I feel like we could all use a little bit more empathy. I guess I've always had a certain level of emotional intelligence but having survived this pandemic, I feel attuned to emotions and peoples' mental stability. I feel like that's the critical feature of this time, and in terms of the racial justice movement and everything that happened in 2020, I think when it comes down to it, it's simply that we all need to be a little more empathetic and share the love.
If that were to happen, I could only imagine the beauty of our world.
I've felt a sense of urgency to help people over these last fifteen months. And the way that I viewed being able to help somebody has changed. In the past, I thought, "Maybe I don't want to speak up, or maybe I'm a little bit shy and decide not to say something." And sometimes I felt like because something doesn't negatively impact me, I was not willing to speak out, like perhaps I was a little more compliant. So now I'm like, "Screw that, I'm not going to close my mouth for anybody. If I feel passionate about something, even if it has nothing to do with the way I live or my lifestyle, if it's negatively impacting somebody, or if I feel like somebody's doing something that they shouldn't be doing, I'm going to speak out."
I think the relationship with courage has made me realize we can't waste time being quiet and compliant.
The time to step up for everybody and be there for everybody is now, and if I can do that and have the courage to do that, I'm doing it. Empathy and love know no bounds. If everybody had the courage to speak up and care for everybody, man, just thinking about it gets me energized. I hope that happens, and I think that 2020 did kind of put that thought in everyone's head like we do need to care a little more. Some people just won't adapt to that change, but the more that it's seen and the more it's heard, the more it will happen.
And I'm excited for us all to experience more of that.
I started at EO at the end of last July, beginning of August. So I missed the transition to remote working, but I can see how it was really interesting for the company. Mainly because before, they weren't using tools and applications that would make working remotely accessible. It's refreshing to see everybody jump on board, and even though it's a new technology, they kind of just all dove into it, and were accepting. Overall, that's probably the coolest part about this whole transition: how much change we had to integrate on the fly.
I don't think change is a bad thing. So many people seem to believe that change can be a bad thing, but I feel like to progress, we have to change. Being in IT and working with technology, I think changing and progression are just a part of our lives. Technology's constantly growing, and if we aren't changing with it, then we're just stagnant.
At EO, I'm a part of an ERG (Employee Resource Group) that I love called the Sparkle Squad. I have to say that our meetings are my favorite time of the month. I look forward to them, and I wish they were longer and more often. I also wish we had more groups like Sparkle Squad. I know they can be kind of hard to get started and organized, but they're awesome. We go into those meetings sometimes with absolutely no agenda, and we usually end up running over, and we just bounce around ideas the whole time. For example, last time, we talked about why maybe the pronouns didn't take off as much as they should have in the company, and we talked about how we might explain the choice in a way that might seem more widely relatable. It was cool that we're just brainstorming and thinking of different ways to create diversity and create more space for equality. And that isn't to say that EO isn't inclusive, I think we're insanely inclusive, but it's different walking the walk than talking it, right?
I think that we do many things that are inclusive, but we don't necessarily talk about it as much as we should, so I guess that's the cool part about the group. We're spreading that word, and it's fun. It's serious, and it's beneficial, but we're trying to have fun with it, so I think that's cool. I also just love that sense of community. I can reach out to any of those people on the Sparkle Squad and feel comfortable saying, "Hey." It doesn't have to be about work. Still, I feel like because they're in that group, and even though they might not consider themselves queer, they consider themselves an ally, and that automatically makes me feel comfortable talking to them. Seeing those allies in the group is a great feeling, especially when they're like, "I'm here for my friend." I just love it. I'm like this is why we need to talk about it more so that people can say, "Oh, yeah, I guess maybe I'm not queer, or I wouldn't fall into the LGBTQ category, but, at the same time, I am an ally."
For Pride Month this year, I might volunteer for SF Pride; they're having a movie night. But there's a chance I may be visiting a friend in LA, so it's kind of up in the air, but whatever I do will be full of rainbows.
I've found that even on tougher days, my life is full of rainbows. Regardless of where I am and what I’m doing or how I’m celebrating, my life is pretty colorful.