Seven Things: February 2021
I have to be honest: I am really glad that February is coming to an end. It’s usually one of my favorite months of the year, since it includes my birthday, my husband’s birthday, our dating anniversary, and in general, I love the winter. However this year, like many, I was completely hitting the pandemic wall, I spent over a week sick in bed, and a lot was happening for my family and friends. Without the normal support systems, it was just a hard month. Now, as we head into March, I am feeling more hopeful. As they say, March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb - so that promise of warmer weather and better things to come is exactly what I’m going to hold on to, as I continuously decide to choose optimism and hope. So with that, here are Seven Things that I watched, experienced, read, and thought about in February 2021.
As I mentioned, I spent a good chunk of the month sick, which meant that I had a lot of time to watch television. Highlights included Virgin River (binged two seasons), Insecure (binged and LOVED all four seasons), Crime Scene: The Vanishing at The Cecil Hotel (Thanks SNL for affirming my love for true crime shows), and Behind Her Eyes. I also began Succession, and am about to move into Season 2. Yikes - looking back, I really did watch a lot of TV!
For me, the perfect article to round out the month with, was this one from the Huff Post UK, featuring my best friend, Amanda Kusek of Cheap Courage. It reminded me that it is OK to DREAM BIGGER, even right now.
As a manager and a leader at a nonprofit organization, this article really resonated with me, which focuses on WHY it is so important to give Black employees time to rest and recover - and ideas for how to do it. Companies take note - if you believe Black Lives Matter (which I sure hope you do), read this and implement better ways to support your Black employees and colleagues.
While I did not read as much as I would have liked this month by any stretch, I did prioritize re-reading The Four Agreements. As someone who consistently struggles with not taking things personally, I find myself coming back to this book at least once a year as a reminder and moment to reflect on my own leadership and professional growth.
As I mentioned earlier, the pandemic wall is real. One of the things that is getting me through it, is game night with friends. The two that have been a big hit lately are Among Us and JeopardyLabs. Playing these two games with friends makes me want to jump on another Zoom call after work. A huge shout-out to my two friends Amanda and Frank who have crafted our first two Jeopardy Nights…and wish me luck, because I am creating the next (send question and category ideas, please!).
Being a working mom is always hard, even more so during the pandemic. This article is an important read. I am fortunate to have an employer that is very supportive of working mothers, and still, for so many of us, the challenges are countless. One of my former colleagues now works at The Vote Mama Foundation, which is an organization fighting to help more moms run for office, which is where so much change can actually happen.
Finally, I have a few organizations and causes to share this month, which I hope you’ll consider learning more about and/or donating to. The first, is the National Birth Equity Collaboration, which is working tirelessly to create solutions that optimize Black maternal and infant health outcomes. The second is the Heal Haus Therapy Fund, which seeks to raise $100k to provide 100 members of the BIPOC community eight free individual talk therapy sessions. Finally, my step-sister and her husband have both been diagnosed with cancer and are fighting hard - and they need to support. Please consider donating to their Go Fund Me campaign as they navigate their treatments while caring for their three small children.
