It is a lovely late summer day that feels a little more than fall. The sun is shining. The clouds hustle across the sky. We are at the little promenade at the river. The wind ruffles the surface and little waves hit the shore. The birds enjoy the last rays of sunshine, spread their wings, crane their necks to get every bit of warmth offered. So do we. A hot beverage in hand to battle the morning chill. A cozy sweater and a scarf around our necks. We decide to walk while having our coffee date.
If you and I had coffee…
…I asked how you have been doing. Hey you settled back into routine after summer? Have you spend many happy moments with loved ones, good books, tasty food? I listen while you tell me about your adventures. And I soak it all up. I am still a bit sad my summer had hardly any adventure. At least none outside the home turf. So I love through all the stories you tell me.
If you and I had coffee…
…I address the dilemma of a social media manager who wants to stay off the platforms. I want to stay away and yet I need to open the apps all the time. I am currently having a client who is doing TikTok. And for the algorithm to be kind its is best to manually post and add in music and stuff. So I create the content in an external software/app, have it approved just to take out the music, manually upload and then add in the music again. The client doesn’t have a scheduling tool so I also need to schedule Instagram through my phone. It’s a pain. Takes much longer and needs back and forth air dropping the content assets. All my other clients have either a meta business suite or scheduling tools. And the worst, this client bought his followers so engagement is a disaster and it seems like my work is not making any difference. Sigh. I know most of you don’t understand what I am talking about so I just stop my rant.
All I wanted to say while Social Media is providing my income I wish at times it wouldn’t exist.
If you and I had coffee…
…I circle back to a topic that has been on my mind since writing about the shape of the world. We’ve had two state elections and another one coming up. And the Nazi party won. I want to write I am shocked but I am not. I feared this would happen. But I hoped for a different outcome. And when I read the news I realized after writing my post earlier this year I had not really done anything. So I finally told the church group I think we should talk about it. And we did. But I left with a knot in my stomach. We all agreed that we do not like the tendency, that we don’t agree with these opinions but we also had no-one (one exception) relations to any of these people voting for Nazis (yes I am calling them this even though its still debated upon if they are.) We didn’t really come up with actionable steps to take (maybe my exceptions were too high?!). And most (read all) of the people in the group leaned more towards church and state should not mix and we shouldn’t get involved. I feel different. While church and state should be separate I do not think humanity should be the looser. Isn’t it our (Christian or any other religious) belief to be kind, support the less privileged, to show kindness? How can you separate this? However the different arguments did make me ponder the topic on another level. It was good to step out of my and our comfort zone to discuss this even though I feel I am no step closer to any useful steps to take.
I am going to immerse myself more into the news and background stories though. It will not be fun. But it is necessary. And I took action and signed up for a membership Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie e.V. (roughly translated: against forgetting – for democracy) – something that has been on my mind for a while but I never took the time to do it.
After telling my story I ask if you have kept thinking about it? Have you been finding ways (in your community) to do things against racism, hate speech and conspiracy?
If you and I had coffee…
…I share a happy memory. Earlier this month my mom invited my sister and me to see “The little Prince” as an acrobatic show. It was very well performed. What we didn’t know going in though is that it was completely narrator – the entire book – in French. Luckily I had read the book in June so it was easy for me to follow along. The artists were really great. They included arial artists, dancers, pole dancers (not the kinky style but the acrobatic one). Also the costumes were really amazing. I saw some wonderful creative take on creating sheep by using bath tub mats. I love this kind of thinking. It was a wonderful evening that we started off with some asian food before.
Edit: while adding the link I saw it’s a worldwide tour and has been in Sydney and Broadway. Did anyone saw it by chance?
If you and I had coffee…
…I share that I have started my training as an AI Consultant. I should actually catch up on course work right now instead of strolling around (the internet aka virtual coffee date). I am far behind as I was also attending a two day AI conference this week. I have already learned a lot. I have also gained more insights and keep thinking about all the possibilities and risks. It is a nice feeling to learn something new. And I am doing much better learning in a group with actual homework.
If you and I had coffee…
…I share with you my image from the office window.
