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Friends,
That felt like a long February. I hope you are keeping well and finding light. I have had to regularly discipline myself - more writing, more exercise, limited news and social media intake - to regain internal balance. It really does help to get out if possible and just talk with people in real time.
We tend to think everything needs to happen all at once, all problems need to be solved immediately. But when I meet with friends who are successfully doing social justice work day-in-day-out, I see them taking things one step at a time, doing the internal work to stay healthy in the face of seemingly insurmountable resistance. I’m talking about people who have faced down hate and violence, built coalitions, and somehow maintained the ability to smile, be optimistic. People with deep faith. They show me cracks in the intimidating structure of the world - enigmas, things we might not hear about if we're just watching the news - light breaking through. If you need to know more about that, check out Krista Tippett’s On Being, especially this episode, where Ezra Klein talks about the small but important victories of regular people doing hard work which often get glossed over in a news culture obsessed with extremes.
My personal balance comes from writing. Also, my secret membership in a semi-professional “Zumba” troupe. We meet Monday nights and shake our asses to Beyonce, Samba and Dancehall. Occasionally we do our thing at peoples’ birthday parties and local cultural events. It is MIND-BLOWINGLY LIBERATING to do something so far out of your comfort zone. (I think this is why people do improv.) One of these days I’ll share a video with y’all, when I’m brave enough.
There are three projects on my personal horizon this year: my next album, a duo album with Mike, and my Jazz Standards project with The Berlin Brothers.
Proud to say I have upcoming shows reflecting each of those groups of songs, which are listed below!
You can also get exclusive access to new songs in progress, rehearsal and performance tapes and even more of my undying love than you already have by joining me on Patreon.
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