Live your best life...

Live your best life. If you think about it those are simple yet powerful words. But what does it mean to live your best life? 

There is not one simple answer to this question, but it has been something I've been thinking about a lot lately. I haven't done a post or really written about the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, not because I didn't have anything to say or wasn't deeply moved by the incident, but because like many of you I needed time to process. 

As you may know, I work on victims rights issues and in the criminal justice reform space, and sadly just like now in the public consciousness events like this have been a part of my world for years. And like many of my dear friends, the Pulse Nightclub hit particularly close to home. Just the night before Pulse I was out celebrating Pride with friends in a similar club in D.C. For that reason and because of the history of violence, abuse, and fear that has been inflicted on the LGBTQ community, especially on the transgender community and communities of color, I felt the pain from Pulse personally and deeply. 

This event along with the Brexit vote in the U.K. and Trump in the U.S. only serves to resonate what I see as an undercurrent of phobias currently dominating the geopolitical discourse - homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia. That is why it becomes even more important to live your best life. 

It's why I've been running around like crazy lately enjoying the company of friends, supporting organizations doing positive work in communities, and giving my time and money to a congressional candidate who I believe will be a powerful voice for good in a time when it is sorely needed.

Cyndi Lauper, Boy George, Dolly Parton, Kinky Boots, Dixie Chicks, SMYAL for the Summer, Next to Normal and Lisa Blunt Rochester - all these things have consumed my June. They have made me smile, laugh, cry, and given me hope. Hope that even with all the hurt, pain, and fear in the world there is still boundless love, joy, and compassion. 

Several days after the events in Orlando, I was walking to a coffee shop when I was stopped by a man on the street. He stopped me to tell me his story and to ask for help. I listened as he told me about his struggle finding a job and feeding his son and how he didn't want money, but simply some groceries to help get by. Maybe I have a kind face or a weakness for living my life with empathy, but I bought into his story. For all I know his son could be fictitious and his struggles fabricated, but as we walked around the grocery store that evening I told myself what we need more of in this world is unfettered kindness and compassion. And regardless of this man's story that is what I was being asked to give. 

I believe part of living your best life is to be that one speck of light that helps to break through the darkness. So, live your best life today and tomorrow.

With empathy, kindness, and love,

DC3FO