Go West, young man!*
*Not right now, obviously.
This time last year, I had just come back from a two week trip by rail to the West Coast. I went through fourteen states and logged over five thousand miles by train. I saw many beautiful places. Places like Muir Woods National Monument, where I finally got to see redwoods—a true dream of mine.
Muir Woods National Monument—thankfully safe for now.
Many of those places that I saw last year are on fire. Millions of acres have burned already, and with a heatwave gripping the coast, who knows how much more will be lost? I have something to say about that.
Fuck you climate change deniers.
Seriously. Wildfires and heatwaves as we currently know them are manmade events. Look it up if you don’t believe me.
As I looked out the window of the Amtrak last year, I remember being struck by just how dry the western half of our country is. Everywhere I went west of Nebraska looked like it could go up in flames at any minute. An errant lightning bolt, a carelessly discarded cigarette, or a gender reveal party gone wrong(er) could easily scorch vast amounts of the West. Unfortunately, the West Coast has proven to be just the tinderbox I thought that it was. I have many friends out that way, and the pictures that they and others are putting up on social media are absolutely horrifying.
Sure to be one of the most iconic shots of 2020
My thoughts are with the people of California, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona right now. I am so sorry for what is happening to them right now, but I have a bit of selfish gladness that I was able to see all that beauty last year. That trip and the work I did leading up to it really helped me find my way out of a pretty big hole.
Kind of like this one.
I came back from my trip out West high on possibility. This time last year was such a time of optimism for me. For the first time since I had lost my job in September 2018, I truly felt great. I was ready to come back to Chicago and really carve out a place for myself. I was going to really pursue acting and writing in a serious way—really go for broke. I was going to say yes to every role I was offered. I was going to have an agent and join a union. This year will be different! I was going to write every day, and damn it I was going to complete so much work. So much!
And I was acting, right up until quarantine. I still look for acting work, but every gig I see is postponed to some as-yet-unknown post-COVID time.
Quand?
As for my writing, you are looking at it. I don’t have the tons of completed screenplays and web series episodes that I planned to have this time last year, but I have become pretty proud of and protective of this blog. I feel that some of the best writing that I have ever done is for this little semi-weekly newsletter. I know that no other work that I have done has prompted people, strangers, and friends alike to write to me and tell me how my work has touched them or helped them in some small way. As an artist, I’m over the moon that my words are having an impact. And I am glad to be back at it this week, after last week’s household crisis. The crisis is ongoing, but it is at a dull roar right now, and not the full-on disaster that it was last week. Sorry to be coy for a bit longer, but I still don’t feel at liberty to discuss what is going on just yet. Jennifer, the kitties and I are not in any danger, so please do not be alarmed. If curiosity is too much for you, you can always drop me a line, but please know that we are safe—just highly inconvenienced.
Not the smoothest segue ever.
I am sure that someone with more craft and skill than I could make a smoother transition, but I want to tell y’all about something very exciting. My friend, Michelle Silverthorn is a world-class expert on diversity and inclusion.
Michelle is a leading Culture Change Expert and the founder of Inclusion Nation
Michelle is an attorney, mother of two beautiful girls, a dynamic speaker with Fortune 500 businesses, and first-class universities as clients, and she is now a published author. Her book, Authentic Diversity: How to Change the Workplace for Good just dropped on Wednesday.
This book right here! Now available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
You are probably wondering why I am talking about this book. Well, the reason that I am talking about it is that I had a small part in the creation of it. Last spring I worked as one of Michelle’s research assistants.
I helped!
It was a lot of fun and very rewarding to work on this project and it was, by far, my professional highlight of 2019. And the money I made doing it was how I was able to travel out west last year. This book made one of my dreams come true, and I hope that it helps make some of Michelle’s dreams come true as well. I cannot wait to read the book. Michelle is a brilliant writer, thinker, and is absolutely hilarious. She is also a very warm person and a devoted friend. I expect great things from this book. I sincerely hope that it sells millions and changes the way that companies approach diversity and inclusion worldwide. Michelle has the skill, the drive, and the charisma to start a movement, and I hope she damn well does. Below is a link for the book. Please consider picking up a copy for your workplace if you are in HR or management. Please consider picking up a copy for yourself while you are at it, even if you are not in Human Resources. Also linked below are Michelle’s website, and her incredible Tedx talk. Thank you for reading today’s post. I know that it is kind of all over the place. You know what? I’m all over the place right now. A lot of us are. We’re going to get through it, friends.
Michelle’s book: Authentic Diversity
Michelle’s website: Michelle Silverthorn
Her Tedx talk: We are not a Melting Pot
Thank you, as always, for reading.
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