loved this post! thank you for sharing these experiences.
P.S. Beloved is easily one of the greatest books ever written. Morrison is ferocious in her prose! You should also check out Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
" We’ve remembered we don’t need protection from eachother, we need boundaries. We’ve remembered we don’t need to guard our hearts from the vulnerability of love, we need to practice a somatic sense of safety that helps us navigate fear inherited from trauma. We’ve remembered independence isn’t a triumph but a myth wrapped in historical violence and poorly stewarded privilege. We’ve remembered asking for and receiving help is the most courageous and transformative point in our story, not the low point to interpret as a valley of shame. We’ve remembered mutual aid is the only mountain top worth climbing toward as we release all the weight that holds us down and makes the journey more difficult than it needs to be. We’ve remembered we don’t need to carry the pain alone and grief is meant to be held collectively, in our bare hands. "
I'm thinking of returning home, rooting back into my birthplace, rewriting my relationship to Atlanta. But theres so much fear in that too. in returning to a place with narratives I purposely evaded and felt i had to go away to rewrite. Repeating these rememberings to myself as an incantation to lead me back home. Thank you <3
I am so grateful that you exist and that you are breathing into our collective capaciousness today
loved this post! thank you for sharing these experiences.
P.S. Beloved is easily one of the greatest books ever written. Morrison is ferocious in her prose! You should also check out Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
" We’ve remembered we don’t need protection from eachother, we need boundaries. We’ve remembered we don’t need to guard our hearts from the vulnerability of love, we need to practice a somatic sense of safety that helps us navigate fear inherited from trauma. We’ve remembered independence isn’t a triumph but a myth wrapped in historical violence and poorly stewarded privilege. We’ve remembered asking for and receiving help is the most courageous and transformative point in our story, not the low point to interpret as a valley of shame. We’ve remembered mutual aid is the only mountain top worth climbing toward as we release all the weight that holds us down and makes the journey more difficult than it needs to be. We’ve remembered we don’t need to carry the pain alone and grief is meant to be held collectively, in our bare hands. "
I'm thinking of returning home, rooting back into my birthplace, rewriting my relationship to Atlanta. But theres so much fear in that too. in returning to a place with narratives I purposely evaded and felt i had to go away to rewrite. Repeating these rememberings to myself as an incantation to lead me back home. Thank you <3