One of the reasons I started this blog was to create a forum for myself and others to speak up.

I am tired of the societal norms-being politically correct, measuring my words, wondering if I am being appropriate or not and thereby hiding the truth behind my masked face or hesitant/dishonest words.

I can take this stand after being shut down countless numbers of times-as a victim of sexual, physical and emotional abuse, as a kid being attacked with racial slurs because of my ethnicity and color of my skin, as a woman-simply because I am a woman.

But that’s not okay.

It shouldn’t take those experiences to be given the permission to speak up.

It should be the expectation of society on all of us to be ourselves. Openly, unabashedly, wholeheartedly, without fears of retribution for words that have truth and purpose behind them.

I stand behind and with all the protestors around the globe who are shouting out for equality for all black lives.

I take that one step further too.

Let’s ask for equality for all lives who haven’t received it.

Black lives, minorities, women, children, queers, homeless, the impoverished, all spectrum of abuse victims, those unfairly imprisoned, holocaust survivors, muslims, victims of ethnic cleansing…the list goes on.

People who question the norm.

The mass of people all over our world who have suffered at the feet of people who gave themselves the power to do so, who thought it was their birthright to maltreat others.

I’m talking with two men right now from my speed dating event (I REALLY like one of them…despite only seeing him on Zoom/talking on the phone, I can feel his energy and our connection) and it’s pretty amazing what I’m learning about myself already.

One of them suggested if we decriminalize prostitution it would eliminate human trafficking.

Of course. That makes perfect sense. The reality exists that women who need to make money and support their family without other options may resort to prostitution. Criminalizing it only shames them further and creates this horrible cycle of regulation giving others the power over another. I

was embarrassed that I hadn’t had that thought myself before. But I humble myself at the feet of knowledge-from whomever it comes from.

Yesterday my book club reviewed ‘Naked Lunch’. It is one of the hardest books I’ve ever read. Not just because I can’t follow a damn word-the writing is really difficult to follow, but also because of what pain and struggle the author is going through. He’s documenting thoughts in his head while he’s high and the pain is real.

I hate that so many of us humans on this planet are living in a real hell.

I see it in the eyes of my patients who are struggling, in my own eyes when I don’t know how to help them beyond my support.

This world needs a huge and warm hug.

That’s why I continue to date in our pandemic.

Love and connection with others is so important to being human.

It’s what the protests are showing us. People are marching out all over the world, despite the pandemic because they believe in something.

Something bigger than themselves.

They want to feel like they are part of a community. We’ve lost a lot of our communities with this pandemic. Isolating ourselves within our walls makes us want to blast out through those walls like The Incredible Hulk.

I believe we will get through all this pain and suffering if we remain collected as a human race and avoid the extremes.

We need to find grey and create an acceptance that there will be some discomfort before we settle into a middle ground that gives peace to all.

It’s just like dating.

We meet strangers who may not hold the same exact ways of living but we try to learn and understand the other. We may choose to adjust if the person upholds the same values.

When there’s discord among people it can only result in three options-breaking apart with pain, breaking through and understanding-also painful but has a better ending or no change at all and continuous suffering.

For our world I will hold onto the dream of the second-breaking through. I have faith in humans, that we have more kindness in ourselves and can meet in the middle if the opportunity is given to get there.

Of course, not everyone can-psychopaths, narcissists, supremacists, extremists are all real and we can’t account for them, but I know our majority human population are not in those categories.

Those are the ones marching for change.

And change will happen. It has to. It’s the only known factor in life-everything will change. Even my age. In 14 days I will be 47!

2 Replies to “Rise Up and SPEAK!”

    1. Thank you for joining me and being such an empowered woman and force to reckon with Inanna!

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