GOOD IS….

Good is a phone call with my mom at the end of a long week. Good is an open space where people see faces who are welcoming, who smile with their eyes. Good is an abundant garden of relationships. Good is really seeing our neighbors… all of them. Good is the freedom of a bird singing, soaring through the sky. Good is a realization of dignity for all in work and community. Good is for you as much as it is for me. Good is shared. Good is patient. Good is if you’re too comfortable getting uncomfortable or if you’re too uncomfortable getting comfortable. Good is coworkers who are also family. Good is using your words and actions to build people and communities up and not tear them down.  Good is deep sleep when you really need it. Good is the direction of the universe in all things. Good is the first embrace after being separated by the immigration system. Good is pure spring water bubbling up out of the ground. Good is constructive over transactional. Good is that guy digging up the stump in the afternoon on a hot, hot day. Good is daring to dream beyond your circumstance. Good is a minor setback with a major comeback. Good is the joy of a child saying, “Look at me!” Good is celebrating in the joy the accomplishment of being alive. Good is neighborhood children playing together. Good is buds of new growth intertwining with old established branches. Good is a productive environment where people can be their authentic selves, embrace their bodies and experience a sense of belonging.  Good is a warm cup of coffee with warm air and a light breeze overlooking something beautiful. Good is chicken on a stick, a pitcher of beer and a mangonada with a million neighbors singing Selena at the top of their lungs. Good is laughing really hard together. Good is grandchildren. Good is when fall comes to Texas. Good is doing what you can. Good is not making sense when you talk through ideas with someone you can trust. Good is constantly changing and evolving. Good is the sound of many voices at different pitches in different tones, maybe loud maybe soft but productive voices. The buzz not the cackling chaotic voices of people trying to one up one another or avoid the truth. Good is a world where everyone feels safe and has their needs met without a question. Good is a bike ride with a friend where we can ride side-by-side and have a conversation without fear of being hit or running over people or potholes. Good is sensing your ancestors guiding your steps. Good is giving ourselves the space to grief and allowing the tears to freely flow. Good is drinking laughter and eating good conversation around a shared table. Good is listening. Good is every voice heard. Good is a song that takes you back to that moment. Good is freedom for the oppressed. Good is that first fall breeze bringing in a smell of fire and fresh hope. Good is a thriving garden of our neighborhood with streets, homes, businesses alive with the vibrant colors of hope. Good is deep listening as if the words you heard were going to form your next decision. Good is empathy.  Good is being supported so you can achieve a sense of calm when you need it. Good is access to do and give your best. Good is connecting with others consciousness. Good is a community that embraces you without judgment. Good is a pile of books waiting to be read. Good is the sound of cooking dinner with someone you love. Good is filling every page of a journal. Good is seeing the good in others. Good is the warmth of the sun beaming down on your face. Good is the uninhibited laughter of a child. Good is our differences. Good is the comfort of a mother when you’ve made a mistake or when life turns. Good in the gift of receiving grace with a note of, “I’ve been there too”. Good is the unexpected discovery of joy. Good is the poor in spirit being blessed. Good is the release of breath and the sinking of your body into an arm chair at the end of a long day. Good is a friend’s face lighting up when they see you. Good is the first slice birthday cake or long awaited meal. Good is a shared smile of a stranger. Good is the feeling of strength after pushing a boulder up a hill. Good is the vast view of the world at the top of a mountain. Good is the tenderness and safety of a lover’s arms. Good is the sound of rain pitter pattering outside a window. Good is a new notebook ready to be filled with your dreams, your wonders, your worries. Good is a thrill of excitement at good news. Good in the reverberating stillness and peace of an intuitive decision. Good is the ache of your arms after a day of working in the yard. Good is the love of a dog. Good is hope in the face of adversity. Good is going the extra step. Good is listening without the intent to respond. Good is like rain washing away, cleansing, nourishing, bringing new life. Good is going farther and faster. Good is a seat at the table. Good is the right opportunity at the right time. Good is being truly known and accurately seen. Good is being asked how you identify. Good is a smile that hurts your face. Good is rested from whatever you must do. Good is the voice that says, “I know you’ve taken a million steps but you can take one more. Good is kerning that makes sense. Good is planting seeds and saving seeds. Good is clean air and water.  