contrast therapy
submersion
I. hot and cold
I walk to the edge of the pool. I dip my foot in the water, onto the first step and then the second. The water is cold, sharp. Okay, I breathe. Okay NOW. I plunge into the water, submerging myself.
I swim from one end of the pool to the other and back again. I step out of the pool into the hot tub, letting the heat warm my skin that was once cool.
I repeat this process, dry off, and go upstairs. Refreshed.
II. righting/ writing/ rioting
For six months of the year, I mostly stay focused on my job as a teacher— writing lectures, grading papers, mentoring, listening to lectures. I am responsive, responsible, a pillar of dependability and routine. The quarter is only ten weeks and I do my best to be there for all of them.
But oh, when springtime comes! I spend the remaining six months of the year traveling, writing, researching, and *dancing* so much dancing. Gone are my button downs, out comes skin. I return fully to my friendships, to art, to a good going out outfit.
Teaching, I find, is about consistency and setting clear expectations so one can facilitate discovery. To do that well, however, I must also embrace serendipity to discover myself.
III. lush
The funny thing I’ve learned about being in LA is, once you settle in, you really don’t want to leave. Why see the world when you’ve got the beach (and the mountains, and the desert, and wine country…)?
But in the middle of July, I went to Penn State for a summer research methods program, just to teach a class on qualitative methods. I had a little FOMO at the prospect of being away from LA at the height of summer…even for a couple days! I thought about ways I might be able to turn the rest of the week into a NYC or ATL side quest. But that didn’t make a ton of sense. And so, I prepared myself for a few days in a college town in the smack dab middle of Pennsylvania (land of my ancestors lol).
I grew up in a small town and spending time in them evokes my teenage misfit feelings. But as my plane flew deeper into the greenery of summertime Pennsylvania, I was moved. I was welcomed to State College by lush, green mountains and valleys that stretched for miles. I landed at an airport so minimal that they just hand you your checked bag when you get off the plane. The uber driver took me past cornfields and a massive football stadium and onto Penn State’s campus, overflowing with plants, flowers, and trees.
I was so moved by the greenery, I think, because it’s not my norm, not my every day. LA isn’t wanting for plant life, but yards of wild and high grasses and towering oak are few and far between. It reminded me of the green place I grew up in, draped with farmlife and tons of trees.
I embraced a few quiet days. I listened to the summer rain, read, and wrote. With the support of some wonderful colleagues, I taught a methods class for the first time and came back to LA feeling refreshed and confident. And excited for those city lights.
IV. friends and benefits
This past weekend, I went to FWB Fest, a sort of tech, sort of music conference/ festival in the woods of Idyllwild, CA. It’s not the kind of thing I would go to on my own; I was drawn in by some sweet friends to just at least come for the fun weekend in a mountain cabin. And I’ll add, I’m not really a group trip girl. I have a lot of preferences, I like my privacy, and am like 50% introverted. But I didn’t realize this was a chance to push past my preferences and into a more vulnerable place, listening to speakers outside of academia, and staying up late with friends even when I was more or less asleep on the couch.
I suppose all of this to say is that I’ve opened up my life to big and small bouts of contrast therapy— the cold and hot plunges, the trip to PA, the creative conference— and it’s been feeding and challenging me in some molecular ways. I am a Taurus (sun AND rising) so getting out of my comfort zone requires an intentional choice and sometimes a blatant shove in a new direction. I’m interested to see if/ how/ when this open posture impacts my writing and creative process. I think at the very least it’s pushing me to get inspiration from a wealth of sources. Even the music below is things I heard from new friends this weekend.
Sociologist Mark Granovetter wrote a paper in 1973 called “The Strength of Weak Ties,” which argues that people who we are weakly linked can help spread information beyond an insular network or provide fresh opportunities. I think this is applicable across experiences: that the things we don’t normally go for, our contrasts can help us grow more than we’d imagine.
V. Vibes
VI. Also:
Black Women for Wellness is hosting their annual Reproductive Justice Conference in LA next week. Register here: https://bwwla.org/reproductive-justice-conference/. I will be moderating a panel on civic engagement.
And next month!
I’ll be at the American Political Science Association Conference in Boston, September 4-6. I’m presenting on Friday on this incredible panel of social movement scholars. I’ll also share some pre-sent remarks on my friend Diane Wong’s and Mark Tseng-Putterman’s book Asian America Rising: Centering Grassroots Political Praxis. Come through!
That’s all for now. May your world be filled with contrasts! Both light and shadows.
Engage Joy Daily