When I founded Mindful Digital Life in 2015, we inhabited a very different world than we do today. I never imagined I would be searching for Zoom dance classes for my 2-year-old granddaughter, or Facetiming with her and Coyote Old Man and his friends Skinny Coyote (the photobomber) and Little Kitty almost daily for weeks stretching into months. In fact, we’ve Facetimed so much, these little figures have actually come alive. Who knew?
I took a very necessary sabbatical from writing for this blog from March until this week to give myself an opportunity to prioritize my life differently and to think deeply about the role of Mindful Digital Life in this new world—a world engaging SARS-CoV-2, a country facing (and all too frequently denying) decades of structural and systemic racism, an education system coping with an unprecedented health crisis, and life impacted by escalating global warming.
Many of you know that I live in Northern California. I never imagined anything could impact concerns about Covid-19 in the near term. The fires that started with a heat wave and unusual dry lightning in August have burned 2 million acres to date. As firefighters from all over the world have courageously worked to contain this round of hundreds of fires, new ones have started. While just a short time ago we were all consumed with checking Covid-19 statistics, overnight we turned our attention to monitoring containment of fires with 3-letter acronyms (CZU, LNU, SCU) and Lightning Complex in their names, along with constant checking of air quality and wind direction. I actually forgot about Covid-19 briefly.
I am deeply grateful for my health, and the health of my family members. I have had the great luxury of sheltering in place. I have a profession that allows me to work from home and I have access to the technologies and the critical bandwidth that enable it. I have had access to Covid-19 tests when I needed them. I have access to services to deliver my groceries. I have high quality, comfortable masks to wear when I must venture out. I have shelter, with people who care about me. My health is the outcome of these many privileges my race has granted me. This has become extremely obvious.
Before my sabbatical, in a pre-Covid-19 world, I often declared one of my superpowers to be Curation. Despite all the other changes, curation remains my superpower today. Curation and supporting young people and their families in deepening emotional intelligence, interconnection, self-direction, and learning how to learn. I didn’t know if this would be the case when I started my sabbatical.
I didn’t stop curating during my sabbatical. That gift of mine appears to be unstoppable.
I didn’t stop supporting young people and their families during my sabbatical. That passion, too, appears to be unstoppable.
A few books I’ve read that are helping me during this challenging time:
Marc Brackett: Emotional Intelligence
Mark Epstein: Going on Being and Advice Not Given
Adam Phillips: Winnocott
Videos I’ve watched:
Marc Brackett: This is great. It’s a two-part workshop for educators that Marc gave on emotional intelligence at the Greater Good Science Center at the first annual Greater Good Summer Institute for Educators in 2013. The workshop is even more relevant today.
Part 1 (1 hour 19 mins) of the workshop
Part 2 (1 hour 3 mins) of the workshop
Two valuable resources on anti-racism:
Facing History and Ourselves: Reflecting on George Floyd’s Death and Police Violence Towards Black Americans
I have written about the organization Facing History and Ourselves here. Explore their workshops. Many of them are now online. Subscribe to their newsletter. Support them.
National Writing Project: Resources for Justice and Peace, by Elyse Eidman Aadahl
Elyse is the Executive Director of the NWP. If you don’t know about them, you should. They are awesome. They have a newsletter—to subscribe, scroll down the page to the bottom.
Upcoming Workshop with Claudia, October 5, 7:00 – 8:30 PM PT
Mindful Technology for Challenging Times, sponsored by Parents Place. Registration required. Fee.
Thank you for caring about what I have to say. Be well. Let me know how you are. I love hearing from you.
Heartfelt thanks to Sir Ken Robinson (1950–2020) for decades of dedication, service, and inspiration.
