Getting Smaller - 

1. When I was a kid I read a lot of books whose characters didn't look like me. The images I saw when I imagined or daydreamed reflected those characters and not myself. This is a key part of why representation in literature matters. What we read shapes how we imagine. 

2. I was a major TV kid. I had a full line up of shows after school until just before bed. Article idea: Tell me what you watched as a child and I'll tell you who you are. TV as character building. 

3. Growing up in an immigrant household, we were constantly opening our doors to family members and friends from our home country. This sounds like great hospitality, which it is, but as a kid it was terrible! Article idea: Growing up Nigerian: The downsides of hospitality. 

4.The secret life of a pastor's kid. 

5.How loud black girls become silent black women. 

 

Trouble Trouble - 

What is the challenge? The quarter-life crisis. What if, after passing through all the "standard" phases of life and accomplishing long-held childhood dreams, you realize it isn't really what you wanted? And what if you don't know what you want? You feel stuck in the life you chose and unsure of how or if you should try to get out. 

 

Who does it affect? The 20-30 something struggling to solidify their identity and find their place in the world. It may also affect those who depend on that individual...the parents who dreamed of their child getting an education; the immigrant family that does not feel they have the freedom or luxury to explore and pursue passions. 

 

What changes can, might, or did result? A bold decision to step away from "life as usual" and explore/pursue new dreams and goals.

Sometimes change involves ending our pursuit of change in itself and choosing to appreciate what is, making the choice to find joy in the mundane. We can also choose to change our source and definition of contentedness. Do we need to love our jobs to live a contented life? What if a job is just a means to an end (finances) and we choose to find fulfillment somewhere else? 

The Review - 

I came across an amazing post on Instagram that said, "Dear little black girl with the big name. Correct them. Every. Single. Time." This sparked the idea: The Honour of a Name. How do our names impact who we are? What do we lose when we give our names away, whether that be allowing others to mispronounce our name or changing our names to make it easier for others to pronounce? 

Joy as Resistance, Praise as Protest - why joy, laughter, worship and praise are all necessary elements of a revolution. 

A friend and I were discussing our growing appreciation for nature and silence as we get older. Is there a connection between an appreciation for nature and maturity or age? 

There have been some incredible storms in Toronto over the past week. Can't get the following line out of my mind: "And then the rain came..."

Busybodies - 

"Their bathroom isn't open? Where am I supposed to go?" - Who did COVID-19 lock-in and who did it lock-out? 

Article Idea: The beauty of listening to a language you can't understand. 

Found words -