Good is mutual recognition. Good is knowing and being known. Good is patience and long-suffering. Good is seeing and listening. Good is hard work. Good is teamwork. Good is easy and light. Good is rest. Good is beauty. Good is planting your feet in grass. Good is shared understanding that can’t quite be spoken. Good is showing up as learners and advocates for communities in pain. Good is surrendering to the unknown. Good is being right here, right now. Good is slowing down to taste your food. Good is you as you are already. Good is looking at what’s normal through a new lens. Good is bringing ease to not easy things. Good is love. Good is what you say when people ask you how you’re doing and you wish they hadn’t. Good is thinking abundantly. Good is the feeling when you come home from work and I say, “Hey love, how was your day?” Good is togetherness. Good is knowing the name of the plants around you. Good is a warm coffee as we fellowship together. Good is being valued for your time and work. Good is in the present. Good is not fixed. Good is a rainy day and gutters that work. Good is strawberry cake and wine in the front yard. Good is shared work. Good is patio furniture in a new outdoor gathering space. Good is a long dinner tables and lots of food and lots of music. Good is being buried in the sand on Labor Day. Good is your neighbor letting you borrow her blender. Good is dirt under your fingernails. Good is laughter that makes your cheeks hurt. Good is the first cry and a newborn baby. Good is peace that transcends understanding. Good is helping your neighbor. Good is a hot shower after playing in the rain. Good is sitting in silence with a friend. Good is treating others as you want to be treated. Good is a cumbia dance. Good is puppy breath. Good is sleeping in your bed after being gone for a long while. Good is hope. Good is hard conversations that stretch you. Good is getting to the mountain peak but not forgetting the steps that they got you there. Good is being fully present in the eternal. Good is seeing the love and potential of every person. Good is approaching the world with childlike eyes. Good is trusting in something greater than yourself. Good is a rainbow after an afternoon thunderstorm. Good is knowing the school in your neighborhood will nurture your soul and expand your mind. Good is the second the flour, eggs, butter and sugar transform from separate ingredients into a new creation. Good is walking into a space and feeling at home. Good is watching a pad of butter melt on a homemade tortilla. Good is being welcomed home with quesadillas and wine. Good is being able to use your voice and know that you’re going to be heard. Good is watching the roots sprout from a clipping of your mother’s rose bush. Good is loving transformation. Good is equity and justice. Good is speaking in the tongues of your ancestors. Good is dinner parties. Good is lying down in the grass watching the clouds roll by. Good is open hearts and open minds. Good is a picnic under a tree near a playground. Good is swimming in natural water without having to trespass or drive more than an hour. Good is having constant reminders of the good around us. Good is being able to go out to eat, buy groceries, get to work and school without having to use a car. Good is welcoming new people to the neighborhood. Good is exploring new parts of the city by bike. Good is buying groceries from a variety of places — large and small. Good is saying let me just listen. Good is small shops preparing fresh food with love. Good is inspiration that comes from an unexpected encounter with a stranger.  Good is friends that are like sisters. Good is two-stepping at a wedding. Good is when your person meets their person. Good is dreams that become reality. Good is the sweetness of falling in love for the first time. Good is drinking iced coffee on a hot summer’s day. Good is exploring a new city and making it home. Good is receiving an unexpected gift in the mail. Good is the tension between joy and sorrow. Good is cheering on friends as they start new seasons of life. Good is the shushing of the wind through the mesquites. Good is when every child has access to books, and music and kites. Good is healthcare that is not based on a capitalistic model. Good is when everyone has their own joy and can freely follow it without some giant stomping on it. Good is paint spilled on the sidewalk.  Good is when there is equality and equity. Good is a really long examination of another person’s eyes. Good is feeling valued and having a purpose. Mayonnaise is also good. Good is when people reserve judgement and work to understand one another. Good is two women on a train in London talking about what we can make happen now. Good is a baby crying because they know mama will pick them up. Good is the word y’all — Y’all is an excellent word. Good is that song “Someday”; someday would be excellent. Good is a childhood filled with wonder — a childhood that shapes each individual into who they were created to be. Good is the smell of a sleeping baby on your chest. Good is present. Good is watching your child’s imagination soar. Good is a cool evening on the front porch with your love. Good is fresh eggs from the backyard chicken coop. Good is building trust over a long period of time.