No. 18: MD's Newsletter
Reassembled to fit perfectly in view
By this time next week —
People will still be paying too much for housing and healthcare.
People still won’t trust the media, government or other institutions.
People will still struggle to find justice, whether they’re victims of crime, beat down by capitalism, or perpetually oppressed by entrenched systems.
And we’ll all be dealing with the fallout of the outcome of this election. We’ll be sorting out what it means for us and our families and our communities and our country.
But immediately, will any of the fundamental struggles of our time fade?
Not with just an election. And certainly not one that stands to leave us as divided as we’ve ever been.
I want to be hopeful. But it feels foolish to be hopeful when there is so much hate and fear coursing through the bones of ordinary people. It is hard to be hopeful when I see good people saying or doing things against are against their self-interest. It is hard to be hopeful when most of us are more likely to believe a meme made of pixels than the truth of our neighbor.
Sometimes I wonder, what will it take to remind us that we are all in this together? If terrorist attacks, school shootings and global pandemic aren’t enough? Maybe we are past that kind of thinking, and we have to accept that there will always be division and extremism plaguing our discourse. I don’t think most ordinary people want our politics to stay this way, though. I think we’re all tired of it. I just don’t know how you get the hate out of the way to the clear path for actual empathy and respectful disagreement.
For me, I am going to make an active choice to have extra compassion in the coming weeks. I am going to try to not be reactionary. Even if it’s hard. Even if I’m tired. Even if I have to humble myself. That way, when the time and opportunity comes, I can remember what it is to talk to someone about what we believe and why, and try to find some common ground.
Onto the links.
A big update
I will write more on this in the coming weeks, but this season I’m thrilled to be a part of a new performance company in the desert called Dance Mojave. We’re putting on our first-ever production of The Desert Nutcracker, an entirely original performance with 60+ cast members that I’ve been helping to coordinate since August.
My brilliant husband will be painting murals. We’re designing the program together. I’m in two pieces, and have It feels wonderful to use my brain and heart and body together in this way — not to mention the amazing relationships we’re creating as a community over a shared passion. The cup overflows.
Can’t come to the desert? Support us anyway! Here’s our Donobox link, or send us a Venmo @dancemojave.
Journalism-ings
I took an extended, unexpected absence from Modern Retail in October due to a need to travel to care for an ill family member. I’m not quite ready to write about that yet, but I will reiterate what I said on LinkedIn — I have a newfound appreciation for the rote annoyances that make up a normal day; routine is a privilege compared to the chaos that can otherwise unfold when you're of the sandwich generation.
Upon my return, I got back in the saddle quickly. The direct-to-consumer health world continues to fascinate me, and I wrote this week about how postpartum products are seeing mainstream retail adoption. I also published an explainer on WTF is going on with the future of telehealth prescriptions — if you are someone who relies on controlled substances for mental, hormonal or addiction help, you’ll want to read this.
With elections on the brain, I’m bumping my story from the October issue of CV Independent on how some activists in the Coachella Valley are trying get more people who have felony charges on their records registered to vote. The county — by law — is supposed to send these folks information when they’re released from prison. But it’s unclear if those letters are being received, so the notification falls to concerned community advocates. As I wrote in the piece:
In lieu of a system that does not revokes someone’s right to vote in the first place, advocates need to inform the community as part of broader get-out-the-vote efforts.
Arguably, we could all be doing more to make sure ALL of our neighbors are voting — but that’s a story for another day.
The eyes and ears
Last month I wrote how I was reading “The Bee Sting” and didn’t realize where it was going.well, uh…..I finished it…wow! You should read it, too. I just breezed through the final Elin Hildrebrand Nantucket novel, “Swan Song,” and loved it. Just started “Long Island Compromise,” and as impressed as always by Taffy Brodesser-Ackner’s turns of phrase and character development.
Sonically, I’ve been big into longtime favorites like Guster and Jason Isbell (whose “Live at Ryman Vol 2” with the 400 Unit is easily the finest live album out so far this year). I also have been on a Noah Gunderson kick, even if his songs like “The Coast” can make me cry at the drop of a pin. And I’m incredibly excited for the new Father John Misty album coming out this month. “Screamland” and “She Cleans Up” are instant favorites, for me. I had the good fortune to see him at Pappy and Harriet’s in late September, and you can buy that recording now on Bandcamp. It was an incredible show that I attended after receiving some life-altering news, so I sang and danced my face off like there was no tomorrow. If you get the chance, I recommend you do that, too — even if it’s just in your own living room.
Thanks, as always, for reading,