Finding Ginko
So, a while ago I was researching what trees are planted in the parks, in the city I live in, so I would recognize them more easily; I found out they were planted 200 years ago, and it's mostly wild chestnuts, lindens, and maple-leaf sycamores. I also found out that somewhere in the city parks, there is one Ginko tree. This immediately thrilled me, because I knew about the Ginko tree from anime, there was a few episodes of Detective Conan specifically about this tree. So I knew it was originally asian, I knew it had beautiful, fan-shaped leaves, and I was a weeb deeply in my heart still, so I decied that one day, I would find this Ginko, and enjoy the japanese anime tree (the tree originated in China).
Yesterday, I watched a video on medicinal properties of Ginko, and I found out that the leaves have healing properties for brain, memory, and ears. These are the 3 things I consistently have problems with, so I generated a plan; I would find the Ginko, get the leaves, make infusion, drink it every day, get my head fixed. I continued watching the video, and it was revealed that not only it had these healing properties, but also female trees could grow nuts that originally would smell very bad (they referenced dog poop smell) but if you cleaned them properly, and dried them, you could roast them and they'd be delicious, addictive even. So now my brain has generated a new plan: Find Ginko, wait until the seeds fall, propagate it, grow my own, have it growing in my food forest, have the medicinal properties + delicious nut forever. I am going to get my hands on that tree.
So I went out the same day, on my bike, to scout the parks for the elusive Ginko tree! It took me 5 minutes to spot it. It wasn't where the article suggested it would be, but in the random walkway, and it was a majestic, beautiful tree. However, the people responsible for prunining the park's trees, have messed it all up for me. All the lower branches were pruned so heavily, that the lowest branch was still several meters out of my reach. I couldn't get a single leaf. I couldn't climb on the nearby fence as it was spiked. The city was not gonna let me get my ginko leaves.
I despaired for a second, then figured, maybe there's a second ginko tree. This one did not look 200 years old, it looked younger. And the article suggested it was in a place by the river, where trees were at first planted in a botanical garden, and at first every tree had a plaque; I knew where this place was. I said bye to the tall, unreachable ginko, and went on my merry way to seek another.
This time it took me longer. I checked every tree I couldn't immediately recognize up close. In my journey, I inspected one inconspicious tree that was growing next to a restaurant, that I never before paid attention to, and discovered it was a mulberry! Absolutely delighted, I started picking fruit and putting it directly in my mouth; it was delicious. Insane that I didn't know about this fruit tree! A group of girls saw me eating from the tree, and they also went to inspect it; they were delighted, and commented on how long it has been the last time they tried a mulberry. Mulberries are an ancient slavic fruit, my great-grandmother had one in her backyard and I used to climb it and eat from it all day. But a lot of them got cut down because it doesn't have commercial purposes, it doesn't store well, you have to eat it as soon as you grab it from the tree.
Happy with my discovery, I would go on, and not spot any tree with ginko leaves, but I found this plaque!
This is the original ginko tree, the one planted 200 years ago. It was so tall and unnacessible, I couldn't even see the shape of leaves up there, the branches were pruned to 7 meters up. It was almost funny how badly my plan was going; I found two ginko trees, and a mulberry, and yet I had nothing to bring home with me. But then I thought, wait, this ginko was here for 200 years, it could have managed to plant itself somewhere, and it's such a valuable and exotic tree, I'm sure they would allow another one to grow. So I sniffed around and searched the area, and finally. I found another, very young ginko tree. So young they couldn't trim the branches 7 meters up, as it was only 5 meters tall. And I was able to get some leaves!
(That is the tall, unreachable ginko tree in the first picture)
Pleased with myself, I went home and made tea. The tea is almost completely transparent, with only a slight yellow tint, and it tastes very mildly sweet; the only thing I could compare it to is the pleasant taste of tree bark. But I like it, I can drink this every day now I know where to find it. Isn't it cool someone planted this tree 200 years ago and I read about it, found it, and was able to make tea from it? Thank you people who planted the Ginko!
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Walking While Carefree & Black
Fetishized & dehumanized.
Daily misogynoir.
Harrassed on my daily walks for hugging a tree, picking a flower, laying on grass and stretching out my arms, twirling, smiling, being an unrushed unbothered carefree fierce ferocious unapologetic black woman who isnt on the way to somewhere, Im not going to 7-11 five minutes from my apartment, Im not rushing to work, Im not hurrying, Im not hustling, Im not bustling, Im not harried, Im not distratcted, Im not anxious, Im not impatient, Im not speedwalking, Im not in a car, Im not on a bike, Im walking on sidewalks, under bridges, near highways, busy intersections, busy traffic lights, near school buses, near angry white stay at home moms pushing their strollers, moms with toddlers shielding their eyes from me, white police men slowing their patrol cars when I am doing nothing but take a selfie under a bridge.
Why cant I be free?
Why cant I twirl?
Why cant I hug trees?
Why cant I treat a light pole as a stripper pole?
Is it a crime to joke around during the day when people are at school and work, jokingly twirl myself around the pole, pretend I am a pole dancer, and take a video selfie?
Will I be Sandra Bland'd?
Why cant I take pictures of a rose garden?
Why cant I take a selfie under a bridge? On a park bench?
Why cant I pick flowers near the sidewalk, smell them, place them behind my ear and skip down the sidewalk pavement?
Capitalism demands that I, a black woman, be a slave to their system but I left their system.
I left Amazon in a week with no job lined up.
I left Dow Jones with no job lined up.
I left Bank of America in 3 months with no job lined up.
I left Yale.
I quit my career coaching business after 3 years and over a hundred executive clients.
I permanently left corporate in 2019 and quit my business this year.
