An Army Rising Up
How ya’ll doing this morning!?
I woke up like, whoa!! “What if we all showed up like Kendrick showed up last night?”
Chaaaaa.
I was inspired by Kendrick’s half time show - there was something about how relaxed his shoulders were and his jeans.
His squat.
…his shiny 1987 black GNX
…his army of men, stepping out.
…his Luther-inspired offering to women.
The coordination of it all.
And how patriotic the whole thing was.
Who do you want to be right now?
…under the crushing threat of separatism.
Joyful?
I want to be joyful.
Just?
I want to uphold justice.
…the soft and the hard of life. The vibrancy and dynamism of life. This moment is giving Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka dancing at Langston's funeral. It’s Fannie Lou Hamer singing This Little Light of Mine on the back of Freedom Ride buses. It’s the sister in the cover photo who threw her hands up to try something new in a circle of sisters she trusted.
This thing we have sends glimmers of hope into the darkest caves.
Last year, we set an agenda for joy and justice. A 7-point plan. A clarion call. In it, we said we want healthy bodies and sound minds. We want land, economic freedom, and food sovereignty. We promised to preserve our culture and to power our communities with a million energized citizens.
Power can look different.
Kendrick showed us that.
“You can’t fake influence.”
He ain’t lied.
So as we gear up to start our season - the membership meeting is always Tubman Day, March 10th, stay tuned - I ask you to ask yourself, “Who do I want to be right now?”
Me?
I want to be healthy and happy.
I’m on day 11 of a 100 day walk for my uncle. And if you’re counting my receipts, I missed one day. Yesterday. …because I went to the beach with my friends. I was ashy, sun drunk, and happy when I got home. So I I rested. My day 11 will be today. Not gonna try to make up a day or go hard in the paint. It’s my own promise and my own rules. I invite you to start thinking about your personal walking or exercise goals for the year. We will help you in weeks to come.
In the meantime, it’s Monday, a new week, and I want to invite you to take a special walk with me today. At GirlTREK, we started something called a “Manifestation Mile.”
It’s simple.
Remember when we were in high school and a mile was 4 laps around the track?
Imagine you are back there on your high school track. As you walk each imaginary lap - about 5 minutes in any direction from your front door - asked yourself one of four questions.
First lap, first question:
1. How am I?
How are you doing? Feeling? Moving? How are you, sister? You don’t have to answer with words. Just keep walking. Repeat the question. “How am I?” If your mind starts racing, thinking about work or grocery lists, silence it by listening to the sound of your feet touching the earth. Listen to the wind created by your own momentum. As you walk, repeat the question, “How am I?,” over and over until you feel the answer of the truth. You may have to soften the way you ask and pretend that you are your own best friend. “Girl, how are you really doing? The answer is in your inhale. The stillness of your mind. The softness of your gaze. The opening of your chest the deepness of your breath. The release of your hands. All may hold an answer. Or you may weep. The question may overwhelm. Either way, listen. Keep walking. How are you?
Second lap, second question:
For the next five minutes of your walk reflect on the following questions:
2. What am I walking away from this week?
Take an honest assessment. What is harming you. Social media? Working overtime? Waiting for love? Sugar addiction? Pessimism? Sitting all day?
Decide to leave one thing behind for just one week. Name it.
Third imaginary lap. For 5 minutes of your walk, explore question three:
3. What am I walking towards?
See it. The life you desire. The family you want. The community you crave. The country you pray for. See it on the horizon - a vision of your very best life - and walk towards it.
For the last lap of this manifestation mile, ask this:
4. Who can I ask for help?
This may be your weakest muscle. Asking for help. Maybe it was easy feeling on lap one. Perhaps you knew exactly what to say “no” to and how to imagine and walk towards your “yes” life, now you have to ask for help. Community matters. Helping one another is the only way toward.
What do you need help with this week and who can you ask? Maybe it’s your neighbor whose dog is keeping you awake? Maybe it’s your coworker who knows a software that is stressing you. Maybe it’s your friend who is on a roll cooking vegetables in the air fryer. Or maybe you need help from your council member or congressman. You decide. To get where you have decided you are going, you will need people on your team. You don’t have to walk alone. Ask others to conspire with you in living your healthiest, most fulfilled life.
High-Five! That’s how you do a manifestation mile - a new tradition for Mondays. Recap for a screen grab, before you open your front door:
Manifestation Mile.
Walk 1 mile or 20 minutes.
As you begin the week, ask yourself:
5 min: How am I?
5 min: What am I walking away from?
5 min: What am I walking towards?
5 min: Who can I ask for help?
That’s it. Decide who you want to be and how you want to show up this week.
Kendrick was courageous last night at The Super Bowl. As was Ledisi. My friend David told me that courage causes a cascade of other courageous acts. I believe that. So I am asking you to be courageous today by dreaming of your best life and walking toward it.
There’s a crew of friends of Mississippi who called themselves “Zero Dark 30” because they have consistently walked before sunrise every morning for years. They know who they want to be. How they want to feel. They know the discipline they must have and the community they need to sustain. I am inspired by them.
…and by you.
All of you who still feel inspired. …who still have faith through all the distractions. I am inspired by those of you who know your power and your influence.
What if the future is bright? What if we are, in fact, the bearers of light?
I am holding fast to my own vision of a new kind of army rising up. One that loves.
Sincerely,
Morgan
