I am working at staying in my own lane on my own page to embody who I want to show up as daily and create the world I want to live in.
I will do my best to lead by example by showing up with LOVE, kindness, compassion, and peace as my guides. I know I will make all sorts of mistakes along the way, and I will do my best to learn and grow from them.
I AM CHOOSING TO… Not engage with overt racists. We have nothing in common. It’s not politics; it’s moral character. If you are willing to learn (like I am) where our biases have hurt the black community, then we have a commonality to move forward from. While my parents tried to keep me from racism, I grew up in a systemic racist society, as did they. Just learning about the Tulsa massacre breaks my heart. #BLACKLIVESMATTER to me, and I am learning how to better demonstrate that from a place of LOVE, kindness, compassion, and peace.
I AM CHOOSING TO… Not engage with anyone who believes a black man or woman would still be alive if they had just been respectful, didn’t run away, didn’t wear a hoodie, didn’t have a toy gun, or any IF THEY JUST…they would be alive today. NONE of those situations should result in the death of a person. Even someone who has killed another person in this country usually gets arrested, stands trial, and, if convicted, gets sentenced to prison…they are still alive. This also includes the comparison to vandalism/looting being compared to an unarmed restrained man being murdered. Do all lives matter? Prove it by supporting black lives matter.
I AM CHOOSING TO… Not engage with those who feel my LBGTQIA friends are less than. My heart breaks for those who are shunned for simply being who they are or feeling the need to hide who they are so they aren’t shunned or, even worse… killed!! Some of my favorite people in the world are in this community, and I stand with them.
I AM CHOOSING TO… Not tell you to wear a mask on your page. On my page, I will encourage you to wear a mask as science has shown it to be effective in lessening the spread of COVID. I don’t like wearing it, but I will continue to wear it for the good of those around me. I will physically socialize with those taking precautions…not out of fear, but out of caring for others.
I AM CHOOSING TO… Not engage in conspiracy theories.
I AM CHOOSING TO… Encourage you to vote and do what you can to help stop voter suppression and gerrymandering around the country.
I AM CHOOSING TO… Not tear down others to build someone else up… this includes the man who lives in the white house and his supporters. I don’t believe in hate, but I dislike him immensely (that shouldn’t come as a surprise to you if you know me at all). He has harmed every segment of the population (except perhaps wealthy white people..especially men) and the environment; I have no idea how anyone can support him, and you don’t need to try and explain to me why you do… we have nothing in common. And yet, calling him names (even if I feel they are deserved) isn’t me showing up as the person I want to show up as…. a person led by LOVE, kindness, compassion, and peace. Even when going low is screaming and so very easy to do, I will choose to stand in my guiding principles of LOVE, kindness, compassion, and peace.
I AM CHOOSING TO…. remember; there are so many other marginalized communities that this could go on and on… women, indigenous people, immigrants……
I am not asking for perfection; I am sure, not perfect. I am asking that you look within your heart and ask if your thoughts, words, and actions create the world you want to live in.
Please don’t take my kindness and positivity as seeing the world as utopian. LOVE, kindness, compassion, and peace are HARD! Fear is pretty easy to support. I see the ugliness. I see the pain. I see the injustice. I also see the beauty that has me in tears, as does the ugliness. I will do what I can, from where I am at, with what I have to be a healer and not a hurter.
ON MY PAGE I WILL CONTINUE TO:
Encourage and showcase LOVE, kindness, compassion, and peace.
Encourage us each to heal our personal hurts rather than spewing them on others, creating more hurt.
Show up with an open heart and open mind…even when I want to retreat from fear-based thoughts, words, and actions.
Shine light on marginalized communities.
Do what I can to learn to be a better ally, a better human
Have and hold boundaries that require you to show up here with LOVE, kindness, compassion, and peace. Or your comments will be deleted as I don’t have space for that kind of energy on my profile.
LOVE everyone while choosing who I share my time, energy, and heart with, and that might mean unfollowing or unfriending if you choose to spew fear and hate.
