Reminder

"We must recognize that we can’t solve our problem now until there is a radical redistribution of economic and political power… this means a revolution of values and other things. We must see now that the evils of racism, economic exploitation and militarism are all tied together… you can’t really get rid of one without getting rid of the others… the whole structure of American life must be changed. America is a hypocritical nation and [we] must put [our] own house in order.”

- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Report to SCLC Staff, May 1967.

Martin Luther King worked not only as a champion of racial justice, but also as an anti-war activist, a labor organizer, and an anti-capitalist. He was a target of the FBI, the CIA, and the NSA, and had a public disapproval rating of nearly 75% when he died. He envisioned a sweeping change to the American social and political fabric. As I look around today at the brazen rise of white supremacists, the perpetual war machine, the decline of unions, and economic inequities not seen since the the days of the robber barons, I have to wonder how much progress we have made in the past fifty years, and how much backsliding we have experienced. We need the courage to stand for a fundamental change in the way do things in America, regardless of how disruptive or unsettling that may feel. We can't wait another fifty years.

“Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all God’s children.”

 – Dr, Martin Luther King Jr., speech to the Negro American Labor Council, 1961.

Winding down and gearing up

So, it's New Year's, or as one Twitter wag put it, the time that we celebrate having to put a different number in the date box when we fill out forms.

It is also, of course, a time of re-assessment and re-commitment.

The year 2019 was a rough year in many ways for many people I know - it seems right up to the last day, for some. The world still seems to be lurching forward like a drunkard in the fog, but my personal little corner of the world seems to be maintaining pretty well.

Looking through the calendar, I can see the usual sort of highlights: my trip to Washington D.C. for a training institute, Coco's workshops and presentations and art shows, nine sessions in the current D&D campaign, visits to Seattle peeps, visits from Seattle peeps, my first class in my graduate certificate program. The stuff that lets you know that the good bits of life are still around.

The lowlight, as it were, was likely the week in April that Selkie the cat ate 14 pistachio shells and had surgical intervention to remove the last two.

Those are discrete moments; overall, the direction has been forward-moving. The trend I talked about here and here has maintained its momentum: despite the gloom of fall and the dreariness of winter, I am entering the new year in great shape and with some pretty good habits established. I am looking forward to continuing the practices and having an even better "active season" in 2020.

In aspects other than physical, I feel like there has been growth and progress as well, and I want to continue that movement. A dear friend posted on the Instagram last night that she was eschewing resolutions in favor of goals. While I do have some specific practices I want to put on place now that the festival season is over (us higher ed folks have a real winter break/quarter transition layered on top of New Year's), I won't frame them as resolutions. I'll just say that the goal for 2020 is more Narley Noopin and less Ragnar Forgesplitter.

Of course, no mention of the new year and its re-commitments can omit my sweet Coco. In a few days, we'll be hitting seven years married. Cuddling on the couch together last night, we agreed that neither of us feels itchy at all. Here's to you, Sookie, and another year together.