WordPress is eating my posts. I just noticed one missing from last week…and I see yesterday’s never went up. So I’m going to share it here.

Yesterday’s was NOT Plus Size Outfit of the Day post…but a Thoughts of the Day…and I shared this on my TikTok NOT Gratitude of the Day as well, so forgive the repetition if you follow both, but it bears repeating anyway.

Tuesday evening I went straight from busy work day to home for rush rush homework so I could be done early for a webinar training called “Bystander Intervention to Stop Anti-Asian/American and Xenophobic Harassment” training, a collaboration between Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC and Right To Be.

I do feel that I have received so much joy, entertainment, and pleasure from the Asian cultures that it behooves me to help them in any way that I can. I’m in the city and Queens pretty often, where there is a large Asian population. And I just thought…let me learn something so I can be prepared to help if I can, should anything ever occur near me. PS – the training was very good. It gave good practical suggestions for things you can do, sort of based on your personality…are you a person who’s going to jump right into the middle of the action or are you someone who would be more comfortable going for help…or filming…or whatever. I think it’s good information for anyone, anywhere really.

Anyway, I’d been living under a rock as usual, not knowing what was going on in the world…but at the beginning of the webinar they asked for a moment of silence for the victims of the Texas shooting earlier that day. Ooh. What??

I Googled it when the training was over and was dismayed (to say the least) to learn what had happened.

And I just…I know we all have a heavy heart when things like this happen. There aren’t even words that have enough impact.

I’m not getting into the whole gun thing here…I wish the US could handle this better. Many countries do.

But I guess the one take-away I have from this…and all events like this is…if you know someone…or see someone…who is struggling, mentally, emotionally, physically…say or do something. To them, a boss, teacher, family member, social worker. Drop an anonymous tip at the police station. Something.

I know it’s SO HARD to intervene. It’s easy to feel like, “am I just being dramatic? am I jumping the gun? am I going to make the situation worse?” This all sort of goes back to the bystander intervention training. There are sensible ways to step in – whether literally or figuratively.

No rational, reasonable person of sound mind and body just decides one day to go kill a bunch of people without cause (even if it’s just in their own mind). Something has been brewing there…and chances are someone saw something. 

I think I have always felt “the law” would protect me/us. I don’t think I think that anymore (way to take a stand, Bettye). So what’s the best alternative??

This is a little all over the place. This is not the sort of thing I typically share here…or anywhere, really. And it’s not even really about the Texas shooting, per se. Just that and the intervention training all crashed into my brain at the same time and made THOUGHTS.

What I said on TikTok was…my first thought when I saw the news was “I’m so grateful it wasn’t my child.” And that felt…wrong. It feels wrong to feel lucky…when others have been so unlucky.

My heart breaks for them…and that whole community that has to live with that memory right in their own backyard.

How do we get…humanity back on track?? I have thoughts. Do you?

Let’s all be a little gentler and kinder with folks. It can’t hurt.

xoxo