The Good: Vol. 1

Photo Credit: Vikki Reich

It's Monday and Mondays can be kind of rough. Add to that the fact that this is the first Monday under a new administration that is peddling lies right out of the gate and calling them "alternative facts" and it feels a little bleaker than usual. 

Last week on Inauguration Day, I wrote:

“Someday in the future, I truly believe we’ll look back at today as the beginning of a dark time for our country, as a time when greed ruled without consequence, when human decency seemed to disappear, and the truth fell out of favor.”

There are dark and troubled times ahead as this administration chips away at civil rights, shows complete disregard for the environment, isolates our country from the world, and tries divide the American people even more than it already has. This fight is going to take sustained energy and action and it will be exhausting and disheartening at times. 

I truly believe that in order to keep going, we will need to see the good as clearly as we see the injustice, so, I'm starting here - with my blog.

Each Monday, I plan to share some of the good that I saw in the world during my week. I'll share music, articles, blog posts, stories, images and more with the hope that they can lift us up. And my hope is that you will do the same, that you will share your good with me and those who read my blog. You can link back here or share something good in the comments so that we can all be reminded that even in darkness and uncertainty, there is still light. 

Let's begin...

1. On Saturday, I went to the Women's March in St. Paul and seeing so many people out marching made me feel more hopeful than I have in awhile. The image accompanying this post was taken at the rally. When I got home, I looked through the coverage of the marches all over the country and world and ran across this song performed in DC by a group of women who'd only practiced online. The original is by MILCK and you can check out her YouTube channel here.

The song is called Quiet and you can follow this link to the video captured live at the march to witness the power of voices in song.

2. Last week, Zeca had to make four quadramas, each one depicting one of the seasons and the activities of the Ojibwe during that time of year. I have never seen her work so hard on a project. As the due date approached, I was conscripted and helped cut and glue and problem solve. She took the completed pieces to school on Friday and said, "I'm never cocky about these things, mom, but mine was the best!" Please appreciate her little birch bark canoe.

3. Do you ever read something and just fall in love with the words? I had that experience most recently when I read The Mothers by Brit Bennett. This sentence on page 2 of the book told me that this was a book where language would be as much of a treat as the story.

“All good secrets have a taste before you tell them, and if we’d taken a moment to swish this one around our mouths, we might have noticed the sourness of an unripe secret, plucked too soon, stolen and passed around before its season.””

4. Speaking of words, or lyrics in this case, my friend Nancy of Midlife Mixtape introduced me to The Accidentals last week. She sent me the link to their song Sixth Street and from the first verse, I was hooked:

“There’s too much noise on Sixth Street
Like a brick in a washing machine
And the alleys look like bed sheets
Wrinkled in the morning haze of gray routine ”

The music is just as engaging as the words. Check them out.

5. I think y'all know I love a good cup of coffee and a good espresso drink. Miguel bought me some espresso from Dogwood Coffee for Christmas and Zeca got me a beautiful travel mug. I am set. I recently made a couple shots of the Neon Espresso and it was incredible. Best espresso I've made at home since Luisa brought back some delicious espresso she picked up in Costa Rica (that we can't find online). Self-care, friends. Cheers!

That's my list of good to start the week. What's yours?