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(Do one thing) Show care for a Black friend

6/20/2020

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At the start of the pandemic I was feeling totally overwhelmed by the weight of school closing and losing childcare. My friend Zeinab came over with a delicious salmon lunch she made just for us and her favorite Starbucks order. Prime example of how moms SHOW UP for each other!

​In this unprecedented time of collective reckoning with anti-Black racism, it can be hard to know what to do.
​
I mentioned in an earlier post that when another mom's in need, you're there with a casserole.

Let's rally that generous energy to care for the Black folks in our lives. 

My college roommate posted on Facebook:

"Today I'm feeling the weight of the collective black sorrow all through my body. Black people are not okay right now."

There is no easy fix for this, but we can at least show up in ways we know how to show love.

DO:
- Send money for coffee, leave flowers on the doorstep, drop off a meal or do any of the loving things you'd do for a mom with a newborn in survival mode.
- Take a risk in trying something new in the context of the relationship.


DON'T:
- Preface your gift with a long preamble about how guilty you feel, how overwhelmed you are, or how exhausting current events have been for you. It's totally fine to feel these things. Process them with someone else. (See Ring Theory for why.)
- Make your act of service something so complicated it adds to the stress in their life.
Your turn to play!

What ONE thing you can do to show care for a Black friend?

Take a moment and comment below! I'll be cheering you on in doing what you CAN, not what you can't.

To taking one step at a time,
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Self Care Coach for moms
Brave Self Care
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How to zap overwhelm in your journey to becoming anti-racist

6/20/2020

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​For my Black moms - I'm so thankful you're here.


Before anything else, here are two self-care resources for you:
  1. This blessing from Tricia Hersey, founder of the Nap Ministry (her IG is amazing!).

  2. This awesome stretch session for hip flexors from my friend Eleshia Harris, Barre and Pilates instructor. I don't know about you, but I carry a lot of stress in my hips!

For my fellow non-Black moms: thanks for the feedback!

"I’ve needed this all week without knowing it."

"I had planned to not engage in anything 'hard' outside of just caring for a 3 year old and a newborn without the usual help of friends and family. This past week shocked me out of that privilege bubble."

"I appreciate as always you hitting the target - it always feels like you're talking to me specifically."

 
(Psst...If you missed what they're talking about, read
 3 ways moms make great allies HERE.)
​

Last week I promised I'd be back to show you how to zap overwhelm and take steps toward what matters most.

This phrase kept coming to me as my mind raced last week, feeling frantic about what my response would be to anti-Black racism.
 
"Pray as you can, not as you can't"

It means to pray however is realistic for you at the moment, not in some super-holy, totally undistracted, hours-on-your-knees way if you can't do that.

And I think it applies here, wherever you are in your journey to antiracism.

Do what you CAN -
  • even if it's a baby step
  • even if it feels like a drop in the bucket
  • even if the voice in your head's telling you it's not enough
    ​
Not what you THINK you should, if that 'should' isn't realistic for you.

Yes, I would like to unearth all the ways I'm complicit in White supremacy, become the best ally, fearlessly call my representatives, and embrace my role as an Asian-American in the fight for justice - but realistically? That's incredibly overwhelming and can only be learned over time.

Do what you can.

Just one thing.

Then the next.

Then the next.

And slowly become the change you want to see.
​

Wondering what your next one thing is?

Click HERE for one way to become the change you want to see.
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3 ways moms make great allies

6/20/2020

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​First, if you're a Black mom - I'm so glad you're here. Before anything else, here are two self-care resources for you:
  1. This practical guide to self care for black people feeling overwhelmed by Reign x Shine.

  2. This body check-in from racial justice author Austin Channing Brown.

The rest of this post is for my fellow non-Black moms.


Maybe like me, you've been grappling with what to do, say and feel in light of the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and countless others. 

To be honest, for several days, I froze.

If you've followed me for any length of time, you've probably seen how much I love getting outside for exercise. 

To know that Ahmaud Arbery was followed and killed for doing the same thing stopped me in my tracks. How could I proceed with business as usual knowing that the simple pleasures I recommend to my audience are not so simple for Black folks?

It's embarrassing to admit that this has always been the case, yet I haven't taken care to consider race and racism as I talk about what I do.

If you, too, are feeling embarrassed, frozen, or overwhelmed, I want to encourage you.
 ​
Here are 3 ways being a mom make you uniquely equipped to participate in the fight for Black lives:
 
  1. You understand how precious human life is.

    Whether you became a mom through childbirth, adoption, or fostering, you adore your kids. You see how precious their lives are, no questions asked.

    Let's extend that perspective to the sanctity of Black lives. Every life lost has been someone's child.

  2. When another mom is in need, you're there with a casserole.

    Or a GrubHub gift card. Or the sashimi and beer she's been craving but hasn't had for 9 long months. I remember being kept afloat by the meals friends and family brought after each of our babies were born.

    The Black moms and friends in your life could use some of this practical care now.

  3. You let your agenda be interrupted out of love.

    How many times have you had your whole day planned, only to wake up to a feverish kid who needs to you cancel everything? Just this week I had a PTSA meeting that I had to bail on to take my husband and toddler to urgent care (they'll be fine, thank God!).

    We may have planned to keep our heads down and make it through the pandemic, but let's let this plan be interrupted. If we care about our fellow Black humans, we will put our agendas on hold to hear their needs and attend to them.

​"How?" you may ask.

Great question! Click here to find out how to zap overwhelm and take steps toward what matters most. 

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