this list is a compilation of things I have posted on my instagram over a few months, but all worth including in the long-standing rackers’ life tips series, back from its year long hiatus.
- find solace in the idea you’re not the only one to do or think…anything. I had read a comment from someone saying ‘am I the only one who thinks about what happens when we die?’ – and I slightly (strongly) cringed. I hate the opening phrase ‘am I the only one?’ – you are one among billions of others. you are not the only one in anything you do.
- you have to stop making people feel bad for not being ‘productive’ in their down time. just because someone scrolls through their social media for an hour (or two) a day with no real purpose to it, doesn’t mean it’s wasted time or that they should be using it for anything else. people are allowed to switch off from a society that is constantly on.
- you likely haven’t yet met all the people you are going to love in this lifetime. this is worth sticking around for, and a comfort during the lonely times.
- it’s okay if all you did today was get out of bed to make yourself a cup of tea. make sure you have some fruit or toast, too.
- your people can’t know you’re hurting unless you tell them. similarly, your people could be staying silent because they don’t want to overshadow your pain. talk to your mates.
- anti-racism work is constant work; you don’t always have to be loud (particularly so you’re not overshadowing BIPOC’s voices), but there is always work you can be doing; whether that’s educating yourself, donating, or challenging yourself and those around you.
- intersectionality includes spirituality. you can’t bypass the voices of minorities asking us not to use their practice if it’s hurting their culture. there is a line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation, and it is up to us to educate ourselves & to listen and learn when called out or challenged.
- just because you have the emotional intelligence & empathy to understand someone’s actions, does not mean you are not entitled to feel the emotions their actions caused for you.
- people shitting you off? turn to your three m-ates:
meditate
medicate
masturbate - not liking something popular doesn’t make you cool. like, you don’t like the current pop fav tv show? ok. you don’t like a song all your friends froth over? ok. you don’t like cult classic movies/shows? ok. you pride yourself on not falling into pop culture?… that’s weird. you’re not cool cause you’re ~ different ~. you’re cool when you talk radiantly about the things you DO like. not when you’re shitting on things you don’t, or giving shit to people who like things that are mainstream.
