This interesting story came across my feed: “Why I’ve Started to Fear My Fellow Social Justice Activists.” I’m not afraid of anyone, but I have definitely backed off some of the posting about political issues because sometimes I don’t use the most artful language, and sometimes I write things that I’m kind of just trying out rather than whole-heartedly endorsing.

I do have some very strong convictions about the world – I’m committed to equity and social justice, I believe in the power of education – but I’m not always sure about how to go about advocating for my ideas. I try different avenues, but I’m not very good at making firm decisions, so I tend to change tactics and wording relatively quickly and, sometimes, capriciously. Part of that is my ADHD brain; committing long term is hard.

It might surprise many people who know me, but while I don’t have much of a filter, I do worry about saying the wrong thing (even though that doesn’t always save me from saying the wrong thing). I speak impulsively and even write impulsively. It has gotten me in trouble, or at the very least, misunderstood. So in this time of high emotions in the public political sphere, I’ve actually become a little more measured with my words.

Maybe what I’m saying is I am keeping all the frustration and anger that I feel toward the news and politics because I don’t want to say things incorrectly or inartfully and make things worse or more uncomfortable for other people. I liked the idea of a politic of imperfection and responsibility.

I’m definitely imperfect. I’m working to be responsible each day.