Productivity culture is insidious. It makes an appearance when I’m busy just for its own sake. Or when I took a sick day earlier this month, I felt guilty about it. Moreover, when I measure a day’s my worth by how much I got done that day, I am not embracing open-hearted living. That’s surviving….
Author: KaylieLongley
Make New: Apartment Decorations
My partner C and I’ve moved in! Now that most boxes are now just a mountain waiting to be recycled, we’re finding new “homes” for things. Things take up space, and now C and I are decorating. I hope to build a book wall, full of shelves. And I’d like to collage and paint. Share…
Staying Committed: Greta Gerwig
Adapting beloved childhood characters is no joke. And yet Greta Gerwig remains unabashedly herself. As a librarian, media scholar, and feminist myself, I’m thrilled how Greta transforms folks’ relationships to the literary world. Barbie, Narnia, Little Women… who’s next?
Open-Hearted: Time
I am 33 today. An adult, according to hobbits. All we have is time. And choices in them. So I’m choosing my time today. To dance. To grieve. To live.
Make New: Exhibits
Physical and digital, I love (library and archival) exhibits. I’m curating quite a handful at my job, using data to back decisions. If you want to browse a digital exhibit I designed in a team, check out https://pclha.cvlcollections.org/exhibits/show/rural_education_park_county_co. My main role was the data visualization. I’m currently drafting a submission for an academic journal all…
Staying Committed: Ryoko
Ryoko’s spirit shines. Her smile radiates, encouraging positivity. Yet she is incredibly grounded, helping me advocate for my abilities. We’re on a seemingly small committee together, helping with food for SGI’s new center. Thanks to her, I feel confident and capable. So appreciate how she supports women. #womensupportwomen #womxnsupportwomxn
Open-Hearted: Reveal and Revel
When I’m open-hearted to the universe, love reveals itself. Joy intensifies, then lingers into contentment. I have nothing to hide. Instead, I’ve reveled in life. Changes like jobs, a new place soon, and a new car are transitions that may have frightened me in the past, “it’s too much”. Especially to my relationships. Instead, my…
Make New: Drum Circle
All year, I’m experimenting with different mediums. My friends Darin and Chad helped me form a drum Circle! We used Djembe, a West African drum. Fruit-shaped and egg-shaped shakers, a couple Cajon (music boxes), tamberime, and more were all played. Sometimes, Chad led, but often the music was improvised. Since we hosted it at a…
Staying Committed: Tracy K. Smith
After cutting most social media out, I’ve found a return to the joy scroll, not unlike the ol’ days o’ the 2000s-Internet. Such careful curation has led to some pretty kick-butt (content) creators. Namely, I’ve been finding poets sprinkled through suggested posts, like Tracy K. Smith. One of Smith’s pinned posts on social media is…
Open-Hearted: Actions and Allyship
Welcome back to my series on open-hearted living. “Open-hearted” is my word for 2025, and every month, I dive into a different letter of the compound word. How do I stay open-hearted while also being courageous to make change? When so many (queer, Black, brown, disabled, home-insecure) people are suffering, how can I show up?…