Hear me whisper, watch me rise

In the 2 weeks since the election, I keep coming back to this quote:

Many feminists cling to the famous, "I am woman, hear me roar" but in this moment, I feel like "I am woman, hear me whisper" is more fitting for me, at least in line with the quote above.

I know many people celebrated the win, and many not for evil reasons but because they have been hurt by an economy that left them behind and they have bills and insurance that keep taking more and more money. But I also know many people no longer feel safe or welcome in our nation and others fear our rights being taken and our economic inequality growing.

The one thing I know for sure is there is more work than ever to be done to ensure that all Americans are able to secure life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that our founders called for in the Declaration of Independence. In the last two weeks, I've seen and read about so many people doing such good work to keep people safe and supported, gathering together, checking on one another, figuring out ways we can help those who need it most right now, organizing for ways to keep doing good in our nation, praying - all a collective and courageous whisper of how we will get back up and keep trying again tomorrow (for however many tomorrows it takes). 

I keep whispering this quote by John Wesley over and over. I even printed it out to keep at my desk as a daily reminder and I hope you all will try to live it out as well:

That need to do more good in response to the hateful speech and actions that have increased recently, reminds me of this amazing video that I saw on facebook following the election results. I feel more empowered, encouraged and determined to do good each time I watch it:


Today I Rise from Blaze of Grace on Vimeo.


Here are the beautiful words of the poem in this video by Alexandra Feldner:

Where are you, little girl with broken wings, but full of hope?
Where are you, wise woman, covered in wounds?
Where are you? Where are you? Where are you?  

Today is the day I will not sit still and give in anymore
Today, I rise 

I am bruised, but I will get up and walk again
Today, I rise 

I don't care if you ignore my beauty
Today, I rise 

Through the agony of my darkest nights, I heal and thrive
Today, I rise 

I move through the world with confidence and grace
I open my eyes and I am ready to face
My wholeness as a woman and my limitless capacities
I will walk my path with audacity
Today, I rise

I reconnect with the many aspects of myself
I'm in awe of the reality I can breed

I am a queen
I am a healer
A wise woman
A wild woman
I will rise and be

I am a rebel. I wake up and fight
I am a mother
And... I am a child 

I will no longer disguise my sadness and pain
I will no longer suffer and complain 

I am black and I am white
There's no reason to hide

Where are you? Where are you? Where are you? Where are you? 

I call upon Kali to give me life

I transform my anger into power
No more heartache or strife

The world is missing what I am ready to give
My wisdom
My sweetness
My love
And my hunger for peace

I weep with the trees and the rivers and the earth in distress
I rise and shine and i'm ready to go on my quest

Today, I rise without doubt or hesitation
Today, I rise without excuses, without procrastination
Toady, I call upon my sisters to join a movement of resolution and concern
Today is my call to action
I will fulfill my mission without further distraction 

Today is the day
Today I will start
To offer the world the wisdom of my heart

So let us all - women and men - come together, take courage, do good, and keep whispering love, kindness, encouragement, and action steps as we rise:

Having as Much Sense as a Goose: What I'm Learning in Grad School

I am getting settled in Nashville, completing training for my new job, meeting people... annnnnd drowning in reading.

My head is spinning but I'm loving it.

So far I've studied developmental theories of justice and freedom, criticisms of neo-liberalism, the capabilities approach, information on different types of epistemology and methodology. Etc. Etc. Etc.

You see why my head is spinning? ;)

I've literally had to use the dictionary countless times just to read the first paragraph of some of these chapters and articles. It is definitely on a different level than under-grad.

But, in the midst of all these big words and complicated concepts, I was delighted to run across this excerpt that I absolutely LOVED, so I wanted to share it:

THE GOOSE STORY 

"Next fall, when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying along in V formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way: As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in V formation the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. 

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. 

If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way we are.

When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point.

It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs with people or with geese flying south.

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

What do we say when we honk from behind?

Finally, and this is important, when a  goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunshots and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly, or until it dies. Only then do they launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up with their group. 

If only we could have as much sense as a goose."  

Is that not the sweetest thing??? And all I thought geese had to offer was their nasty poop all over our backyard when the flock stops off by our lake before heading the rest of the way down south!?!

But, really, though it may be a little cheesy, that excerpt from Randy Stoecker's book was refreshing in its simplicity and it resonated with me.

Community development (and learning about it in grad school) is challenging but we can take a hint from the geese by encouraging one another, working together, sharing the workload and taking care of each other.

Sounds pretty sensible to me :)