It’s been a hard week in a hard month here in California.
The smoke-filled sky has vacillated between white, thick gray, and dark orange. Nature has been our saving grace during the pandemic, a way to safely connect to people, and to breathe and feel rejuvenated. The terrible air quality has meant staying inside for weeks, even locking the doors so the kids don’t open them for even for a moment. We look desperately at the dark sky, knowing that beautiful places and livelihoods and homes are burning to the ground.
On Tuesday, my daughter and I peered out the window and saw blue sky for the first time in weeks. We both walked my son to daycare and said our hellos to neighbors. I could feel my shoulders relax. If nothing else, 2020 is a constant reminder not to take a single thing for granted. Health. Community. Breath. Sky.
And it also reminds me how important it is for us to keep going. Keep fighting for those who are getting pummeled by all of this, keep lifting each other up, and supporting each other and taking care of ourselves and taking care of our environment and community.
The dark orange sky last Wednesday was so dark we had to keep our lights on inside the entire day. It was eerie and anxiety inducing and left me questioning everything. By the end of the week, I came to the conclusion that I am doing exactly what I feel called to do, and I feel even more committed to honing in on the parts that feel like they matter most.
• Like getting out the vote. And then continuing the work of proactively addressing climate change, instead of defensively reacting to policies that dehumanize, and destroy. The Radici Vote fundraiser benefiting Woke Vote, Mijente and Alliance for Youth Action is going on until Friday at midnight. Get your T’s and totes here and support organizations who are working to creating lasting change.
• Like raising kids that know how to find and use their voice. Kids who actively champion anti-racism so that we can all come together as humans working towards sustainable healthy life on this planet. Check out my upcoming Webinar on 5 Ways to Use Art to Raise Anti-Racist Kids next Tuesday at 8:15pm PST I know that timing is hard for some, but if you register, a recording will be sent the next day.
• And there are some new Radici Studios climate justice projects in the works- motivated by this difficult month. More on that soon.
Here’s to the sky and the air, and our communities and the possibilities that lie in the darkest days. May they motivate us to reflect on what matters most.
