Author: Allison Zilinek Page 2 of 5

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” 

Theodore Roosevelt

Have you ever felt like you don’t have the time or energy to participate in political or social activism? You’re not alone. Between work, family responsibilities, and other obligations, it can be challenging to find the time to engage in activism. That’s where “naptime activism” comes in – a concept that encourages people to use small pockets of downtime to make a difference.

Naptime activism refers to the idea of using small pockets of time, such as your kid’s naptime or other breaks in your day, to engage in activism. While it may seem like a small step, these moments can add up and have a meaningful impact.

Here are some examples ways that YOU can engage in naptime activism:

1. Phone calls and emails: Use your break time to make phone calls or send emails to your elected officials about issues you care about. You can also contact businesses and organizations to voice your opinions and concerns. My favorite app is called 5calls.org and it is the easiest and most effective way for U.S. constituents to make a political impact. You pick your topic (gun control, abortion rights, opposing anti-trans legislation) and provide your zip code, and it gives you your script, and your numbers to call. I highly recommend setting a reminder so that you make your calls as many times a week as you can!
2. Social media activism: Use your downtime to share information about important issues on social media. This can help raise awareness and encourage others to take action. Did you call your representatives? Share that with your network! Just make sure that you are sharing factual information, and not spreading misinformation.
3. Letter-writing campaigns: Take a few minutes during naptime to write letters to your elected officials or to organizations advocating for change. You can also participate in postcard campaigns or other letter-writing initiatives. I personally have participated in several letter writing campaigns where I “adopted” voters from underrepresented voting groups to try and increase voter turnout. Writing letters to voters is one of the most effective ways to help increase election turnout. And you can do it right from home!
4. Sign petitions: Many petitions can be signed quickly and easily online, making them a perfect naptime activism activity. Look for petitions related to the issues you care about and add your name to the list of supporters.
5. Donate: Use your break time to make a donation to an organization that aligns with your values. Even a small donation can make a big difference, especially when combined with other contributions. We personally like to donate to plannedparenthood.org, outdooristoath.org and everytown.org
6. Check in with grassroots organization: Use your time to research grassroots organizations to see how you can get involved. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is a grassroots organization dedicated to fighting gun violence in the United States. If you’re interested in getting involved, the first step is to visit the Moms Demand Action website and sign up for their email list. This will keep you informed about upcoming events, actions, and campaigns in your area.

Some people might argue that naptime activism is not enough to make a real difference. While it’s true that larger actions are needed to bring about significant change, every little bit helps. By engaging in naptime activism, you are adding your voice to a larger movement and contributing to the momentum needed to create real change.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” 

Margaret Mead

This type of activism is also a great way to get involved in activism if you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure about where to start. It’s a low-pressure way to dip your toes into the world of activism and can help build confidence and momentum for larger actions in the future.

“One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”

John F. Kennedy

Another benefit of naptime activism is that it can be done from home, making it accessible to people who may have difficulty attending in-person events or have other limitations on their time or mobility. This allows a wider range of people to get involved in activism and can help ensure that a diverse range of voices is heard.

Of course, naptime activism is just one small piece of the larger puzzle. I am no stranger to marches and even in person advocacy in Washington DC (went in 2022 to advocate for more health protective laws). But naptime activism is a great way to supplement larger actions and ensure that our voices are heard even during the busiest times of our lives.

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.”

Edward Everett Hale

The world can feel scary, out of control and the problems insurmountable. Naptime activism is a valuable tool for anyone looking to take back their power, use their voice and make a difference in the world. By using your downtime to engage in activism, you can contribute to larger movements and help create change. Whether it’s making phone calls, writing letters, or signing petitions, every little bit counts. So the next time you have a few minutes to spare, consider using that time to make a difference in the world.

“We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say it’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem, then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.”

 Fred Rogers

The Importance of Sustainable and Ethical Closet Decluttering

I can just imagine my mom’s face as she reads this. I feel like I should start this post by saying “mom, per usual, you were right.” I am a recovering clutterbug, packrat, and floordrobe owner (yes you read that right…it’s when your wardrobe mostly just lives on your floor.) Since having children of my own, battling anxiety, and in generally just becoming a functioning grown up, I have changed my ways and cannot tell you the wonders that OWNING LESS has done for me.

Decluttering your closet can be a daunting task, but it is an essential step in creating a more sustainable and ethical wardrobe, as well as a calmer more intentional home. Owning fewer things not only declutters your physical space, but also helps you make more conscious and responsible choices about what you bring into your life.

On top of that, studies have shown that clutter can lead to higher stress levels, an inability to concentrate, relationship problems, and a lower quality of life in general.

“Simplicity involves unburdening your life, and living more lightly with fewer distractions that interfere with a high quality life, as defined uniquely by each individual.” 

Linda Breen Pierce, 1947.

Why is it important to own less?

• Reducing clutter in your home can lead to a more peaceful and organized living space.
• Having fewer clothes means you will be more likely to wear and appreciate the pieces you do have.
• Owning less also reduces your environmental impact, as the fast fashion industry is a major contributor to pollution and waste.

A great place to start decluttering your life, is in your closet.

So, how do you declutter your closet in a sustainable and ethical way?

