“Change only happens when ordinary people get involved, and they get engaged, and they come together to demand it.”
~ Barack Obama, in his Farewell Address, January 10, 2017
Since 2009, the United States has been led by a true visionary: a leader, a decent, thoughtful, kind man. A man who thinks before he speaks. A man who leads with his heart. A man who leads by values. I am beyond saddened that our little world here in North America is about to turn into such a shit fest. Most of me wants to ignore this, and most of me wants to turn my back on everything that’s to come. And a lot of me wants to get the hell out of here before this ship sinks. But that doesn’t work. Running and hiding do not work.
Change only happens in extreme struggle. Change only happens if you’re 100% invested.
One of the yoga studios I go to is having a 40 Days to Personal Revolution challenge, and I signed up for it; because I need a challenge, and I need a stronger community, and I absolutely love yoga. The owner of this studio, Brooke Hamblet, spoke to our group of 150+ yogis last weekend, and talked about change, specifically how to create lasting change, and she said a few things that truly resonated with me:
- Things happen in groups that do not happen individually. It’s a lot easier and more effective to instill change when you are working with others.
- There are hiders in every group. And if you’re doing this, if you’re fully committed, you must be all in. You can’t hide.
- Focus on right now. Not on 1, or 5, or 10 years from now. What can you do right now to work towards your goals?
She’s right, and a lot of people will say, oh, that’s obvious. But the thing about wisdom, is it comes from experience, it comes from living an open life, and sometimes the best wisdom is obvious. Sometimes what you need to hear most is the little bit of advice that you’ve known your whole life.
Speak up. Take action. Get together, in real life, and do this. Now.
I have this really annoying thing about me that when I speak about something I am passionate about, my voice shakes. It doesn’t matter how many times I have spoken on that topic. My emotions take over, and I become a bubbling mess. Because of that, I shied away from speaking about anything I am passionate about for years. I’ve read every freaking book about shyness and public speaking and introversion that you could possibly imagine, trying to find a fix for this.
And that’s bullshit. Because there’s nothing wrong with passion, or with showing emotion. There’s no need to fix emotion. It took me going through my yoga teacher training two years ago to finally understand that. It took me seeing my darkest and my lightest parts, really seeing them, for me to accept that this is not a bad thing. Emotions are good. Speaking up is good. Having passion is good. If we continue to hide, we won’t change.
All of us introverts out there, I am talking to all of us, me included: speak up. Now is the time.
So how do we instill change? How do we make sure our community is better tomorrow than it is today? What can you do now to instill change?
The answer is in each of us, and if you don’t know, take out a journal, focus on what thrills you, focus on what gets under your skin, and do some soul searching to help bring it to fruition.
I have a lot of things I am passionate about. Women’s rights, first and foremost, always. Our reproductive rights, hands down. Animal rights. The right to have organic, whole foods, for everyone, regardless of income. The right to nationwide healthcare. The right for each and every child to have excellent, free, creative and inquisitive public education. And the list goes on, and on…
Last year, I volunteered to teach yoga to the middle school near my home. I teach the 8th graders, and their teachers. That, for now, is my change. What I see in those kids in one short hour is magic. They love yoga. They have fun. Most of them giggle through the meditation and through many of the asanas we practice. And that’s OK. Because they’re opening their hearts to something else, something greater than them. And someday, when they’re older, I hope they look back and remember practicing yoga, and remember how fun it is, and remember those little moments of silence that come up when we allow them to enter. I hope these moments today get them to continue practicing, and to keep it up.
Because yoga, more than anything else for me, has brought me awareness, compassion, companionship; a sense that I am greater than just me, that our world is greater than I could ever imagine.
And what else? I don’t know, totally. I don’t know what is best for you. But I hope you find that thing that you’re into, and I hope you begin to work towards it. I hope we all come together to bring change into our communities.
For those of you in Fort Worth, there’s a Local Leaders meeting held by Annie’s List on Saturday, February 4, 2017 at 10 a.m. My friend Sue told me about it, and I plan to be there. The goal of the Local Leaders meetings is to put more progressive women in power. There are a lot of us progressive, determined women here in Fort Worth. Maybe it’s time we speak up. Please let me know if you’d like to join me for this meeting. I have no idea what to expect, but I’m sure it’ll be worthwhile.
In the words of our incredible President, change only happens when we get together, when we’re committed, and when we’re engaged. So let’s become committed.
Here’s to you, Barack Obama.
Yes we did, and yes we can.
Committed to This Tangy Cranberry Veggie Bowl
Ingredients
- 3 sweet potatoes, chopped
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. cumin
- 1/2 tbsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tbsp. paprika
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper
- 1 c. quinoa
- 1 15 oz. can black beans
- 4 c. spinach salad
- 1 avocado, sliced
For the Cranberries
- 12 oz. cranberries
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. grapeseed oil
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Place the chopped sweet potatoes on a large frying pan. Toss with olive oil, cumin, chili powder, paprika and black pepper, and roast for 40 minutes, turning once halfway through.
- Cook the quinoa according to package directions, and set aside. (I add 3 c. water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, covered - but keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn)
- Roll out a sheet of parchment paper on a large baking sheet (with sides). Add the cranberries to the pan, then toss with grapeseed oil, cumin and cinnamon. Add the cranberries to the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
- Place the canned black beans in a small sauce pan and cook over medium low heat for 5-7 minutes, until heated through.
- Serve the spinach salad in bowls, adding the quinoa, sweet potatoes, cranberries, black beans, and sliced avocado.
- Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge, and these ingredients are delicious on tortillas as well!