December 2025 Reflection
It’s been a while since I have provided an update; part of that is because there is so much to say that I can hardly find the words, and the other reason is my emotional and executive functioning have been working overtime this year. Working through systemic violence is hard and surreal, even when the work is important, heart-led and advances justice. Showing up each day, pouring out my earnestness to my clients, my community; my wellness is both radical and exhausting in this social political climate.
I understand that for some they survive by turning away from the news, staying in the safety net of their bubble and holding on to what still remains. But as someone who works in racial equity work, the political is personal. These policies, these scare tactics and misinformation directly affect people. They’re implemented by people, and their consequences and benefits are often felt for generations to come.
So I haven’t had much to say that isn’t already being felt in the bones and nervous systems of most of us in the year of 2025. But I have been determined to prioritize my wellness, my wholeness, my reliance on my community. I have let the grief and anger of injustice be the fuel that drives me to handle all of my work, all of my clients and their communities with the utmost care. In a season where life is chaotic, unpredictable, unreliable, and overtly racist, I have dedicated time to my interior life, staying grounded. Here are a few things I committed to this year:
Prioritized my connection to my body and the land
Stayed the course with equity and evaluation
Practiced resistance through joy and play
Explored my relationships and sense of self
Caring, which includes fuming, grieving and protesting, challenges me every day to make my bubble bigger. Caring demands that my life be disrupted by what disrupts the lives of trans and queer folx, immigrants, the Sudanese, the Palestinians, those on food stamps. The grief, the anger, the fervor to show up for community, to demand justice, all while being beloved community, are all appropriate responses to the state of the nation.
And so I have been busy taking deep care of myself and being in and leaning on community. Because I am keenly aware as a descendant of slaves and as a woman in this nation, that “we all we got,” when systems fail us, community must show up, and so that has been my practice this year, and it has saved me even more than I could have done on my own.
Reflection Questions
Being community for one another is one of the most liberatory practices we can participate in. Please reflect and share your responses to the following prompts:
• What helped you survive or flourish this year?
• Who showed up for you this year, and who did you show up for?
• What is something you are most proud of this year? How does this pride help you as we transition into 2026?
