My bday wish is that leatherfolk of all stripes are participating in networks of care, are politically engaged, are demanding trans rights and an end to endless corporate greed. I yearn for a more just world and the only liberation is collective liberation.

I want so much more for this season. I want more for myself. For my family, my kids & grands, my communities. I am considering entering the industry my mom gave her life to as my third act. I spend a lot of my time feeling a bit lost. Not lost for motivation or vigor, but a path forward.

of success, I have a radically loving home who reminds me that capitalism is the root of many of our pain points, and so many of us are struggling.
Going into this birthday unemployed, overdrawn, with no means to gift my loved ones, is yet more fodder for the shame gremlins.

I’ve gotten progressive lenses, my acid reflux is worse than ever, we’re no financially closer to a homestead or flourishing independence, and my service and volunteering hours to community have been less than I’d have liked. While I have a tendency to get caught in shame about my perceived lack