In an ongoing obsession to elevate my life, each week I pick one (or maybe more) new thing to do to elevate my life. It may be big or small, easy or tough, as long as it elevates me, offers inspiration, and brings some joy.
A few weeks ago I wrote about how I noticed my social circle was dwindling since I moved to San Francisco. What surprised and delighted me was how many friends reached out to me after they read it. One long-time friend, an acclaimed performance artist, Kristina Wong, reached out and invited me to a screening of a documentary. The film was made about the movement she created during the pandemic called The Auntie Sewing Squad. The screening was at the San Francisco Main Public Library last Saturday. As someone who adores libraries, I was excited to see my friend and to head back to the main branch after 20+ years.
I met Kristina eons ago when I was living in Los Angeles. Then a few years ago, we reconnected in NYC, and I got the chance to see her one-woman show, Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord, in the East Village. My husband and I came away from that performance so incredibly moved and inspired.
The documentary, The Auntie Sewing Squad Resistance Playbook, created by filmmaker Valerie Soe, featured the aunties and uncles who were a part of the sewing squad. It also showcased everything that led up to Kristina creating her one-woman show. During the early stages of the pandemic, people reached out to her on Facebook looking for face masks. As an avid sewer and creative force, she organized a whole team of “aunties” to sew face masks for those in need. This nationwide network of people created masks by hand and then shipped them off to communities who desperately needed face protection.
My husband Ben and I cried during the documentary screening as it seriously brought us back to the floodgate of feels about the Pandemic. We spent most of 2020 holed up in Seattle. As the company I worked for shut down, I became an early unemployed casualty. I’ve tried hard not to think about the Pandemic for years, so it was interesting to mentally go back there.
We left the documentary screening so inspired. It was cool to witness how a friend saw a critical issue and found such a creative solution that ended up helping so many people and saving countless lives. In my continued quest to reinvigorate my social circle and do One New Thing a week, I’m grateful for the chance to reconnect with Kristina, who continues to inspire, uplift me, and bring me joy.
I’ll be back next week.
Much Love, Candi