Our walk comes to an end. We have walked through the forest, saw the first yellowish-orange leaves, found a nibbled on mushroom and enjoyed the earthy slightly muddy smell of fall driving. All while bathing in sunlight. It was a wonderful walk but our joined path will come to an end for now.
What was the last show you watched in the theater? How to you live a democratic life and help against racism? How was your summer? What was the best thing you ate during summer?
18 comments
The last show I watched in the theatre was Little House of Horrors, a high school production that my son did the sound production for. We had a referendum on giving our First Nations a Voice, and I supported it, but it was so disappointing that it wasn’t passed. Our First Nations people asked for so little and yet the majority of the population wouldn’t even say yes to that. It was so disappointing, and the “debate” was frankly mean spirited and yuck. The opposition leader loves to be a wrecker.
Maybe a read (or reread?) of some Bonhoeffer would hit the spot for you at this time?
Thank you Melissa for sharing your experience. Too bad that First Nations didn’t get a voice or just the tiny bit they asked for. People are so scared of loosing privileges… always just me me me… I was thinking about getting into some Bonhoeffer. Never read anything by him but am roughly familiar what he stands for. Thank you for encouraging me.
The last show I watched was the taiko style drumming show that I took myself for my birthday. You could feel the drums vibrating inside your body and I found it very healing, uplifting, and inspiring. No wonder drums are used in many cultures to relive stress and help deal with difficult emotions.
I am Russian and I cannot fathom what people on the border between Russia and Ukraine are going through. I admit I do not actively advocate for cease fire since I simply do not have the energy or the emotional strength. So I am hiding behind my comfortable life in the United States, in bucolic New Jersey.
The best thing I ate in the summer is all of the Italian food that we tried in Amalfi and Calabria. Even food bought in small shops was amazing. Mortadella, salami, cheese. All so god and fresh. I miss it.
That sounds like a wonderful experience,Daria. I’ve seen a military drum show one time and it was amazing. The Swiss team wore white gloves and they turned down the lights and you just saw their hands. So I can imagine the atmosphere a little bit.
I think when you are aware of your behavior of not being able to watch or listen to the news it’s one step more than most people are. I know we need to take care of our mental health. I’ve done the same for so long, but I feel like it’s time to step out of this comfort zone. But I understand that not everyone can do so.
I bet Italy and its food was amazing. I still need to catch up on so many posts from your blog so I’m sure I will read a little bit more about your trip there.
The last thing I saw in the theatre was my son’s performance after one of his summer camps. They performed it on the local theatre stage and the camp really pushed him outside his comfort zone. I don’t think he will become an actor but I was so proud of him.
I am going to a friend’s house this afternoon to write postcards to voters. This election year has me very anxious and I talk about it with my kids a lot. I really hope Kamala wins.
Congrats to your son for stepping out of his comfort zone. I bet it was an interesting experience for him and for you watching it I still can’t quite understand the reasoning behind writing to voters it’s so foreign to me, but I hope it helps because we sure don’t need another term of Trump or anyone in any country like him
Hi Tobia! I can’t even remember the last time I was at a theater. I live in a very rural area, so going to a theater would take some effort. Also, in my rural area, we are quite sheltered from what’s happening in the world. I’m grateful and realize that I’m very lucky. The best thing I ate was homemade vanilla ice cream.
Living in a rural area when the world is in chaos is probably it a bad thing.
It’s been a while last time I was in a theatre before that visit.
Mhm homemade ice cream. I still have some peanut buy in the fridge now thinking about it.
I honestly can’t remember the last time I watched a live performance or even went to the movies. Pre-COVID for sure. I am really out of touch on those sorts of things. In the summer of 2021, I did watch my friend’s teenage daughter do a dance performance with her group at an outside venue. That might be the last thing!
It is really hard watching the demise of democracy around the world. I am hopeful that if the American election does not go to Trump, the authoritarians around the world will see that democracy is still strong. Fingers crossed.
Fingers crossed indeed. Let’s hope and fight for the best
A dance performance sounds fun. Hope it was enjoyable. I rarely go out these days and theatre is very low on the list. That’s why it was fun.
Gosh, Tobia, that is so tough re: the Nazi party. I can’t believe we’re still dealing with this! Not to be US-centric, but I do think the fate of the world rests in our election this year. If Trump wins, that just signals to everyone else that authoritarianism is okay. It’s really scary to think about.
