“The search for love continues even in the face of great odds.”
—graffiti message shared by bell hooks (All About Love xv)
I’ve written previously about the roller coaster of emotions I’m currently riding—fired up one minute and laid low the next. My guess is this up-down, high-low rhythm will be my norm for some time to come.
At one point, I’m knocked down by the force of historic, mounting injustice; the next I’m connecting with and inspired by others truly committed to racial justice. One day I’m literally curled up from the HURT of this era of dehumanizing pain; the next I’m filled up with HOPE from seeing people show up in persistent and powerful ways.
This morning I’ve riding high and want to share why, as I hope these resources might help with finding love, fueling justice:
- I’m truly inspired after seeing activist Shaun King speak last night here in Milwaukee. I’m deeply grateful for his reporting and calls to action via social media.
- I’m learning so much from working with America’s Black Holocaust Museum (ABHM). I really appreciate their “Breaking News” and online collections.
- I’m feeling unbridled by reading Gloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/LaFrontera and planning an experiential gallery walk for class today. I’m committing (again) to working against all forms of injustice, including linguistic prejudice.
- I’m lit by sharing bell hooks’s All About Love: New Visions—the perfect book for Valentine’s Day—through “love notes” to students and colleagues.
Today is a day when so many of us celebrate love. May we search for love in the face of great odds. May we work to understand love better—to truly know and create it in our lives. May we build the emotional literacies, stamina, and resiliency needed for addressing our own complicity in injustice. May we seek to enact love, as we make actionable commitments to justice.
“To truly love we must learn to mix ingredients—care, affection, recognition, respect, commitment, and trust, as well as honest and open communication.”
—bell hooks (All About Love 5)
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This post is written by Beth Godbee for Heart-Head-Hands.com. Please consider liking this blog on FB and following the blog via email. Thanks!
![*Save the Date and Pre-Order Now*
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One month from today (starting Nov. 22nd), I’ll be offering another “40-Day Practice: Strengthening Emotional Literacies to Counter White Fragility.”
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This practice provides:
— support for what comes up during the holiday season
— a transformative learning experience
— the opportunity to set intentions and increase readiness for showing up for racial justice in 2020 and beyond.
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Learn more about the practice, and pre-order now: link in bio.
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And what a day to be sharing this announcement -- a day pointing to such ongoing and deep work needed by white folks to address whiteness, white fragility, and white supremacy ...
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Committed to staying in this work with and alongside you,
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Beth
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[GIF Description: Four emoticons change facial expressions and represent emotional range, while sharing: “Save the Date! *40-Day Practice* Strengthening Emotional Literacies to Counter White Fragility. Nov. 22 – Dec. 31.”]
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#Emotions #Emotional #EmotionalLiteracies #EmotionalIntelligence #40DayPractice #ContemplativePractice #WhiteFragility #WhiteSupremacy #Antiraciam #Antioppression #RacialJustice #SaveTheDate #ComingSoon #EBook #ECourse #LearnMore #Leadership #SaveTheDate #HolidaySeason #LeadershipDevelopment #ProfessionalDevelopment #OngoingEducation #SocialJusticeEducation #wednesdayvibes #wednesdaymotivation](http://scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/e26d257828bc0655937da49faff42442/5DB3519A/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/s640x640/73512623_557325338142913_3768349608661120543_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=101 "*Save the Date and Pre-Order Now*
.
One month from today (starting Nov. 22nd), I’ll be offering another “40-Day Practice: Strengthening Emotional Literacies to Counter White Fragility.”
.
This practice provides:
— support for what comes up during the holiday season
— a transformative learning experience
— the opportunity to set intentions and increase readiness for showing up for racial justice in 2020 and beyond.
.
Learn more about the practice, and pre-order now: link in bio.
.
.
And what a day to be sharing this announcement -- a day pointing to such ongoing and deep work needed by white folks to address whiteness, white fragility, and white supremacy ...
.
Committed to staying in this work with and alongside you,
.
Beth
.
.
[GIF Description: Four emoticons change facial expressions and represent emotional range, while sharing: “Save the Date! *40-Day Practice* Strengthening Emotional Literacies to Counter White Fragility. Nov. 22 – Dec. 31.”]
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#Emotions #Emotional #EmotionalLiteracies #EmotionalIntelligence #40DayPractice #ContemplativePractice #WhiteFragility #WhiteSupremacy #Antiraciam #Antioppression #RacialJustice #SaveTheDate #ComingSoon #EBook #ECourse #LearnMore #Leadership #SaveTheDate #HolidaySeason #LeadershipDevelopment #ProfessionalDevelopment #OngoingEducation #SocialJusticeEducation #wednesdayvibes #wednesdaymotivation")
![Then-and-now hiking photos (taken 3 years apart) remind me to embrace “all the ages I’ve ever been,” including the “childlike” qualities of curiosity and playfulness: https://bit.ly/35G8Dqv ...
