Busy, Busy, Busy Organizing? Do Your Soul Some Good

That was my son Antonio when he was a few weeks old. He had just grown out of newborn clothes.

This morning I was feeling some angst and guilt because I have not been able to write or blog every day.  Then, I realized, I just have to write in any gaps I can, again.  Even with all the time constraints and increased activity, I am being faithful about writing before blogging or going on social media, which can be a huge time sucker; it takes discipline, but the work flows better.  The writing also heals my soul a little bit or adds some needed armor because creativity is a great dose to social stupidity.  In short, writing, even just a page (which is what I produced today) makes me happy, clunky and embryonic as the work may be. 

I was also thinking about how as an organizer I have gotten so busy on every front, and then, I was like, “Duh, that’s because the current political situation is making people get active and participate more.”  That need leads to more meetings, more planning, and more actions.  This weekend, I am working on my PowerPoint for my students on the Alternative Facts.  Other speakers are coming to talk about the Standing Rock situation and the military force used against protesters, and a final speaker will talk about the next steps for activism, in short what will create an America that includes you, not just a ruthless elite.

The talk is called:  Alternative Facts, State Terrorism, and Building a New America (That Includes You)

I added that last part in the parenthesis, but may take it out, depending on the other speakers' input. 

We will see how many people show up.  My students often complain that there are no evening, events, and if it goes well, we will keep the discussions up.  I do think there is a need to have a continued conversation about what is going on, regardless of where people are on the political spectrum.  There is a huge vacuum that is being filled by garbage fake news or no discussion at all. 

This morning, as ever, our household is very busy.  We have a belated birthday party for my son today with a few friends, and I have to put the party favor sacks together.  I also have a lot of grading to do, and of course, the house needs to be cleaned.  I started with the bathroom, kitchen, floors, and hope to sort out the living room, which is a kid disaster zone.  It won’t last, but it feels good to get the house looking relatively welcoming, if only for a few days.  But, in all this tornado of fun, I always have my writing in mind, even if it's a peek, or the ideas are in the shadows.  I guess that's the reason old school writers still carry a little notebook around.  Not a bad habit to jot ideas down. 
 
I usually end with a personal writing goal.  This week that meta is to get feedback from the editor of my short story collection Down South Where the Water Is Warm.  He took a look at another one of my stories, but he hasn’t sent me the feedback yet, because he too, is busy organizing and has his own poetry gig coming up this Sunday:  https://www.facebook.com/events/1829986770579351/.  My other goal is to keep writing first and to spend more time writing than blogging or engaging in other social media.
 
Keep writing, keep resisting, and take some time to take care of details, like mopping floors.  Fight fascism by doing good for your soul.  #Resist, #Resist, #Resist Some More

---