EQUALITY INSIGHTS
Weekly 5 Things editions plus essays and GUIDANCE on inclusive communication
5 Things / Shining
My family has an annual New Year’s Eve night tradition with a paper lantern. Each of us writes on the lantern some things we want to release from the previous year. Then we walk out to the sidewalk, shivering as we struggle to light the lantern in the breeze, try to avoid trees, and send the lantern and its bad vibes out into the atmosphere. It feels good to have a ritual around letting go.
5 Things / “Now, More Than Ever...”
My first 5 Things this year was called Finding Joy, and I wrote about finding it at a family wedding. I wrote: There was a lot of sorrow last year. I’m hopeful there will be a lot more joy this year.
5 Things / Family
This week my partner and I celebrated our birthdays. For me that always brings the gift of reflection on the lessons learned from this year. This was the year I expanded my capacity to love and be loved. More than anything, it was a year of new and strengthened relationships. Of family, chosen and otherwise.
5 Things / Operationalizing
This week I’ve had a few “we have to spend our budget in the next few weeks” conversations – please reach out if you’re in a similar situation. I delivered a keynote this week for association leaders on the current state of DEI and how we keep going amidst so much uncertainty. I was fired up!
5 Things / Breaking Bread
I live in Chicago but spend every Thanksgiving week in New York City with my family and friends. Like many of us, I’ll break bread on Thanksgiving with some family members who voted differently than me. And yet, I know they love me and would be there if I needed help. They’ve proved it. Still, the dichotomy is tough to reconcile.