On Crazy Times, Callings and Categories

So what had happened was… 😅

I took the summer off the LuvvLetter to give myself time to slow down after Little Troublemaker came out. I was thinking it’d be super laid back and chill but then I felt like I had an assignment I had left behind. So I launched a whole new endeavor, traveled more than I thought I would and basically re-started my business (more on that to come in the next few weeks).

Your girl was workingggg 🫣. But summer was still great. I went to a ton of dope concerts, spent time with some of my favorite people and acquired some nice art.

Fall came and I’m in full rebuild mode in so many ways. I’ve been auditing everything and making sure it all works. One thing I’ve missed, though, is writing these. I’ve missed y’all and I’m glad to be back at it.

Let’s jump into what’s on my mind this week.

RANT

Everything is feral and folks ain’t okay.

It feels like something broke in 2016. Maybe it was because the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. Maybe it’s because Cheeto Satan (Donald Trump) became the President of the United States. But since then, things ain’t been right. Like… the simulation is glitchy. Then the COVID pandemic happened and all hell broke loose for real.

Sometimes it feels like the whole world has decided to take a swan dive into the deep end of the unhinged pool. And right now, it feels like there are new things to go “WTF” about every day. Like we’re stuck in some collective thriller experience and we’re somehow supposed to keep it together. HOW?!?

We slap on a grin and plaster on the ‘I’m fine’ façade. Spoiler alert: We’re not fine. We’re not keeping it together. Folks are unhinged and we’re all getting more and more feral by the day.

Whew lawd. I’m over here eating cereal for dinner and taking meetings from my bed from time to time, because WHY NOT?!? But legit, a lot of people are not thriving right now, and they feel like there’s something wrong with them.

It’s not you; it’s the dumpster fire world we’re living in. It’s not you. It’s ALL OF US looking like this:

It’s the fact that we’re dealing with leaders who aren’t doing their jobs, global warming that’s being ignored, and a world where the robot overlords are knocking at the door because AI is getting smarter than we want it to be very quickly. There are thousands of children being killed in various global conflicts and it’s all too much.

So yeah… if you’re not okay, I hope you know it ain’t just you.

In the meantime, we’ll just keep sending each other memes of our shared hot messery, because at least we’re all in it together. AMIRITE?!? Lolololsob 😅😅😢.

REFLECTION

Do what you can and what you are called to do.

With so much chaos around us, what do we do? What can we do when the world’s problems feel overwhelming? How can we make sure we don’t give way to hopelessness?

Well, I think of the late, great Matron Saint Toni Morrison who said that in times of crisis, “artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

As always, her words convict me. There is no time for despair. We must do our part.

Even if you aren’t an artist, I think this moment calls for us to dig deep into our purpose and what we need to do to leave this world better than we found it. How can we use our gifts in service of ourselves and others? How can we make sure that we’re chasing joy, spending our time intentionally, and reveling in the things that energize us?

Especially at a time when it feels like people are truly here today, gone tomorrow. We always think we have more time to do the thing that’s sat on our shoulders for a long time. What is something that you’ve wanted to do, that has been on your mind for awhile, but you have been putting off for “someday?” We all have that thing. Can you take one step to get your closer to it?

Before I signed off for the summer, I talked about a project that has been sitting heavy on my spirit for YEARS. It was one that I felt CALLED to do, to help others see their stories told in books, amplifying their words and voices. After hitting the NYTimes list for a 4th time, I was out of excuses to not do it 😩. Because one thing about me: I’m gon teach what I’ve learned.

One of my mentors Roz Hudnell told me “Don’t let your job get in the way of your purpose.” DRAG MEEE! 😳

So I launched The Book Academy in June, getting TRIPLE the number of students that was my goal. It blew me away, and we just finished the first cohort.

I’ll tell you. In the last few months, that has driven me in ways I didn’t expect. And it re-energized me in the work I do, in a year where I almost lost my business (again, more on that in upcoming LuvvLetters).

So yeah, in case you need the push. I hope that in these topsy turvy times, you take solace in knowing you cannot and do not have to save the world. But what you could do to help, is find out what YOU can uniquely do, using your gifts and skills, to light it up. Whether it means volunteering at a soup kitchen, or teaching some young kids how to read, or finally launching that thing that wakes you up out of your sleep from time to time.

Whatever the thing is that gives you gusto, and makes getting out of bed in the morning easier. Whatever makes your heart smile. Do that thing.

Soooo %%NAME%%, someday is now. Move forward.

RECOMMENDATION

Tell me what you’re interested in.

When I tell you I’ve been in rebuild mode? I mean itttt. I’ve been auditing all the things around me. Even the software that I use to send out these newsletters has changed. I legit blew everything up to rebuild it better.

Shoot, I almost changed the name “The LuvvLetter” but I polled folks in my IG Stories, and y’all were like “AHT AHT, keep it.” Heard you! 🗣️