Sunday Diaries

Toronto entered phase 2 of reopening this week, following much of the province a couple weeks earlier. Included in the re-openings are restaurant patios, malls, daycares and some personal care services including hairdressers. I was thrilled to get the email from my salon, and booked the first available appointment for myself (which is looking like it won't be until August 1). I'm personally hesitant about patios for now, and I hope that people will continue to wear masks and be safe with more restrictions being lifted. I saw a friend for a socially distanced walk and iced tea hang on Friday, and it was really nice to spend time with someone else and return to some semblance of pre-COVID life. 

Photo by Shopify Partners from Burst

This weekend marks the end of Pride Month, which would normally culminate in big celebrations and a parade over these last few days. Soon after I wrote last week's post, we watched Disclosure on Netflix, which was a truly eye-opening documentary on the depiction of trans representation in film and television. I've been reminded this month that the first pride was a riot, and Black transgender and lesbian women played a huge role in this revolution. 

I went thrifting yesterday (new haul video coming to Youtube later today or early this week!) and listened to this episode of the Healthier Together podcast on diversity and accessibility in wellness. I learned a lot from Chrissy King, Ibhraeem Basir of A Dozen Cousins and Dr. Tosin Odunsi with their perspectives on the challenges and problems in different facets of the wellness world. As Chrissy said in her post Is Fitness Only For Thin, White Women?, "The fitness industry just isn’t inclusive. Fitness is and should be for everyone. It’s a not a “special” club for people who look a certain way. In order for that to be the case, it can’t be marketed solely to thin, white women. It needs to represent all shades, shapes, and sizes." In the episode Liz and Chrissy talked about the fact that wellness isn't just going to a snazzy yoga class and sipping on a green juice, it comes in many different forms, and representation is important. I really appreciated their perspectives, as well as some actionable ways that we can all support change in this industry.

We were set to see Hamilton on March 17, 2020, and both Paul and I were thrilled. On March 14, Mirvish closed their theatres due to COVID and cancelled upcoming performances. All of that to say, we're pretty stoked for this Friday and the streamed version of Hamilton being released. While it won't be the same as watching it onstage, I'm thrilled to finally watch the production, especially with Lin-Manuel Miranda in it!

Happy Pride, loves. Hope you have an amazing week xo

Sunday Diaries

I started this blog more than 10 years ago, and there have been many times over the last couple years where I aspired to get back to writing regularly again. When we started sheltering in place, I had many grand aspirations to do just that - but I couldn't find the focus, or the words. Now that it's been over 100 days, and so much in the world has changed, I've decided that I need to be showing up here again.

Inspired by Gena from The Full Helping and the gals from A Beautiful Mess, I'm going to aim to share a post each Sunday with some thoughts from the week. This may include musings on what's happening in the world, things I'm learning, ideas I'm exploring, what I'm reading/watching/consuming or maybe just fun. We'll see how it evolves, but I'm excited to get back to writing regularly.

As I write this, it is National Indigenous Peoples Day, a day to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. I'm grateful to live on this land, that is traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples.

This week I watched a thought-provoking panel from Progress Toronto on defunding the police. It speaks to my privilege (and perhaps ignorance) that until recently, I had never given much thought to size of the police budget or the possibility of defunding the police. In Toronto, the police budget is $1.1 billion. That's more than libraries, housing and shelters combined. My local councillor is part of a motion to decrease the police's funding by 10%, and invest those funds in community programs. While this could be a start, many advocates are saying this is not enough. This panel and other things that I've been reading over the last few weeks have opened up my eyes to alternative models, and what changing the distribution of city funds could look like, and how these changes could be a better way to support our communities.

I've been trying to take long walks a few times each week to get out of the house and clear my head. Usually I throw on a podcast, as my queue of episodes keeps increasing now that I no longer have time to listen during my morning commute. This week I listened to a couple of great episodes including:

• The Papaya Podcast: One About Diversity, Race and Gaslighting with Avery Francis
  I first became aware of Avery Francis after hearing about her event series, Sunday Showers. I  loved the idea of celebrating professional milestones and was inspired by the community she had created. I started following her and loved her perspective. This is a great conversation with Avery and Sarah,
• Unlocking Us: Brené with Laverne Cox on Transgender Representation, Advocacy + the Power of Love
  Perhaps a global pandemic doesn't make for an ideal time to launch a podcast, but I can't get enough of Unlocking Us. This episode with Laverne Cox was no different, and I valued this conversation with these two incredible women so much. After listening to this conversation I added Disclosure to my watch list on Netflix and I'm really looking forward to watching it this week. 

You know when a book finds you? That's what happened with Untamed by Glennon Doyle. It had popped up in my feed, and then it started showing up everywhere. I downloaded it on my kindle, and then even my therapist mentioned it to me. Ok, ok universe, I'll read the f*cking book. While I resisted it in the beginning, I fell in love once I started reading, completely enthralled by Glennon's candour and attitude. As someone who has been working to show up authentically, her words spoke to my heart and I couldn't get enough. Next up is Redefining Realness by Janet Mock, and in less than a day of starting it, I'm captivated by Janet's powerful story.

I've still been having a blast on Poshmark, and this week I shared a video about what sold in May. A few weeks ago, Poshmark also featured me and my sweet PFF Martha in a post celebrating Poshmark Canada's 1st birthday!

That's all from me this week. I look forward to being more present here in the weeks and months to come xo