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I often write about hard emotional stuff—from fear, regret, and grief to burning-hot rage over injustice. But life includes such joy as well.
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May the joy of single moments become joyful commitments to justice: to staying in the work with deep passion and dedication. <3
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[Two photos of Beth in plank pose below the same overhanging rock in the Appalachian Mountains, taken 3 years apart—in 2016 and 2019.]
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#Emotions #Emotional #EmotionalLiteracy #EmotionalIntelligence #Joy #JoyfulCommitment #Committed #CommittedToJustice #Everyday #EverydayJustice #EverydayFeminism #AntiOpression #SocialJustice #Hiking #AppalachianMountains #Yoga #Outdoors #Nature #Inspiration #attrail #yogaposes #yogainspiration #play #yogaplay #thenandnow #throwbackthursday #throwback](http://scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/5849e752998df7706a0b1e17f45d4301/5E624956/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/s640x640/73053828_1007895446230192_946596583059840186_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=104 "Then-and-now hiking photos (taken 3 years apart) remind me to embrace “all the ages I’ve ever been,” including the “childlike” qualities of curiosity and playfulness: https://bit.ly/35G8Dqv ...
.
I often write about hard emotional stuff—from fear, regret, and grief to burning-hot rage over injustice. But life includes such joy as well.
.
May the joy of single moments become joyful commitments to justice: to staying in the work with deep passion and dedication. <3
.
.
[Two photos of Beth in plank pose below the same overhanging rock in the Appalachian Mountains, taken 3 years apart—in 2016 and 2019.]
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.
#Emotions #Emotional #EmotionalLiteracy #EmotionalIntelligence #Joy #JoyfulCommitment #Committed #CommittedToJustice #Everyday #EverydayJustice #EverydayFeminism #AntiOpression #SocialJustice #Hiking #AppalachianMountains #Yoga #Outdoors #Nature #Inspiration #attrail #yogaposes #yogainspiration #play #yogaplay #thenandnow #throwbackthursday #throwback")
![This week’s blog post asks which bucket we’re drawing from: fear or love?
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“What does fear feel like to me?
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Among other things, fear shows up as anxiety, worry, defensiveness, disconnection, and visceral unease.
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In contrast, what does love feel like to me?
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Believing, trusting, being patient, holding space, healing, releasing, expanding, committing, connecting, grounding, and visioning. Love feels mobilizing.”
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While fear leads me to nouns, love leads to verbs.
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Fear keeps me frozen in place. Love enables being and acting, creating and imagining.”
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Read more of this piece focused on emotional literacies: link in bio.
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And speaking of emotional literacies, save the date for another 40-day practice on “Strengthening Emotional Literacies to Counter White Fragility” for the last 40 days of 2019, stretching over the highly emotional holiday season. <3
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[This image shows two buckets: one labeled “fear,” the other “love.”]
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#SundayRead #Blog #BlogPost #Emotions #Emotional #EmotionalLiteracy #EmotionalIntelligence #EmotionalVocabulary #Fear #Overwhelm #Vulnerability #Crying #Transformation #Transformative #Love #Motivation #LoveAsMotivation #Contemplation #SocialJusticeEducation #Learning #Unlearning #Writing #Storytelling #Writer #Educator #Learner](http://scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/94dc79fd21922f333b076b36ac73c3e4/5E4CCFEB/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c76.0.787.787a/s640x640/70418810_142222413725285_2587514143239127622_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=105 "This week’s blog post asks which bucket we’re drawing from: fear or love?
.
“What does fear feel like to me?
.
Among other things, fear shows up as anxiety, worry, defensiveness, disconnection, and visceral unease.
.
In contrast, what does love feel like to me?
.
Believing, trusting, being patient, holding space, healing, releasing, expanding, committing, connecting, grounding, and visioning. Love feels mobilizing.”
.
While fear leads me to nouns, love leads to verbs.
.
Fear keeps me frozen in place. Love enables being and acting, creating and imagining.”
.
Read more of this piece focused on emotional literacies: link in bio.
.
And speaking of emotional literacies, save the date for another 40-day practice on “Strengthening Emotional Literacies to Counter White Fragility” for the last 40 days of 2019, stretching over the highly emotional holiday season. <3
.
[This image shows two buckets: one labeled “fear,” the other “love.”]
.
.
.
#SundayRead #Blog #BlogPost #Emotions #Emotional #EmotionalLiteracy #EmotionalIntelligence #EmotionalVocabulary #Fear #Overwhelm #Vulnerability #Crying #Transformation #Transformative #Love #Motivation #LoveAsMotivation #Contemplation #SocialJusticeEducation #Learning #Unlearning #Writing #Storytelling #Writer #Educator #Learner")
Love this. =) <3
Thanks, Sarah, and sending love! Thanks for your support, for reading, for standing beside me. Deep gratitude.