I don’t know if it makes me relentlessly optimistic or sadly unhinged, the way I continue to believe that there is a better future…
For myself, for marginalized communities, for the world.
And yet, I insist on it.
I insist on believing that my medical situation can improve somehow, someday..
I insist on believing that leaders will increasingly recognize that spaces – workplaces, schools, activities, commerce, healthcare, other supports and economic activities – that are designed for the most othered people are better for literally everybody..
I insist on believing that it’s possible for leaders to recognize our own internalized systemic stuff that is blocking us from doing the above..
I insist on believing that our world can become less polarized, more honest with itself, more trauma-informed..
And I’m putting in the effort, even while debilitated, to try to build toward that world.
Maybe it makes me both. But, as the indomitable Audre Lorde said in the poem “A Litany for Survival,” we will always be afraid of the risks and perceived dangers, regardless of whether or not we try to speak up or make a difference. So it’s better to try than to be silent.
So, I choose to see myself as relentlessly optimistic and determined to be the most wise steward I can be with whatever voice, influence and other capacity I have to make a positive difference.
I hope this gives you some encouragement to notice where in your life you can make some slight shifts that contribute to making your world a better place, too.