some types of oppression make it hard to be your best self

the ten days following trump’s election were really off for me. i couldn’t focus or think clearly, my normal routines didn’t feel right, i didn’t enjoy things i usually enjoyed. i’ve started to adjust to a new normal and thankfully that means i’m getting back to listening to my podcasts.

yesterday, i started catching up on harry potter and the sacred text. the episode i listened to had a great moment from vanessa. you should listen for yourself (this hyperlink goes right to the timestamp in the episode and if you listen for abotu two minutes, you’ll get the whole thing i’m referring to – Harry Potter and the Sacred Text: Control: Dobby’s Warning (Book 2, Chapter 2)).

if you haven’t listened to it, vanessa is sharing a point about why she fasts every year. she says that around hour 22 of fasting, she becomes incapable of kindness and thinking. she says that getting to this point is an incredible reminder that there are types of oppression that make it difficult to be your best self. in this case, hunger makes her a person that, had she eaten, she would not be. having fasted for many days myself, i can totally corroborate that experience. everything changes about how you see the world when your stomach is empty.

this was just a really solid reminder of my friend erin’s favorite quotes:

everything changes. everything is connected. pay attention.
— jane hirshfield

are we/you paying attention?