At the lake's edge: Dancing toward love and liberation

For the first time ever, in all the contested races on my ballot, I was able to vote for friends, colleagues, or fellow comrades -- either people I know personally or with whom I have one degree of separation. To have so many great candidates on the ballot gives me HOPE for the city I'm raising my children in. I hope you'll join me in electing progressives and up and down the ballot.  Here is my voter guide. If I don't cover your ward or police district, please let me know and I'll be happy to weigh in. :) But first:  Find your ward and police district .  Mayor: BRANDON JOHNSON!!!  Brandon comes from the progressive movement in Chicago. He worked as a teacher in CPS, was an organizer with CTU, now serves as a Cook County Commissioner. He lives in Austin with his wife and children. He knows intimately the struggles so many Chicagoans are facing. I want our next mayor to share my values and vision for this being a city where everyone can thrive, not just a place where ...

This is the story of an unmedicated, vaginal delivery, which capped off a planned and wanted pregnancy. I feel so grateful and fortunate to be telling this tale. I know many friends who have struggled/are struggling to get pregnant, are searching for a partner for the parenting journey, and who have had the heartbreaking experience of losing fetuses through miscarriages and babies during labor. I know my story won’t be for everyone to read. I want to share it because I love talking about pregnancy and labor and want to share my experience of unmedicated labor as it continues to constitute only about ~27% of births in this country. I feel immensely privileged to have had bodily autonomy in planning this pregnancy, that my partner and I were able to conceive, and that I was able to gestate and deliver a healthy baby. I know none of these are to be taken for granted.  My doula shared a belief that labor and birth teach you what you need to know to be the parent you need to be for you...