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Author: Confluence

Relate

Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Why Do Some People Like to Refer to their Sexual Partners as “Daddy”?

Reading Time: 4 minutesPeople use “daddy” as a term of endearment or arousal for various reasons that have to do with their attitudes around provider roles, masculinity and tenderness of men or masculine folks. People also use daddy as a way of experimenting in power roles and dynamics that are shaped by society and our histories. Additionally, it is important to acknowledge that some folks utilize the word as a means to rework their relationships after trauma. The choice to use “daddy” is a complex one for some, and a very popular one; I’ve never received so much feedback as when I solicited this answer to my readers.

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Thrive

A Morning Ritual Can Change Your Life

Reading Time: 7 minutesA ritual is different than a routine. While both are important, a ritual is more of a celebration and a devotion. An acknowledgment of your own connection to the sacred and to that great well of creativity that we all spring from. Rituals can be practiced in groups as well as solo, but generally, your morning ritual is a practice just for you.

Now I know what you might be thinking. Are you kidding? How can I add one more thing into my already packed day?

And yes, I hear where you’re coming from. I have so been there. I’m just asking you to suspend your judgment and disbelief a few minutes and hear me out.

There’s no better time than right now to create a ritual to start your own day with intention. In this age of smart phones, and more upsetting news flashes coming in fast and furious, it’s easier than ever for your day to get completely thrown off.

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EngageInformed

Bitch Media: GATHER YOUR PEOPLE WHITE WOMEN MUST HOLD EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE FOR RACISM

Reading Time: 7 minutesThe lessons I learned about whiteness, class, and the lengths that white folks will go to protect their ideas have been a foundational part of my political development, and are why I felt it was important to engage with this book and the uncomfortable history it reveals. The task of dismantling white supremacy rests on the shoulders of those who benefit most from it. It’s on us to confront racist, white supremacist white people who assume they can count on us to smile along or stay silent when they step out of line; it’s on us to ditch that poisonous “color-blind” worldview and understand the ways in which race, identity, and political/social power intersect; it’s on us to publicly, materially, enthusiastically, and genuinely support people of color, to confront and interrogate our own internalized racism and learned prejudices without expecting people of color to educate us.

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Informed

The Atlantic: The Nancy Pelosi Problem

Reading Time: 6 minutesThe more successful Pelosi is—the more she outmaneuvers and dominates her male adversaries—the more threatening she becomes. And the easier it becomes to tar the male Democratic candidates who would serve under her as emasculated yes-men. Which makes it harder for Democrats to retake the House.

It would be comforting to think that Pelosi is alienating because she’s a rich liberal Democrat from San Francisco—not because she’s a woman. Yet despite attributes that should make her endearing to cultural conservatives—she is a Catholic Italian American grandmother of nine who entered politics only after staying home to raise her kids—many Americans greeted her rise with, in the words of the Yale researchers, “contempt, anger, and/or disgust.” It was the same for Hillary Clinton: Her deep religiosity, career-long focus on child welfare, and insistence on keeping her family together in the face of near-unimaginable humiliation didn’t spare her in the 2016 presidential election.

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Evolve

4 MINDSET SHIFTS THAT WILL HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS

Reading Time: 4 minutesMost of us are aware of the importance of having the right mindset for accomplishing our goals. To achieve your dreams, it’s as simple as thinking positive thoughts and believing in yourself, right?

Perhaps – but it’s not always as easy as it might appear.
As a corporate psychologist, I’ve had the pleasure of working with hundreds of highly motivated clients, helping them to pursue their dreams. And, in that time, I’ve noticed that although a lot of people think they have the right mindset, in reality, many of them are unwittingly making some very common mistakes.

Unchecked, they can derail goals. However, once they’re transformed, magic happens.

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Engage

KVELLER: How to Pray for Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Health

Reading Time: 3 minutesLike most Jewish women across the country, my stomach lurched when I read the news this morning that Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been hospitalized. Hopefully, the 85-year-old powerhouse’s fractured ribs will heal swiftly, and her injury doesn’t indicate or initiate any other health concerns.

But if you’re feeling like this is a moment when you need to turn to a Higher Power for help and comfort — well, you’re not alone. Even if prayer isn’t normally your thing, Jewish tradition makes it easy. Try these Jewish prayer tactics to send some good, healing vibes RBG’s way.

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Informed

There Will Be No Legislative Agenda for the Newly Minted Democratic House but That Doesn’t Mean They Don’t Have a Job To Do

Reading Time: 3 minutesMy open plea to the Dems is that they choose leadership who is prepared to fight. My deepest request to the DNC is that they install a Chairperson who has four stars on a uniform and knows how to do one thing, at any cost, which is winning a war.

At any cost might sound overly-dramatic, unrealistic, or even unwise. However, just because we won the House doesn’t mean we’re aren’t still fighting to save our democracy.

For now, the voting is over. We’ve done our part. Now it’s their turn to do what we elected them to do – and it has nothing to do with impossibly non-productive conversations about wages, immigration, health care, or infrastructure. We hired them to save our democracy. We need to be prepared to support them in doing a lot of things that won’t look or feel like politics as usual.

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