Just One Thing (21 January 2017)

[nanila]

It's challenge time!

Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.

Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished!

Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!

Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.

Go!

Comments

[lilly_c]

Went to the cinema.

Asked for a heater for my hotel room.

[nanila]

Sounds like a good day! And I hope you're warmer now.

[lilly_c]

It has been a good day :) I am a lot warmer now.

[alatefeline]

Warmer is good! Glad you asked and glad you got something.

[cosmolinguist]

Went on the Women's March Manchester.

[alatefeline]

<3 Thank you.

[nanila]

As one who couldn't attend a march but would very much have liked to: thank you.

[cosmolinguist]

For what good it might have done, I was very mindful when I was there of everyone who wasn't.

[nanila]

It's worth a lot to me. <3

[alatefeline]

Listened to people who were not marching but were in solidarity e.g. through self-care, survival, caring for children, sharing resources, connecting communities, protesting ableism, protesting toxic whiteness, striking, singing, making art.

Marched.

Thought about marching as a person with autism and what it means to go be in a crowd and scream and walk when I am afraid of crowds and loud sounds and my own tendencies to echopraxia but currently (not always) able to be there anyway.

Held my partner's hand.

[cosmolinguist]

I'm glad you were able to march this time.

[alatefeline]

Me too. <3

I have a lot of unfinished, complicated thoughts and feelings about it, mostly along the lines of 'but what if...' and 'if everyone X, but then...' and I don't see much resolution for them. But doing small things that matter, yes, that works.

[cosmolinguist]

I have complicated and still-inarticulate thoughts and feelings about the gathering I was part of, too. No doubt for different reasons (and maybe some of the same ones: toxic whiteness, ableism, etc), but yes.

[alatefeline]

*nods*

Spoke with my sister, and she was really clear that she had some similar & more intense concerns to mine about erasure; cooptation; ableist, classist, and/or gender-essentialist models of activism; and WhiteFeminismTM; we had a good conversation about it.

Buuuut I'm not getting very far by mulling it over, so I'm *trying* to act productively instead of ruminate.

[nanila]

Thank you for marching.

[alatefeline]

You are welcome.

[azurelunatic]

Respected my limits and didn't try to pry myself out of bed too early, or challenge my claustrophobia in a crowd that I would have a hard time getting out of if I started having trouble (with no one to supervise me if I went into emergency backup function).

Modified my perennial sign.

Stood on the corner by myself in the rain for 1 hour 40-ish minutes, before it got too dark and cold and wet to remain.

Made a visible difference in the days of a large number of people, because I was there and speaking my mind and saying that this is not okay, that none of this is okay, and that I am here and queer. (Some kids on bikes and scooters, who couldn't have been much more than 10, thanked me. I am white. They were not.)

Went home at a sensible time.

Was appropriately supportive to my partner's plans for fun and self-care. Every now and then, a person needs to do something nice for themselves, and I am very pleased that they took this opportunity when it popped up.

Met my exercise goals without dangerously exceeding them. Got rest when my body demanded it.

Craft projects for the thrifty protester

[azurelunatic]

My perennial sign is a piece of white corrugated plastic securely nailed to a lightweight board handle. ("Securely" involves two short nails and a large metal circle meant to secure a shingle for each nail.) The board and back of the sign are spray painted neon pink. The front of the sign has a large pink triangle also sprayed on; I used masking tape to get the edges reasonably crisp. The holdable part of the handle is wrapped in clear duct tape to make it better to hold.

I can carry it unmodified for Pride events, and use it to visibly declare my affiliation at other events. I wrote a message on white paper, cut it into a triangle that fit inside the pink one with a visible border, and taped it in place. The paper sign wasn't waterproof, but the marker was. So while the day's message will need to be discarded, the main sign survived the rain and wind.

I may make a mounting point for a battery pack, because I have a clever idea involving one of those and a mini USB gooseneck LED light meant to illuminate a laptop keyboard, to light the sign for twilight and night events.

[alatefeline]

I am so so so very impressed. You are awesome. Thank you for protesting. Thank you for being wise and personally insightful about how you chose to protest. Thank you for sharing.

[azurelunatic]

I could have worn a raincoat. :)

[alatefeline]

Well. Maybe another time. :)

[cosmolinguist]

I'm glad you were able to do this, and that it went well, and that you didn't have to overextend yourself.

[azurelunatic]

I'd hoped that maybe a handful of other people would be there, but I was okay on my own!

[nanila]

Thank you for making a difference.

[silveradept]

I had a lovely day spent doing errands, being introduced to new games, having tea with a very good friend (and learning a lot about the custom of tea and the excellence of the materials presented) and then having a very good time at a new social event.

[azurelunatic]

Hooray, you.

[alatefeline]

Well done. :)

[nanila]

Oh, excellent. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.

[nanila]

I couldn't go to a march, owing to single-parenting and a very unwell toddler. Instead of just being sad about that, I expressed gratitude to as many people who did as I could.

[cosmolinguist]

Keeping self and family together also put you in the company of millions. Especially women. I hope you weren't too sad; the position you were in was and hopefully remains on many minds.