Top 10 Tuesday

It has been one of those weeks that requires a clarion call for inspiration and action. Perhaps you have come across your own images, phrases, conversations, or moments that have quelled whatever surreal feelings you have been feeling. Here are 10 more.

1. "On Being" with Maria Popova For the past several weeks, I feel like I've seen Maria Popova's name everywhere online--quotes from her, essays by her, books by her, retweets of her. I sometimes listen to the podcast "On Being" and was amused and pleased that the episode revolved around Popova, a woman who has a very regimented schedule of reading, writing, and curating her website that is devoted to her reading and writing. Quite an envious life she leads, huh? But I do learn quite a lot from what she does.
   

2. The Universe in Verse While working on my current art project, I enjoyed one of Maria Popova's brainchild "The Universe in Verse 2019" which is an event that marries poetry to science.

3. Pioneer Works Not that I needed another reason, but here is another reason for me to visit NYC again. Pioneer Works is pretty much a non-profit STEAM museum with exhibits and events that celebrate the arts and sciences. Check it out here.

4. Her Dog Died I work as a crisis intervention specialist and I spend my days talking with people who are experiencing mental health crises. I have spoken with the whole gamut of struggling people; however, a couple days ago my first client was a woman who was distraught because it was morning and usually during this time, she is doing her morning routine with her beloved dog who died two days before. Now there is a void that she does not know how to fill. Needless to say, it was my most difficult encounter so far. She wept, I validated. She reasoned, I encouraged. She eventually thanked me for my help then hung up, I cried. One of my biggest fears is having to say goodbye to my dogs, especially Silas. In almost five years, I have so many memories with my golden companion. Everyone knows that he is my best friend. Everyone knows that Brian married me just to be with Silas (kidding). The only thing that will help me cope with losing him someday is knowing that I provided him a life of fun, love, care, and adventure.

5. Simone de Beauvoir's Birthday When I was a teenager, I heard Tori Amos' rendition of Lloyd Cole's song "Rattlesnake" in which he wrote, "She reads Simone de Beauvoir in her American circumstance..." and I immediately had to look up who she was. I was already familiar familiar with her paramour, existentialist philosopher Jean Paul Sartre. I began dedicating some of my teenage hours to reading bits and pieces of her works. January 9th was her birthday so I decided to dig out my copy of her Second Sex to celebrate her 113th birthday.

6. It's my turn The past several weeks have been frustrating and difficult. But I was raised to have an it's my turn attitude when unfortunate personal events occur. But it's still okay to be down about it and to say that it sucks. Because it does. Brian and I both lost our vehicles in a nasty crash recently (we were safe in bed when an unknown person drove a large truck into our parked vehicles). We desperately want to move away from here and want to be putting more energy into that. The anniversary of my sister's death is fast approaching, my mother is getting spinal surgery soon, and I am retreating to the point that I don't even want to see my closest friends. But it's my turn, you know? And I do want to take this moment to say that if I'm going to go through these things with anyone, I'm happy to have Brian by my side. We'll be going on five years together soon and already he has been by my side through illness, deaths, serious injury, a pandemic, mental health decline, and losses. We definitely pull the anchor out of the sea together.

7. New Moon The moon is not only cloaked in darkness tonight, but it is cloaked in clouds. It was a nice evening to take a night stroll to get some fresh air.

8. 1/6/21 It sure was surreal watching domestic terrorists not only storm the Capitol but meander throughout it as if it were a hands-on museum. I have the same questions and concerns that you do, probably, so I won't get into that. What I found myself doing that evening was making a small collection of words that I realized were being used over and over until they clicked into place in the media and thus our tongues. Be them born of history, deliberation, or hyperbole, they were words that I am only going to mention but not discuss because I am still processing things, learning every day, and only want to point them out: incite, coup, domestic terrorist, insurrection, whitelash, impunity.

9. This poem by Maureen McLane

10. This poem by Cam Awkward-Rich