“If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right.” ~Prof. Greg Scott “To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain and play with it.” ~Charlie Chapman Here we are, just after the official start of the holiday season. It's that time to be happy, and cheerful, and sing-songy and chipper. Isn't … Continue reading Joy to the Resistance: the Power of Good Cheer
The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one. ~Mark Twain When you're standing in front of a seemingly insurmountable task, overwhelmed and exasperated, there's a saying that folks might offer to encourage you: … Continue reading How Do You Eat an Elephant?
The trouble is, you think you have time. ~Buddha It’s never the perfect time to do anything. It’s just time. We saw from the electoral results in Virginia last week: we are capable of more than we give ourselves credit for. But that often makes us uncomfortable. Because it means we really need to try. … Continue reading No Time Like the Present
A mind that is stretched by new experiences can never go back to its old dimensions. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes Individually, we sparkle. Together, we light the way. ~Me Happy anniversary, friend. It's election Tuesday. That cold day in November when we go to our polling places and we fill out the little circles or push … Continue reading Celebrating an Unholy Anniversary.
Citizens working together are more powerful than US Attorneys. And presidents. ~Preet Bharara There's nothing more frightening than a government that's working against you. There's nothing more inspiring than seeing a movement coalesce to fight back. We've seen time and time again over the past almost-year that when we stop thinking why we can't do … Continue reading Ask: Why Not?
Progress however, of the best kind, is comparatively slow. Great results cannot be achieved all at once; and we must be satisfied to advance in life as we walk, step by step. ~Samuel Smiles Hello, friends. Can I make a confession? After a 24 hour bout of food poisoning (the wrong way to lose five pounds, … Continue reading Slow-Baking Democracy
The strongest steel is subjected to the highest heat. Richard Nixon said that, long ago, and he wasn't wrong. Did you know that before it's given a "heat treatment," steel has a crystalline structure? Frankly, it looks a lot like a snowflake. But being dipped in fire changes the steel. Heat solidifies the molecular bonds … Continue reading Of Steel and Snowflakes: Sharpening a Movement
It is not in numbers, but in unity, that our great strength lies; yet our present numbers are sufficient to repel the force of all the world. ~Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776) *Note: The pep talk below was first published in April, before many of our new friends joined us. (Welcome!) While our numbers have … Continue reading Standing Taller by Standing Together
I am done being polite. And I am done being politically correct. I am mad as hell. ~San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz It occurred to me as I scrolled through images of the mayor of San Juan wading through sewage with a bullhorn. 2017 is the year of the woman. And not for the … Continue reading 2017: The Year of the Woman
Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman. ~U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis Maybe you have to know darkness before you can appreciate the light. ~Madeline L'Engle I laughed when I saw Donald Trump beginning … Continue reading Let’s Light It Up
Small Deeds Done 