April 17, 2026

what am I doing?

Hi friends,

I have not been posting regularly. The ‘progress’ of the war and the relentless onslaught of insane news has caused me to reduce my news consumption in order to preserve my sanity.

Prior to my unscheduled break from posting, I had been thinking about why fewer people were reading posts and taking action. Everyone I am close to is still taking action, mostly on a very local level. This feels right to me. It restores our humanity to feed and sing with and help our neighbors.

This week, my neighbors and I were treated to an unexpected visit from an American Bittern, who spent an afternoon and evening perched in a tree in front of our building.

Photograph by Anne Hejny

We got a lot of joy from seeing this beautiful bird up close and sharing the sighting with passersby. This is the perfect time of year to reconnect with the natural world. It reminds us that everything changes, and that we should keep looking up.

I have been busy with the last semester of a graduate program and the beginning of a new job teaching English to adults at Brooklyn Public Library. What am I doing? is the name of a game we play to practice the present continuous: one person mimes an action and asks the question. The class responds, “She is sewing” or “He is driving” or. . . well, you get the idea.

The work really suits me and it allows me to feel that I am doing something useful to counter the national policy of hostility to immigrants.

Mark Hellerman, who spends much of his time feeding people, turning compost, and tending his garden, is hosting an event next Saturday. If you’re in Brooklyn, come join us. There will be a compost-song singalong!

I hope you are doing well and doing things that keep you sane.

with love,

L