August reflections.
When the world burns, be a cat video site
“We need acts of restoration, not only for polluted waters and degraded lands, but also for our relationship to the world. We need to restore honor to the way we live, so that when we walk through the world we don’t have to avert our eyes with shame, so that we can hold our heads up high and receive the respectful acknowledgment of the rest of the earth’s beings.”
-Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
It’s already September, but I’m still untangling August. The ol’ depression and imposter syndrome slowed me down (I’ve been hiding and feeling sorry for myself, which is always a good time), so this reflection comes late- but maybe that’s the pace I needed.
On a hike the other day, my daughter lay down right in the middle of the trail. I was about to hustle her along, but then I saw she was gazing up at the treetops. So I stopped too. The leaves were starting to fall, drifting gently in the breeze- a reminder that this boob-sweatin’ humidity (country song title?) will eventually ease. After a while she popped back up and carried on, as toddlers do.
That moment grounded me. She reminded me to be present. To watch the leaves. To lie in the dirt sometimes. To stop catastrophizing. And also, to catastrophize. Because both are true. Both are needed.
Robin Wall Kimmerer, in her book Braiding Sweetgrass, writes about the Haudenosaunee principle of the seventh generation: that every decision we make should consider its impact seven generations into the future. It’s a reminder that our choices ripple forward, shaping lives we will never see.
That lands with me so hard. I do have to think about worst-case scenarios- I have to catastrophize- because I need to know I’m doing what I can to make the world better for my kid and all the other kiddos and kiddos’ kiddos and so on. But I also need to remember that while powerful people are creating devastation, countless others are doing good.
People are resisting ICE. Thousands marched in Australia in August against the destruction of Gaza and the genocide of the Palestinian people. People are using their bodies and voices to oppose violence. Climate scientists are making extraordinary contributions. And although the Trump administration is still circle-jerking with oil barons, most of the world (China included) is leaning more and more into renewables.
Dirty energy is dying.
But here’s the catch: Emily Atkin recently pushed back on the feel-good mantra that “the clean energy revolution is inevitable.” Yes, renewables are cheaper and growing fast. But in the U.S., powerful interests are deliberately slowing the transition, delaying change in ways that will lock in irreversible climate chaos. Atkin argues that if we repeat “inevitable” too often, people stop organizing. The revolution may be unstoppable- but unless we speed it up, it won’t matter.
So, we need to both catastrophize- and not catastrophize.
Meanwhile, on the home front, my baby’s dad’s phone is glitching. It’s on its last legs, and instead of asking ChatGPT about charter schools, it somehow typed that he wanted to make a website of cat videos. ChatGPT was extremely validating, and ready to help him launch his new career as Cat Content King.
And honestly? That moment stuck with me. When the world feels like it’s collapsing, when my brain insists I’m shit, when notifications pile up with news of fresh horrors- I think: maybe I can reprogram my mind into the mental equivalent of a cat video website. Not toxic positivity. Just enough levity, validation, and softness to keep me moving toward the revolution.
That’s August. Thanks for lying in the dirt with me, watching the leaves fall, holding both catastrophe and cat videos at once. Carry on comrades.
Here is my list of August life stuff… things I’ve been doing… things I’ve been enjoying… things that are getting me through…
The book Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny by Kate Manne- Manne is an associate professor of philosophy at Cornell, so yes, the book has an academic feel to it. But it’s so readable and, I think, essential. It really shifted the way I think about misogyny- not as just individual cruelty or prejudice, but as a system designed to police and punish women. It’s sharp, important, and well worth the read.
The novel A Language of Limbs by Dylin Hardcastle- Set during the HIV pandemic, this book can be harrowing at times, full of loss, heartache, and the cruelty of that era. But that’s not its central thesis. What lingers is how the story orbits around joy, art, community, and love. And it’s beautifully grounded in an Australian setting.
The White Picket Fence podcast- I devoured this one. It digs into the ways “family values” and domestic ideals have been used to uphold systems of power and exclusion. It’s so where my head is at right now!
Dancing in the kitchen to Fleetwood Mac’s, ‘Everywhere’ with my baby.
Blooming zinnias and sunflowers.
The speckled afternoon light in my backyard.
Tony's chocolonely chocolate.
The YMCA. I am extremely grateful for my time at the Y and those glorious humans who take care of my kid whilst I listen to podcasts and do leg curls.
Ms. Rachel.
My new Oddobody undies. They take granny panties to another level and I’m so happy about it.
I didn’t make a single Amazon purchase this month! My tiny, ongoing fuck you to the oligarchy. Instead, I’ve been buying directly from online retailers and local shops (shout out to Oscar’s Hardware in Germantown and Carmichael’s Bookstore!). Thanks to everyone who shared tips on breaking up with that one particular billionaire. Now… any advice on how to ditch Google? Anyone?
Finally, this month’s feminist fashion collage:
because there is a slight breeze on the air and we might just make it to fall of the patriarchy season:
post image: Photo by LucasVphotos on Unsplash
I usually read these in my inbox so I never comment. But I wanted to comment today to say I enjoy these everytime I receive them 🩷🫶🏾