I am a permanent freeelancer now.
I am a podcaster now. We dont have sponsors yet so I dont currently generate income.
$55/hr at Amazon and after six months they were going to convert me with the coveted unrestricted stock aka golden handcuffs.
It was a cult. I left in a week.
I made -$7,000 last year as my business failed. I hated sales and referrals dried up.
Capitalism says I am a failure and a loser.
Capitalism says I, a nubian queen, Isis, an egyptian goddess, am only worth the revenue I generate.
I was the highest rated recruiter with the most hires at every Fortune 500 company I worked at.
I had over a hundred executive clients with my career coaching business that landed offers at Disney, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Amazon & Comcast with five figure salary increases.
I was a career advisor at Yale who coached graduate and postdoc STEM students.
Capitalism rolls its eyes and asks me, What have you done for me lately?
It demands I turn myself back into a machine to be deemed worthy.
But those days are over.
I will never work another 9 to 5 in any industry -- corporate, academic or non-profit.
I will never work a job that requires that I report into a supervisor.
I will never work another job with dictated shifts.
I will never sell anything to anyone ever again. I detest sales and I hate capitalism.
Capitalism is dehumanizing and it kills. It profits off of, relies on and thrives on energetic and psychic attacks that sends its adherents & acolytes to an early stress-induced death.
I was having GI issues and I healed myself.
No doctor, no gastroenterologist, no harmful laxatives, no chemical stimulants, no synthetic lab-made prescription medication that can all be addictive.
The smoothie takes 5 minutes and is just blending 1 cup pineapples, 1/2 cucumber, 1/4 grated ginger, 1 lemon, 1 orange, 2 tbs apple cider vinegar and 4 ice cubes & 1 cup of water in a mixer. Makes 2 servings, drink 1 cup in morning and 1 cup at night.
I just started walking outside in nature for an hour a day, not power walking, no step counting, no calorie counting, just being in nature, soaking up the sun, breathing the air, barefoot in grass, hugging trees, picking and smelling flowers, doing simple yoga exercises, abdominal massages, using a heating pad on my stomach, drinking 32 to 64 oz of water a day, eliminating coffe, not drinking soda during the week (used to drink 1 to 2 cans a day), fresh fruit & vegetable smoothie in the morning, oatmeal or grape nuts cereal with peppermint herbal tea no sugar or honey, homemade vegetarian salad & homemade vegetarian dressing (store bought dressing has a ton of fat, sugar amd calories) and mixed nuts as a snack Monday through Friday then I take a break and eat what I want on the weekend.
GI issues resolved themselves in a week, I am healthier, lighter, less sluggish, more fit, more in shape and more energetic. This is now my diet 75% of the time (5 days a week).
Decolonize your mind.
You have the ability to heal yourself. Stop running to doctors and quick fixes.
Change what you eat. Move more.
Get outside in nature! You are nature!
That is what heals. We come from nature and we are nature.
Trees, grass, sunlight, air, flowers, butterflies, streams, brooks, meadows, gardens, pumpkin patches, orchard farms, parks, nature trails.
Get outside.
Not to get in your car. Not to go somewhere.
Stop spending all your time penned inside like an animal and a prisoner.
Not to go to the mall, shopping, a restaurant, a salon, a spa, a movie theater, work, school, a grocery store, a laundromat, dry cleaners.
Not to run an errand.
Not to sit in traffic in a machine.
Not to burn calories.
Not to power walk.
Not to lose weight.
To reconnect with nature.
To reconnect your mind, soul, body, heart and spirit.
The west purposely severs this connection in service of capitalism.
Its up to you to restore it.
Walk. Breathe. Be. Skip. Twirl. Pose. Use the sidewalk as a catwalk. Take selfies. Take pictures.
Stop and smell the flowers.
Hug a literal tree.
Lay on the grass while cars roll past you with their windows down and stare at you like youre crazy.
Its 11 am on a Tuesday.
What the hell is she doing laying on the grass with her arms outstretched?
Why isnt she at work or at school?
Confuse people with your very presence.
I have a goth alt kawaii japanese street fashion aesthetic that includes boyshorts, leather garters, torn fishnets, leather chokers, hello kitty tiaras, six inch pink platform heels, black lipstick, mini cut out crop tops, extremely thick black eyeliner and hot pink eyeshadow.
For wearing this on Friday on my daily walk at 8:30 am which I then shared on TikTok, I was accused of being indecent, inappropriate for children to see going to school, people stared, rolled their windows down, honked at me, cars followed me, two men purposefully walked right into me bumping me (there was plenty of room on the sidewalk), an HVAC repairman leered at me outside of his van and literally just stared holes through me as I walked by.
Im 41. Im 5"1. Im 92 lbs. Im black and female.
I have a quirky style and aesthetic. I look young.
I also shaved my head bald a few weeks ago and have a bald fade.
People have since then called me a dyke, asked if I am trans, am I a boy or a girl, whats the deal.
Thats when I dont have a wig on.
I love different looks so I also wear long wigs.
The reaction is completely different when I wear a wig and people tell me how good I look, that people are slowing their cars down because I am attractive.
Bald fade, bony dyke who looks like a boy and might be trans.
Long wig, attractive girl, let me slow down and get a look.
Still black no matter the hair. Still followed.
Still harrassed.
A MAGA Proud Boy harrassed me with my bald fade while I was wearing an Eagles shirt and jeans. He stared at me as I took a selfie on a bench under a tree, when I got up to walk home, he started walking towards me and blocked my path in the small walkway we were both on and wouldnt let me pass.
Doesnt matter if its boy shorts and leather garters or an Eagles shirt and jeans.
I am harrassed for being a carefree black girl in capitalist Amerikkka.
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