I am not difficult
I am in midday sun worship mode on the patio. It’s about 1:30 p.m. If I'm really still, the hummingbirds will rest on a nearby branch about 3 feet away. You can see their entire body vibrate. It is mesmerizing. The air is filled with the sounds of flying dinosaurs.
I am many things.
One thing I am not is difficult.
I am not difficult if you:
Know who you are or are actively seeking to understand and accept the forever-changing you.
Have a sense of humor and humility.
Understand your privilege and how that manifests in all the ways in relationship to my positionality in the US context.
Don’t think everything is about you and understand that how and when you show up matters.
Know what you know and even more so what you don’t.
Can imagine and desire a world where we all thrive.
Will sit with your dis-ease and discomfort.
Are curious, seeking and love forward.
Believe there is enough —more than enough. And are operating (or trying to) from a place of abundance.
Find joy and solace in being.
Understand that more is simply that more; not better. Nor is it something to strive for always.
Get that context matters. Context matters. Context. Matters.
Recognize that we are all many things—simultaneously; sometimes aligned and sometimes in conflict.
It is likely that if some of these descriptions describe you — or more importantly — how others describe you, you don’t find me difficult.
I wonder what it says about us/me, but I felt compelled to write this. Épuisante.
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About The Author:
Jara Dean-Coffey (jdc) is Founder and Director of the Equitable Evaluation Initiative and the Founder of Luminare Group. For the past twenty-five years, she has partnered with clients and colleagues to elevate their collective understanding of the relationship between values, context, strategy and evaluation and shifting our practices so that they are more fully in service of equity. For more about musings + machinations click here.