On a brighter note, I loved the way you started this post! It’s a beautiful intro and now I wish we were strolling and having coffee together!
Thank you so much Stephany. I love writing this way but I rarely do as I don’t know if people will enjoy it. So this made my day. My heart skipped.
Let’s leave it at that and ignore the rest and the disaster of the world for now.
I also love the intros to your Coffee Date posts, you always paint such a lovely picture. I can imagine us walking alongside the river and chatting, worrying about democracy, discussing church and state and fascism. And delicious summer foods.
I think you are right, people need to speak up and get involved to combat racism and fascism. I’m not sure how to do that where I could actually influence someone’s opinion, though. I feel like most people are set in their ways. For example, there is nothing that anyone could say that would convince me to vote for a fascist. So I’m set in my ways and feel that I am correct.
I am writing letters and post cards to voters. The goal isn’t to change anyone’s minds, it’s to encourage people to participate, to get out and vote. So many people take the first step and register to vote, but then when the time comes they don’t do it. So I receive a list of likely Democratic voters, and I write to them and encourage them, tell them that their voice makes a difference. It does make me feel like I’m doing SOMETHING.
Your social media work with this one client sounds like an absolute nightmare. I didn’t understand half of it, but it sounds horrible. I hope you finish the job for them and can move on.
My favorite summer foods are probably tomatoes, followed closely by grapes and nectarines. I need to go to the Farmers’ Market tomorrow or Sunday and get more of all of these things, before they are gone for the year.
Thank you Julie. I love imagining myself meeting you in real life and how I would want it to be- So I try to create an atmosphere and setting and visualize myself there when I write the post. So happy it works and you are traveling there with me. It would be so great if this would be a reality some time…
I think your involvement to get people out to vote is a very good thing to strengthen democracy. I agree most people are very set in their ways. Same as you I would not steer from voting for a non Democratic Party. While I have switched who I voted for (we have a few more parties than in the US) I would never go to the extreme left or right. So mobilizing all the indifferent people who are usually not falling into the extreme is a good way to go. Fingers crossed it will be worth the effort. We have elections in another state coming up tomorrow – the one my parents country home is in. It’s on the edge where this one will fall so I am praying it’s not the Nazi party.
On a brighter note your favorite summer foods are great. I love tomatoes too and eat them year round. While I try to eat seasonable I could not skip tomatoes and apples I think.I should also get a patch of nectarines before they are gone.
I’m with you on tomatoes, I eat them all year round. But when they’re not in season locally, they don’t have much flavor and it’s like I’m eating the ghost of a tomato. When it’s late summer, they are bursting with flavor. I like them in salad, on a bagel with cream cheese, on cottage cheese with salt and pepper, just sliced with eggs, in an omelette. Sometimes I will slice one and eat it plain with a little bit of salt. Oh, and a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich this time of year is heaven.
Yes, yes, yes to all of this.
I haven’t been to the theater in a really long time. But so sweet you got to go with your mom and sister.
I am just as frustrated as you about the political situation (here and over there) and it’s on my mind a lot what we – as regular people – can do to have an impact. I am worried that the right-winger will gain more traction. I’ve donated money and I’ve been thinking about writing postcards again during the election season. I think it’s fantastic that you started the conversation in your church group. Even if you think you might have had expectations that were too high, I think it’s so great that you initiated the conversation. That’s the first step!!
What does and AI consultant do? I am so curious. I don’t think I’ve heard that before.
The theater evening was really fun. Mainly because we just spend time together. And the little prince is just a cute story.
Yes the whole political things a desaster and I really am scared what direction we are going. I’ve received my welcome package from the organization yesterday so let’s see how and I can do some volunteering there.
As an AI manager I will be consulting companies on how to implement a strategy and finde use cases to include AI. And then advise on specific tools. At least that is the goal. Right now I am just learning and am mostly overwhelmed specially compared to some other in my course. But I need to remind myself that I am among the first 100 people to have that AI manager title. And it’s a huge topic. Even if I never will be the major expert I am still more knowledgeable compared to the majority.