Hot topic. The neurobiological fact is, stress and sociological trauma responses, including Flight and Freeze, have been grossly mislabeled as laziness by a western, capitalist society that refuses to acknowledge how its oppressive paradigm hurts people who are already attempting to heal from other forms of trauma. It’s a brutal double whammy. I speak from…Read more Werk This
poverty
Consider It
How do we end poverty? Those in power must first be willing to acknowledge their unearned privilege. Then, they must be willing to share by dismantling the systems they run which only work to their advantage. I know. It's a lot to ask. And super overwhelming. I mean, what's a guy or gal to do when…Read more Consider It
Skin in the Game
Skin in the game: idiomatic expression meaning to have money or something of value invested in an opportunity This morning Iva Dixit told the world she quit her elaborate skincare routine. Roughly four million people heard her declare she'll no longer be a financial prisoner to her now poreless face. Apparently she used to have…Read more Skin in the Game
The Good Fight
"Forgive m'lady but you don't get it. You're brought up to think it's all within your grasp. That if you want something enough it will come to you. We're not like that. We don't think our dreams are bound to come true because they almost never do."-Downton Abbey Servant Do not throw in the towel…Read more The Good Fight
Homeless
This morning a fellow writer asked an out of the blue question about when I was homeless. What did I eat? Where did I sleep? How did I survive? I, in turn, asked my husband if saying I’ve been homeless is legit. He said stuff like that happens to everybody. Minimization and globalization are survival…Read more Homeless
Flight of Ideas
I’ve always appreciated this image but was recently struck by the number of ‘likeable’ elements; as if any privileged white person might see themselves in the face of the mother or her children and decide it's polite enough, even desirable, to empathize with. This is the image of hard times I can face and maybe…Read more Flight of Ideas
Somebodies
I followed MSN's series on Poverty in America. Article after article shared depressing, definitive data pointing to the growing effects of systemic oppression, the desperate need for affordable housing, healthcare, living wages and a revision of where the government draws the arbitrary poverty line. Maybe it's an imaginary line on the white sandy beach between…Read more Somebodies
Who Came First
Fighting over the global garbage can Shell it out, fish, dish, take it Poke Yolk splattered on cosmic ground The Gods Spilled gut seeds in a violent explosion Big Bang Get More for your buck Don't bother fighting back, get more Than you ever bargained for F@&! me like you hate me Bending over backwords…Read more Who Came First
On Lookers
The pretty ones Spreading wings for paparazzi Bedazzled bed parts Vying for cheap significance which is safer than risking failure at being loved for who we are The emptiness stuffed with Sephora Bingeing Too Faced Innersense Tarte Drunk Elephants need First Aid Beauty because Earth's Nectar is drowning in Urban Decay Free People! and yet…Read more On Lookers
How I Didn’t End Up on Food Stamps
A twenty something vegan blogger posted a video called Food Stamps to Six Figures in One Year. If YouTube had been a thing when I was 15 I would've grabbed a notebook and watched it with high hopes. As a grown woman who found her way out organically I pressed play with objective curiosity and…Read more How I Didn’t End Up on Food Stamps
Born in Providence 