Staying Off Balance and Afloat
I enjoy living alone, especially in the company of my dog. But this past weekend, I celebrated a big birthday and wanted to wake up to something different. I dug into my ex boyfriend file and invited one of my favorites to spend (a platonic) weekend with me. It was a wild card choice, which in retrospect, was part of the appeal. Back in the day when we were madly in love, we didn’t talk about politics, so after picking him up at the airport, I was surprised to discover how far our points of view had veered. After 5 minutes in the car, I thought, “this is going to be a very long weekend.” But we quickly agreed to disagree, and kept a respectful truce for the reminder of our time together. It was easy to be with him, and we had lots of fun. I even put him to work changing the propane tank on my gas grill, which was a durable birthday present. I appreciated the break from my routine, though it didn’t make me want my life any other way.
Relativity by Alex Hall
How to be a Queen on your Birthday
Years ago I realized that if I wanted to get the birthday I deserved, I would have to organize it myself. Even though I harbor a husband fantasy that a loving spouse would plan the perfect birthday celebration for me, until that actually happens I’m willing to take matters into my own hands. This year, my guest list included lots of couples, and as I was in NO mood to be the 11th wheel on this special day, I excavated an old boyfriend to be my plus 1. It was a risky move, involving plane travel and a sleepover. But I had a hunch it would go well.
Part 2 tomorrow.
Gown made of Legos by Nathan Sawaya
Another Reason for Community
“Solitude is fine but you need someone to tell that solitude is fine.” – Honoré de Balzac
via newyorkshitty
What Can’t You Live Without?
My personal motto is, a martini a day keeps the doctor away. What are your must haves?
Artwork by Jeanne Susplugas
Words Matter
The results may sound clunky at first, but it’s progress. Following a six-year effort, the governor of Washington State has just taken the final step of signing a law rewriting gender-neutral terms into their statutes. For example:
Penmanship is now handwriting
Signalman is now signal operator
Fisherman is now fisher
Freshman is now first-year student
The word “manhole” will remain as is.
Image from Toiletwolf
Earth Day
The first Earth Day was on April 22, 1970, with 20 million people participating in support of environmental protection. This massive display of civic engagement led to the formation of the EPA, the Clean Air, the Clean Water, and the Endangered Species Acts. Now that’s power. How do we harness this again?
Illustration by Alex Nabaum
What It Takes to Make Change
For the last 4 years, I’ve been involved in the campaign for immigration reform. On Monday, I was in D.C. meeting with Senator Dianne Feinstein, who will play an instrumental role as any legislation moves through Congress. For the first time in a generation, there is real hope for change. But we stand at this moment, only because immigrants who aspired to become Americans never gave up. After each heartbreaking defeat, they organized harder. Yesterday was a dispiriting day for gun safety advocates. And I deeply share their frustration. But meaningful change, whether political or personal, takes audacity and perseverance. Don’t just get mad. Get busy.
Poster from the flat files
Archive for April, 2013
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FIRST PERSON SINGULAR is a guide to surviving, thriving and sometimes just getting through a single day. Created by Wendy Braitman (more…)
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