Hobbies & Headspace
I don’t have any hobbies. 🤦♀️
“What are your hobbies? You know, the thing that people think of when they think of you? Me, I’m a Bears fan. What’s YOUR thing?” — interviewer, prepping to interview me
Um, well, I guess you could say my hobby is making tech communities inclusive. 🤷♀️
There are Revolutionary War Reenactment hobbyists (I learned in a family game of Trivial Pursuit last night). There are knitting hobbyists (although with the incredible Judi Sohn I would say it’s an obsession). Can I be an Inclusion hobbyist?
Hobbies
I have work. And my family. I don’t have a “thing”…
Oh, wait! I play the guitar. 🎸 Sometimes. Well, not really. A few times a year…
I also rock climb (fun fact: that’s where rockchick322004, my Twitter handle, originated). 🧗 Sometimes…a few times a year.
And I travel. I love to travel. 🌎 Except right now it’s kinda stressful. It’s more like I love to PLAN to travel.
I also love puzzles and board games and chess, and luckily so does my family. 🧩 Our holiday gift this year was a Lego set, so that’s an ongoing project. And, I’m looking forward to using some new Scrabble tricks (thanks, Sister!) at a friend’s annual Scrabble party.
But mostly, what I’m passionate about is making tech communities inclusive. Sometimes.
Truth is, I did a pretty lousy job of this hobby last year. I’d even listed it as a work goal, but other work goals got in the way. As sometimes happens (as Inclusion professionals, like Dr. Tana M. Sessions, can tell you).
Headspace
A lot has to do with headspace. The negative news feeds can make me feel hopeless: What does it matter if I make this content or program or event more inclusive for our community? That’s not going to change war or racism or transphobia. 😔 I start to shut down. I start following more birds and otters and on my Instagram feed. Scrolling. Scrolling.
But then reminders come in, just when I need them. ❤️
“Thanks for inviting me in, all those years ago, at my first developer meetup. I was a shy, introverted engineer. That meetup was the start of me connecting in the community.”
Oh, right, making events inclusive is important.
“I’m so grateful to be selected for the 2023 Trailblazer Scholarship!”
Oh, right, creating programs to eliminate barriers is important.
“When I was a young 20 year old queer newbie, you definitely helped me feel comfortably being visibly queer at work. Thanks for being who you are.”
Oh, right, representation for folks from underrepresented groups is important.
So my headspace shifts to: Just do it!!! 💪
(Side note: Nike started as Blue Ribbon Sports in Beaverton, Oregon. Thanks again, Trivial Pursuit!)
Inclusive Thinking, coming soon…
Thanks for reading. Gotta run now. I need to jump over to a workshop I’m working on called Inclusive Thinking. I started it last week on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (thanks to Jacalyn Chapman).
Please ask me about it next week to help me stay on track! 💃🏻
