10/1/2021

JRB,

            Are you practicing self-care during this stressful tim? I’m sure you exhaled a big sigh of relief when Congress passed the short-term spending measure yesterday. You & your team now have 9 more weeks to hammer out an agreement about 2022 spending. I wonder who the 34 Republican Reps are that voted with the Dems on this one. They deserve a special thanks for breaking ranks.

            I got a smile out of the photos of House Appropriations Chair, Rosa Delauro & her purple hair. I wonder if her hair-do was inspired by the poem, “When I am an Old Woman, I shall Wear Purple.” At 78, she’s not really that old. I am impressed that she has stayed in Congress for 30 years! She must be good at self-care.

            Speaking of which, when we did “Roses & Thorns” in class yesterday, one group of student teachers talked about their struggles to practice self-care. They can’t set aside the time for it. So, the article, “Self-care: What is it & are we doing it wrong?” by Angelica Puzio in today’s WP caught my eye & I had to share it with them.

AP dives into the different ways the term has been used - including its overuse by companies trying to sell products. She reminds us that “self-care” was originally used by women in the Black Panther movement & popularized by feminist author, Audre Lorde, who wrote, "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, & that is an act of political warfare.” AP points out that, "Self-care remains particularly radical for those who face structural inequalities."

I told the student teachers, “YES to self-care! But, according to experts on the matter, ‘the rise of self-care terminology is a reflection of the American tradition of dealing with distress in isolation...research has shown the importance of community care in dealing with mental distress, especially for those who endure trauma due to racism & sexism.’ So, in addition to taking care of yourselves as best you can, please continue to take care of each other.”

BYBS,