Our environments and expectations often demand that we act like an ever-new car to extract from. Press the gas pedal and keep going.
But we have mileage! Dents! Dog slobber on the passenger seat! Nails in tires! Maybe if we turn up the bass on the stereo we can drown out the sound of a slow leak, but only for so long.
Sometimes we have to slow down, pull over. Get a tune-up.
We aren’t machines (yet). And even machines need attention.
I have an electric paper shredder nicknamed “Shreddy.” Every couple months, Shreddy needs to eat a slick piece of oiled paper to keep running smooth.
I’m a lot like Shreddy. No, I don’t eat paper (well I guess as a writer, I kinda do). Like Shreddy, I need care and rest. I need to unplug.
I want to chill like a pumpkin going soft in a field, not chosen to be carved for Halloween decor. Worthy in my stillness. Soak up the sun and rain.
As we approach elections and the end of the year—if you are feeling overwhelmed you are not alone.
I bet most of us are carrying a lot, much of it unseen like ghosts.
It’s ok to rest more than usual, to shift the deadlines that you have control over, to say “no” so you can say “yes” to the right experiences.
As Farzana Doctor says in The Guardian: “It takes a village to challenge internalized capitalism and the other obstacles to self- and community care.”
Let’s not forget to reach out to each other.
Reflection
What are your favorite ways to practice self and community care? Is there a practice that is accessible and available to you today?
Resources
My Creative Updates & Offerings
Speaking of rest: I’ll be on break mid-December through the New Year.
Hungry for a little nourishment ahead of 2025? Be like a squirrel gathering acorns. You can book now for a one on one session. I will support you with somatic tools to meet you where you’re at.
In a collaboration with Mixed In America, I will offer “Somatic Sometimes for Mixed Community,” a virtual workshop on Sunday November 10, at 11 a.m. PT, available through their membership program for mixed-race and multicultural community.
Community & Care
From IDONTMIND on coping with election overload and some of their free resources including crisis lifelines and warmlines.
The Embodiment Institute has a Post Election Live Embodiment Practice with Óscar and Prentis on November 6 at 9 a.m. PT.
Love, Power and Liberation: Angela Davis, Lama Rod & Prentis Hemphill in Conversation on November 8 at 7 p.m. PT. A fundraiser to support East Bay Meditation Center.
"Gather in Poems" free virtual reading and celebration for the Academy of American Poets, November 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Kate Johnson via Buddhist Peace Fellowship offers an election reflection that asks "Which context would you rather organize in?"
Free trainings from Right To Be on bystander intervention to stop voter harrassment.
A recording from Reimagine's series on The Long Goodbye: Anticipatory Grief in Anxious Times.
Sonya Renee Taylor's "Moral Army Meditation For The Healing of Genocide" sign up.
Soft Pants for Your Mind
I came across some free resources from Regulate Co. including mindfulness coloring pages for adults and children, and more!
A long true story by Andrea Gibson about a magical pumpkin.
Notes & Citations
https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2024/oct/01/hard-to-take-a-break-nervous-system
https://theeverygirl.com/witchy-wellness-rituals/
Let’s resource! Let’s play! Let’s happen to notice, together.
In peace,
Vanessa Micale
Founder of Poderosa Voz LLC
(she, they, ella)
P.S. You can show your support by sharing this micro-newsletter with a friend, or you can send me a digital tip and treat me to a pastry.
P.P.S. Sharing resources is one of my love languages. Is there a resource related to somatic and creative realms you want to see or you know of? Hit reply and let me know.
