Valentine's Day Challenge and AMA and Heartache ❤️

It is wild out there, time to get the hearts out.

What’s coming up?

• My AMA will be tomorrow, Friday January 31st, at 12 pm EST. I will be answering all of your questions, so bring them! And mark your calendars, the AMA will be the last Friday of the month! 😘

• The Valentine's Day Challenge is ON! The world feels chaotic and scary, but it makes sense to do this now. We need love, desperately, and what's more lovely than sending little notes to our children. It’ll be on my newsletter and Substack, especially the chat for the paid subscribers. And if you think you know a parent who would like to be in on this challenge, please share this.

• My mini-pod will be out every second Friday of every month, subscribe to hear it all! I’ll be talking about my own parenting life and Just One Thing…and giving food for thought for your own parenting life.

• I have two coaching spots on Tuesdays, pleas write to support@mlparentcoach.com to grab your spot. Not ready to commit or do you want to chat with me first? Click here for a Discover Call.

• Finally, if the fire in CA or the floods in North Carolina/Florida have impacted your parenting life, I’m holding coaching spots for you (for free). Write to me at meghan@mlparentcoach.com with the subject line: Crisis Support.

• I donate almost exclusively to WCK because they show up and make food for all, no politics, no bullshit, no waste. Think about becoming a monthly donor.

---

From Substack notes, recently. This is where I am right now. Trigger warning: school shootings

Last night, a plane collided with a Blackhawk helicopter, fell into the Potomac, and everyone died.

This is local news for us.

The amount of change, panic, fear, disgust, and now, unfathomable sadness in DC is palpable.

I was in bed, worrying (WORRYING) about the black heels I had bought for an event.

I mean, honestly. Have you ever heard anything so stupid?

When things get dark, I used to get outraged. My nervous system literally hummed and thrummed with the injustice and the fears, and my own seething anger. I would stay in a chronic mantra, “I can’t believe this! Can you believe this?”

I believe it now. I believe what I’m seeing and what I’m hearing. I suppose there’s outrage in me deep down, but I can’t access it.

Something happened after my daughter was in a school shooting, something happened in my soul. At first, I thought it was my good old fashion disassociation working for me, but I’ve come to realize that it is a form of deep acceptance of how fragile and terrible life can be. And how lucky and beautiful and sweet life can be. The first Trump Administration, The Black Lives Matter movement, the school shooting, her graduation, I thought I had breast cancer, living in this city, January 6… I’ve never seen so much terribleness and so much goodness.

Now we’re here again. And things feel improbably worse. The fires is in LA, the floods in North Carolina, The never-ending destruction and mayhem in Israel And Palestine, The Genocide in Sudan, The never-ending war in Ukraine, the flood of people fleeing chaotic nations, the climate changing under our feet while we consume and consume and consume, children feeling unsafe in school, children feeling unsafe in their bodies, women having fewer rights now than they did 50 years ago convicted, felons, and sexual abusers, blatantly taking office, and the wins and acknowledgment for black folks gained BLM is being stripped away as I type.

But I’m really worrying about these black heels I bought, I think they may slip on the heel, just a teeny bit?

A good friend and I were commiserating last night that people in DC aren’t allowed to complain. We are the problem, right? Drain the swamp, as they say. But the majority of people who live in DC work through any administration, they shop at local stores, they own the local stores. They were born here and have kids who were born here, like my husband who owns a business. And our kids were born here. This is their town.

Yes, our city is unique. We have access to amazing things here for free: Art, music, food, Beautiful parks, so much goodness… And we have access to hugely important for world affairs, decisions, and jobs that affect all of it. But mostly, we’re regular people. I’m a small business owner married to a small business owner… That’s it. And my federal employee neighbors are just making sure that your life runs smoothly. No matter who wins the office they just make sure that everything keeps working.

It’s all so tiring.

And I know my privilege. I know the skin I was born with, I’m looking at it right now. I know what it means. And years ago I would’ve frantically looked to everyone else to ask “what should I do?” but I don’t need to do that anymore. I know what I need to do and I know who I need to do it for and I know it doesn’t need to be on social media to matter and I know that I don’t need to be angry and seething and outraged to be significant.

And I really need to figure out if these heels are gonna work. And that matters too.

Please God, please bring peace to everyone suffering. Please point me in the right direction. Please let me not add to suffering. Please keep my heart open and generous.
Amen.
- Seeing the Strawberries 🍓Read on Substack

---

Favorite music right now:

• The Philharmonik. I found him on Tiny Desk Concerts (where all good music is).

• I love Lola Young. She is a breath of fresh air.

• I keep listening to Carry by Joy Oladokun, because it is helping me to hold on.

• I Am Light by India.Arie is by most lovely svavasana song.

• i also love to dance around to It's ok I'm ok by Tate McRae. She's Britney 2.0 and I am here for it.

• What are you listening to?

What am I wearing on my lips? I am addicted to these Ilia Lip Crayons. All the colors. All the time.