Exploring Hope & Mischief This April

Bits of hope & foot holds of control for overwhelmed parents

Hi friends!

Are feeling a little frustrated with THOSE people and the very WRONG, no good, bad ideas THEY are spreading out into the world?

Yeah, outrage feels powerful. It feels like a good foothold, a firm grip on the sticky ball of awfulness, something to give us control. Unfortunately, outrage rarely develops into doing something about it.

::: deep breath :::

Worldwide, cultural traditions and religious practices recognize springtime as an invitation for fresh beginnings and hope.

But to create new opportunities, we must acknowledge the struggle and hardship ahead. We have to get very curious about the values and roots of theory behind those Very Bad No Good Quite Terrible Ideas, because we can’t effectively dig out an infection if we don’t understand where it’s coming from.

So while it’s tempting to just shout at strangers on the internet about how WRONG AND FOOLISH they are (so righteous! and I can do it in my pajamas!) it’s gonna take a lot more curiosity, listening, understanding, and small, courageous action steps to keep hacking away at the roots of hate, bigotry, and violence.

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So this month, I’m learning about hope. What exactly are the No Good Very Bad Quite Awful Jerks hoping for? What’s their end game? Like - once they cleanse the US of melanin and disabled folks and go on to colonize the rest of the world - what are the actual perks they’re hoping this will bring them? Joy? Smugness? A sense of safety or security?

What are these asshats hoping for? And how can we weaponize our own curiosity into a more effective path to what we’re hoping for, instead?

I’m still learning how to practice hope when facing increasing obstacles.

Alongside my kids, I’m still learning how to stay culturally curious, compassionate, and open to new ways of uniting our communities. I have no answers about which hopes will get us through, but I am dedicated to holding space for yours.

Meanwhile, what are you learning about?

No one expects you to dedicate your life 24/7 to doing ALL OF THESE in a single month. But maybe pick a topic and run with it.

Coming up next

I’ll be back next week with another round of Quick Treats to pierce the gloom with shards of joy.

Meanwhile, in the Luminary Braintrust, we start a new Accountabili-Buddies challenge on April 1st. And I’m hosting 1:1 Support Calls through April to help you keep your sh*t together. So join the LBT if you’re interested in connecting.

With you,

Ashia

PS: It’s that time of year again when I disclose our financial ins & outs. So if you’d like to see how I fund this work and where your donations go, here is the 2025 Financial Disclosure, which includes my annual salary, expenses, and who I donate to. For more, see the full Accountability Policy.

PPS: To send you newsletters, I legally have to share a mailing address - but I get doxxing and threats, so I can’t share my home address. I made a little over $6 an hour last year, so I’m struggling to cover over $100/year for a PO box that receives zero mail. If you’d like to help me cover that cost, become a Substack supporter, donate here, or hit ‘reply’ if you’ve got a commercial address I could use?