The time is always right...

A life of meaning and worth...

One of my heroes passed away yesterday - Derrick Bell, a law professor and civil rights advocate. Years ago, when I read and resonated with his book, Ethical Ambition, I wrote him a note to thank him. I felt inspired by his choices and his courage to stand up for what he believed in, even when personally risky. I didn't necessarily think that I would hear back, but it was important for me to let him know the impact his writing had on me.

Coffee talk with my new "co-workers"

I have traded in a water cooler for decaf lattes with skim.

Instead of a cubicle, I share my space: six laptops to a hulking wooden table with many knots.

I have different co-workers every day, though some are recurring.

pieces of me: Fuzzy

by Jen Chau

We are all pieces of other people, things, experiences. Less like a puzzle, but more like a delicious recipe -- a dish that gets more and more rich as you drop additional ingredients in. In cooking, it's very hard to separate out the ingredients once you put them in, and I have found the same to be true in thinking about how I got to be the person I am today. It's hard to think about where I got my love of storytelling, my appreciation of brutal honesty and achievement, my commitment to family. But when I sit down to consider all of my influences, it is very clear to me that there are pieces of me that look very much like people who have been so meaningful to me and my life. I am going to write about these people -- not only to recognize the great things that they have given to me, but also because I think it's an important exercise. Very rarely do we feel that we have the power to impact others. Well, we definitely do, and sometimes, even unknowingly, we do. I want those who have impacted me to know it. Also, we don't emphasize the true beauty of people nearly enough (too often we hone in on the ugliness -- just turn on the 10 o'clock news).

The best present an activist could receive

by Jen Chau

Someone who I hardly know gave me a present last month. It is one that I will never forget.

We give presents for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, wedding showers, just-born-babies, and new homes. We even leave money under pillows for little ones for their lost teeth. But very rarely do we give gifts to thank those who really dedicate their lives to bringing about positive change for our world. Maybe we don't because we wouldn't know what to give them...I mean, what do activists need? Great cardstock for making signage at the next protest? Sharp business suits for networking meetings? Books and books on revolution? Blog space? :) Donations to their favorite organization?

This is silly to even think about because activists are probably not doing the work they do for presents. :) I surely don't do the work that I do to get thanks or praise. I do what I do out of a feeling of responsibility and a passion for the issues. I envision a world that looks very different than the one in which we are currently living, and that inspires me to work for change. That said, sometimes it gets tough. Just like the work of teachers and other social service workers, the work of activists is mostly thankless. But that's what makes the kind words of one person that much more impactful. I was recently given the best present an activist could ever hope to receive.

Take it from me...live an a-ha rich life!

by Jen Chau

I was never one for shoving things down people's throats. Nor do I presume to be wiser than my years. You know what I've done (and if you don't, you can look here), and those experiences are the things from which I draw my understandings of the world. I don't know any more or any less at the moment. But I always...I always hope to know and work to know more tomorrow than I did today. With that in mind, I like to think that other people also arrange their lives in such a fashion -- with a commitment to self-improvement and ongoing learning. If so, I will ask you to "take it from me" from time to time, when I feel strongly enough that I want to offer a learning that I have had. As I said before, I don't aim to convince anyone to change based on any of what I say. BUT I highly value the idea of people offering others tools and resources so that they may be empowered to live richer and fuller lives. If I can somehow spark/inspire learning for anyone else (the way that others have done for me), then I will be satisfied with my modest efforts.

People are fuel

by Jen Chau

Tonight, my tank is full even after an almost fifteen hour day...at almost 11:00pm. This kind of day? Well, I have had both the fortune and misfortune to experience many versions of this kind of day.

What happened today that leaves me still so gassed (sorry, I had to do it) so close to my bedtime? Well, it was people.

pieces of me: Sue ("Sis")

by Jen Chau

We are all pieces of other people, things, experiences. Less like a puzzle, but more like a delicious recipe -- a dish that gets more and more rich as you drop additional ingredients in. In cooking, it's very hard to separate out the ingredients once you put them in (believe me, I learned the hard way - "oops -- I added 3 too many cups of sugar into my cake batter! Do I scrap it or try to take some out??" I'm a better baker now... ;)), and I have found the same to be true in thinking about how I got to be the person I am today. It's hard to think about where I got my willingness to be silly, my passion for public friendliness, my penchant for self-reflection. :) But when I sit down to consider all of my influences, it is very clear to me that there are pieces of me that look very much like people who have been so meaningful to me and my life. I am going to write about these people -- not only to recognize the great things that they have given to me, but also because I think it's an important exercise. Very rarely do we feel that we have the power to impact others. Well, we definitely do, and sometimes, even unknowingly, we do. Also, we don't emphasize the true beauty of people nearly enough (too often we hone in on the ugliness -- just turn on the 10 o'clock news).

--

Click. A lasting smile on my face. Excitement about what was to come. Even though it was only the first time we had ever spoken, I felt immediately bonded with Sue Lambe.

I hope Katie rolls her eyes

by Jen Chau

I hung out with Katie this weekend – she has gotten so big. The last time I saw her, she mostly looked at me with wide-open googly eyes, but on Saturday, she was completely with me. She laughed and giggled, made funny faces, and ate my hair. We had a great time. Her mom, Lorraine, is my closest friend from high school, like a sister to me, so this is really the first baby of my friends to whom I will be close. It’s pretty amazing and unreal to me, still.

In the months leading up to Katie's birth, I would sit around with Lorraine and Harry, the future mom and dad, talking about what she would be like.

pieces of me: Burby

by Jen Chau

We are all pieces of other people, things, experiences. Less like a puzzle, but more like a delicious recipe -- a dish that gets more and more rich as you drop additional ingredients in. In cooking, it's very hard to separate out the ingredients once you put them in (believe me, I learned the hard way - "oops -- I added 3 too many cups of sugar into my cake batter! Do I scrap it or try to take some out??" I'm a better baker now... ;)), and I have found the same to be true in thinking about how I got to be the person I am today. It's hard to think about where I got my stubbornness, or my sense of service, or my tendency to talk to strangers. :) But when I sit down to consider all of my influences, it is very clear to me that there are pieces of me that look very much like people who have been so meaningful to me and my life. I am going to write about these people -- not only to recognize the great things that they have given to me, but also because I think it's an important exercise. Very rarely do we feel that we have the power to impact others. I am here to say, we sure do! And sometimes, even unknowingly, we do.