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Personal Reflection: Time to Check in with Myself
Phew! These days of locking down can be rough! All of my routines for personal reflection have flown out the window. My weekly “must-haves” flew out with my personal reflection habits!
I used to go running every Saturday morning. I would call my mom on the way there and my aunt or cousin on the way home. The boys would spent the morning away from the house, and I would settle in to write my blog posts. Blogging has always been a time to check in with myself.
I haven’t run since March, and the boys don’t regularly leave the house any more. I’m finally realizing that I need to … Read More
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Family Movies Featuring Black Characters
Our Family Movie Nights—brought on by COVID-19 lockdown—have been going well. We alternate who gets to pick the movie each week. This past week, which watched Swiss Family Robinson. Surprisingly, the boys loved it. I say “surprisingly” because it’s more than 60 years old, and it’s not a cartoon. I loved the family’s creativity and appreciation for the natural world. The boys cracked up the entire time and were really engaged.
However, watching the movie reminded me of the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways that the media we consume influences our feelings about ourselves and our perspectives on the world. There were several cringe-worthy aspects of Swiss Family Robinson, … Read More
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New Zealand Friends? Are you out there?
I am dreaming and scheming about visiting New Zealand. The closest I’ve gotten is Australia. Maybe I’m obsessed with New Zealand because they banned assault weapons within one month of the Christchurch Mosque Massacre. Perhaps it’s that they banned nuclear weapons (the United States has 6,185). Maybe it’s the fact that they were the first country to give women the right to vote. Or perhaps it’s that they’ve been working on reparations for the Māori People for more than 35 years. Or maybe the coherent, concerted response to COVID-19? So do I have any New Zealand friends out there?
I realize it’s a very American thing to do to … Read More