Reconnecting: When the Hustle Stops and the Silence Speaks
A brief detour into illness, stillness, and the lessons they left behind.
Hi. It’s me again.
The Michelle who got caught up in life and didn’t have weeks of content plugged in — even though I have so many ideas. (51 unpublished ones, actually.)
So, what happened?
I took a work trip to Chicago, where we knocked on doors to canvas for a Guaranteed Income program. In our post-COVID world, Chicago had two GI programs, but the ARPA funds dried up. 8,000 people benefited from this program, and over 409,000 people applied. The community has the need. And, the community has the resources to make this program work. We just need to make sure decision makers know. The most important part of this program? It was a form of reparations1.
It must have been late-night scrolling when I saw a headline: a company was ordered to pay New Jersey millions for environmental contamination2. That’s reparations, too.
So, our socially acceptable form of reparations is for anything other than Black people harmed by systemic racism.
Did you read my footnote? We’ve never had true reparations for the sins of enslaving people, for the labor stolen, for the systems of racism that still flourish despite our collective claims that “we’re past all that.”
Most people just want a fighting chance. Instead of funding that future, we glamorize billionaires. We act like we’re a few hustle steps away from that life (being our own billionaires) — while quietly living a paycheck away from needing help ourselves.
So, all that was happening and swirling through my mind.
Then… my kid arrived. (That was a fun reunion… he didn’t even see me, so I attack-hugged him like he does to me. My colleague was awed by our sweet exchange. It took him a few seconds to realize it was me, and he bear-hugged me back.)
The next day, we had lunch downtown Chicago with my colleague. Then we took the train to Michigan.
And then I got sick.
And, it hit fast.
The sore throat was bad — worse than usual, like strep-level sore. A day later, I tested positive for COVID. This was my second time ever testing positive for COVID. This round started in my throat, felt different in my body, but still slowed everything down. The fatigue is real. And, the way we treat illness in this world does a disservice to everyone.
So many of our habits are rooted in Hustle Culture, aka Capitalism, aka Patriarchy.
And, we keep propping up these systems of Patriarchy (because it’s what’s always been done), and we wonder why things don’t change.
If we had a system set up where it was okay to rest for the allergy sore throat, maybe we could have stopped other illnesses from being passed on?
My sister and brother-in-law took care of me — with semi-isolation, masking, and lots of grace. We extended our stay by a week. We didn’t get to visit lakes or see many friends, but we did get meaningful family time.
A week later than initially planned, we flew home.
And now, for the first time ever, it’s just my son and me in this house for 10 days. The Husband is off on his own visit.
The silence that comes when a body you’ve grown used to is gone is so interesting.
The day after we left Michigan, my sister noticed the quiet we left behind. The Husband notes the quiet every time the kid is gone or I travel. And, this time, now that the kid and I are back in our routine, there is a deafening silence about the time the Husband should return from work.
The silence is deafening.
The things we get used to that tell us stories are a story in and of themselves.
So yes, I got behind on my writing.
And, the 51 ideas are still here, now rearranged. I’m easing back into rhythm. Hoping to stock up on a few pieces so next time life calls me away, there’s a softer landing.
I’m grateful you’re here — for the stories, the pauses, and the collective dreaming of a world where we dismantle what doesn’t serve and build what does.
With love and rhythm,
Michelle
⸻
P.S.
Did you hear the Rose Garden is being demolished for a 650 sq ft golden ballroom?3
Who builds a ballroom when he should be terming out in three years? Yeah. We’ve got work to do.
Are you in?
We have never atoned for our sins of allowing enslaved people and disproportionately harming Black people. Programs like Guaranteed Income are a small way to build in a sustainable pattern of reparations so everyone in our communities has a decent chance of thriving.
NJ settles with DuPont for $2B over ‘forever chemicals’: https://abcnews.go.com/US/new-jersey-reaches-historic-2-billion-environmental-settlement/story?id=124394391
Trump to start $200M White House ballroom in September: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-start-building-200-million-white-house-ballroom-september-2025-07-31/