^these are superpeople. For real. Thanks NP Boston!
We continue to tackle bridgemonth, the coldest, darkest dark season there is. We have been tackling it together, one Wednesday at a time. This is the dark season, but you make it oh so bright when we get to gather for our movement together.
During some coffee chats, we have had conversations around the benefits of having something scheduled in our week. NP has been that scheduled something during this Covid period, that has allowed us to rely on the thing that gets us up and out of bed, perhaps earlier than other days.
Now there may be some of you where this is the latest wake up because you are a strict 5am’er. NP mornings are a sleep in! Or some who day-in, day-out wake up for a workout at 6:29am. Or this is a significantly earlier rise, that requires A LOT to get you out of bed. Whatever camp you’re in (did I miss any?), NP has been something that has been there for those Wednesday mornings, to switch up the regular routine, to give you that nudge in the middle of the week, to give you a new scene/noise/stimulus/partner/background/view from your screen than other days. Each and every one of you who has shown up has given this community that energy, that smile, that change of view for others in the community who are showing up.
You may not know what that little voice of encouragement can do for someone else in their day. You don’t know what someone else is going through this week. It may mean more than you will ever know. So perhaps take a moment to realise the effect you can have on others, however small. And for a moment, know that you make a difference in someone else’s life. For a moment, this helps take our focus away from some of the challenges we may be facing in this upcoming day. Know only you can have that effect. We are grateful for your virtual high fives (above/side/below fives on the screen), and the smile and clapping and for just showing up). We are grateful for each and every one of you.
On another important note, we also wanted to share a note from Dean about this week’s music choices and playlist. If you want to listen to it again or for the first time you can find it here.
“Today’s playlist is centred around the theme of Martin Luther King Jr. I’d be pretty ignorant to think I could be knowledgeable enough to make a great playlist on this theme, so if you think I’ve missed something important, please let me know. I learned a lot while looking into this week’s music, and have so much more to explore.
This playlist kicks off with Stevie Wonder’s Happy Birthday, a song he wrote to help advocate for the creation of MLK Day. I also grabbed a couple of songs from the late 1960s that might make you move as you think about that era. Further along, U2’s Pride (In The Name Of Love), and Prince’s We March talk about the assassination, and even how decades later, so much still needs to be done. By The Time I Get To Arizona by Public Enemy is written about Arizona’s move to rescind MLK Day from their calendar in the 1990s. The day is STILL a source of controversy. Both Alabama and Mississippi also observe a day for Confederate General Robert E. Lee, who fought to maintain slavery, on the same day as MLK Day. Others continue to celebrate Lee at other times of the year, including Virginia, which recognizes a Lee – Jackson Day the Friday before the MLK Monday. Nearby New Hampshire didn’t adopt MLK Day until 1999. I learned more about all of this here.
Rage Against The Machine’s Wake Up falls just after the 30 minute mark on the playlist, because I know RATM might not be everyone’s first choice, but I also want to include it as it was used in the Matrix Trilogy, created by a duo who at the time were knows as The Wachowski Brothers. Both transitioned and now go by Lana and Lilly Wachowski – the films were created to be an allegory for being transgender. After all, there’s a lot more to civil rights than race.
There’s also songs from allies Bob Dylan and the Drive-By Truckers, but mostly I have left the words to those who created these songs. I encourage you to give them a listen, favourite the ones you like most and see where that takes you.”
Here’s to bringing “soles” together
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Join in next week for a quad-leader workout, it’s going to be good
- Stay tuned for a February social, led by the social/inclusivity/diversity/welcoming/collaboration team (name is a work in progress, and there is always room for others on this team- reach out to us if you are keen to be in on these convos)
