ASTRO MIKE, POWER, AND THE YOUNG AUTHORS PROJECT

LIFE OF A BOOKMAN

Bookman: 1. a person who has a love of books and especially of reading. 2. a person who is involved in the writing, publishing, or selling of books. Oh, hi that's me!!

September Surprise: If you asked me which ten books I wanted to read next, nowhere on that list would have been Nancy Pelosi's new book: The Art of Power: My Story as America's First Woman Speaker of the House. But then my astrologer told me I had to read it (and I do what Astro Mike says, story coming!!) I devoured this book. I cried a few times!? Honestly, everything about this book took me by complete surprise, including how moved I was by Speaker Emerita Pelosi's career. She walks the reader through the biggest challenges of her career and her thinking and decisions at the time: the attack of her husband in their home, declaring war on 9/11, the financial crisis of 2008, and passing the Affordable Care Act...it was wild to read about her political mechanics behind the scenes during these historic moments. At a time when it's so easy to become cynical with how hardened our systems, polarization, and ways of being seem, the book struck me as a true testament to doing hard things that no one thinks you can achieve. And the power of believing it's possible. The line that got me all snotty on the plane (although in my head I changed the quote from He/Him to She/Her!!)

When I die and happily meet my Creator, He will ask me to show Him my wounds. If I tell Him that I have no wounds, my Creator will ask: Was nothing worth fighting for?

It was some damn good reflection: where are my wounds? What am I fighting for? And am I showing up for that?

WOMEN’S STUDIES

What gets passed down becomes our history. A few for the canon:

I came into my own during a time of “change the system” activism. As in, yes women need the skills to negotiate but the real issue is the patriarchal system that undervalues them to begin with. Or as in yes, the unhomed need stable work, but there's a wide-spanning affordable housing crisis (and capitalism) that needs to change. When the ocean feels too big to boil, we tend to not even try. What does it even matter is common millennial vernacular. I've said it myself a million times. But I know better. I've seen better. I wasn't raised in this kind of household. I have parents who are devoted to their community, delivering dinners to the grieving, overseeing local YMCA boards, and volunteering their time to steward the local food kitchen (and this barely skims the surface of their generosity). I have been raised by shining examples of being in service to your local community.

Which is why there's excuse for what I'll say next: I hadn't committed to any regular volunteering until becoming a Young Author's Project fellow last year, teaching local students every week how to develop their storytelling as an outlet of emotional processing and creativity. I loved it. Which is also why I loved this recent article in Vox: Why I changed my mind about volunteering. It's a wonderful analysis of what happened when a generation of adults was told to “change the system” and the cost of that mindset, personally and collectively. It really hit home.

PASS IT ON

Stories are heirlooms. Here's one of mine:

I feel like a new woman!!!!!! Mainly because I spent two hours with my favorite astrologer who treated our session like a two-hour, one fabulousssss man pep rally. And I love a personal pep rally, who wouldn't? I don't care where you're at with astrology, sometimes you just need a tune-up. And damn did I need a tune-up. Knowing where to go get that tune-up is crucial.

I hadn't seen Astro Mike in 5 years, but I'd been spinning lately and knew it was time. He told me a lot of things I knew to be true in my heart: quit playing small, it doesn't need to “all go together” #renaissance, it's not time yet but it's coming, show up for your leadership, let your sexy and playful freak flag fly, quit caring about external points of view. The right messages from the right people at the right time, work!!! Language, relationships, and energy are so powerful in that way. So if you're in need of your own tune-up, girl what's stopping you? Go get it.

And in the smallest of ways: this The Grey Area podcast: Why Cynicism is Bad for You was like a mini pep rally to stop being so f*cking cynical all the time. I loved the research, loved the message, and loved the reminder that having hope and trusting others creates more trust. We're all connected people and our positive outlook on others creates ripples that really matter (for them and for us). Hope > cynicism.

Woman on xx