covid so no matter how much I want to blame the pesky pandemic, I’m inclined to think it’s just me…
The ultimate question to all of this is… does the reason matter? I’m loving this carefree attitude, and mostly, I’m scared that once my kids get older or Covid really goes away, I’m going to have to start caring again. Please don’t make me care again.
Lately, I cannot stop thinking about the criminalization of poverty. I’m in a deep discovery about what this means, how race plays a role, and how tf do we change. A couple pivotal resources that have me thinking:
The Invisible Child by Andrea Elliot. Everything we assume about being poor and homeless in America is examined in this book. It really makes us think about the realities of poverty and the role law enforcement plays. Even when there’s an opportunity to ‘get out’ of poverty, it’s a nearly impossible situation for kids to navigate.
Then there’s the work of Dorothy Roberts which should be incorporated into everyone’s general education requirements. Check out this podcast episode:
https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/some-of-my-best-friends-are/the-new-jane-crow
Glennon Doyle has really driven home the fact that the world we currently live in is someone’s imagination. We always say, “I can’t imagine…” “I can’t imagine a world free from racism” “I can’t imagine a world free of misogyny” “I can’t imagine a world free of classism” But those statements are ridiculous when we acknowledge that the current world/culture we live in is COMPLETELY imagined. We need to be asking, “Who’s imagination are we in, and who does this continue to serve?” There are other ways that this whole human thing could have gone, and now we have the monumental task of not only imagining another way but of driving change. We should start by listening to Dorothy Roberts…
Talk soon,
Jessica
PS – This speaks to my heart:
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/the-six-stages-of-having-too-many-books
If I’m forced to classify myself per the categories in the article , I think I’m currently the ‘Misanthrope”. After texting this article to my husband and apologizing for my physical book-buying addiction, he reassured me that of all the things one could be addicted to, he’s accepted this particular quirk of mine. When we reach the point of being shut-ins because we can’t move through the the books in this house, the joke’s going to be on him.