1. Start by taking everything out of your closet and laying it all out on your bed or floor.
2. Sort through each item and ask yourself: “Have I worn this in the past year?” “Does it fit me well?” “Do I love it?” “Is it in good condition?” “Does this fit into the life I actually lead?”
3. Set aside any clothes that don’t fit, are in poor condition, or that you haven’t worn in a while. These can be donated or recycled. (you know I’m gonna make a plug here to make sure you’re donating responsible- use a For Days take back back for items that are too damaged, stained or in poor shape to donate. Keep in mind that 84% of our clothing ends up in landfills or exported to countries that DO NOT want it. )
4. Not sure if it should stay or go? Put in a bin and move it to the garage or under the bed and make a note on your phone to check back in 6 months….if you haven’t missed it…it is time to say goodbye!
5. Hot tip: you don’t need more hangers…you need less clothing!
6. Keep a small selection of clothes that you love, wear often, and that fit you well. These are the pieces that will make up your sustainable and ethical wardrobe.
7. Before buying new clothes, think about if it is something you really need or if you can find a more sustainable or ethical alternative.

By decluttering your closet in a sustainable and ethical way, you can create a more peaceful living space, appreciate the clothes you own, and make more conscious and responsible choices about what you bring into your life.

Remember, the goal is not to own nothing, but to own only what is truly important and necessary for you. With a little bit of effort, you can create a wardrobe that is both beautiful and responsible.

I am very much a work in progress in this area, but join me as I strive for a simpler, pared down existence where we take care of what we own, ponder purchases thoughtfully, and cultivate a calm home.

Want to read more on how to cultivate a sustainable closet? Check out my blog post on that here!

I’ve learned that minimalism is not about what you own, it’s about why you own it.

Brian Gardner

Hindsight is 20/20, and MAN oh man, if you know me personally you know that I have a nasty astigmatism and terrible vision, so the fact that I made some mistakes on my quest for a more conscious closet should come as no surprise.

It has been about 2 years since the true start of my journey into slow fashion. I am still very much learning as I go, but wanted to share some of the missteps and misconceptions I had when starting out my journey.

Here are 6 things I wish I had known starting my slow fashion journey:

1. It shouldn’t cost you money. You do NOT need to go out and “invest” in a whole new wardrobe from “sustainable brands”.
2. SLOW FASHION isn’t something that is bought. In fact, the whole idea behind slow fashion is about changing your mindset around the consumption of clothing.
3. Wear the heck out of the fast fashion that you already own. Don’t be ashamed to wear something from a fast fashion brand because you bought it before you knew better. I love to say, wear your fast fashion so much that you make it slow.
4. You don’t need to dress in all beige, black and white to have a capsule wardrobe . Yes, having some basic interchangeable items is SUPER helpful to having a wardrobe full of items you will wear again and again….BUT there is nothing wrong with print and pattern, as long as you intend to wear it a ton.
5. There is such thing as overconsumption of secondhand clothing. Try your best not to replace your add to cart itch with a habit of frequenting the thrift store of perusing poshmark constantly. I made this mistake bigtime when I started on my journey…learn from MY pitfalls!
6. Your perfect closet won’t happen overnight. You DON’T need to rush into making a capsule wardrobe. Take time to to notice what pieces you own FEEL like you. What “sparks joy” when you wear it? Write that down in a journal and use it later when creating a cohesive and conscious closet.

I hope that you find these tips helpful on your journey! Have some ideas to add? let me hear them in the comments!

xx,

Allie

I used to have a tumblr blog, and recently out of pure curiosity I looked it up. Funny thing about the internet… for better or for worse, things stick. And after a very quick google search, I was able to locate it.

What started as a travel blog when I lived in Tanzania, turned into so much more for me.

Reading it is like opening a time capsule. A glimpse into a very hard time in my life, when my family was grieving the loss of my brother Chris. I turned to nature, poetry, music and writing as a balm for my deep sadness, and the blog really does reflect that.

This is a poem I wrote along with a photo I took in Tahoe in the summer of 2012.

YOU HAVE BECOME LIKE A FALLEN LEAF, HARDENED BY THE CHANGING OF TIME, YET ALSO BRITTLE, SUCEPTABLE TO BEING CRUSHED BY WHATEVER PAIR OF BOOTS WALK ACROSS YOU. 

YOU CARRY YOUR REGRETS LIKE STONES IN YOUR POCKETS. 

WHO WILL KEEP YOU FROM WALKING INTO THE RIVER?

THAT AQUEOUS STILLNESS BECKONS YOU.

IN THAT WATERY TOMB YOU WILL CHERISH AND CURSE THE SILENCE.

YOU WILL LAY AMONG THE STONES THAT HELPED YOU SINK

WITH ONLY THE COLD INFINITY AS YOUR COMPANY.

RIVER WEEDS WILL WRAP AROUND YOUR EXTREMITIES,

THE BLACK SEDIMENT ENVEOPING YOU AS YOU LAY STILL BENEATH THE SURFACE.

AND IF YOU CHOOSE TO EMERGE,

YOU WILL HAVE DECIDED TO LEAVE THE SMOOTH, DARK STONES BEHIND IN RIVERBED, HAVING FOUND OTHER STONES, BOTH LARGER AND SMALLER THAN YOUR OWN.

 WATERLOGGED AND SATURATED,

YOU WILL FIND THE SEASONS HAVE CHANGED.

PERHAPS SPRING HAS COME

WITH RAYS OF SUN TO WARM YOUR SODDENED BONES,

AND FLOWERS TO SHARE THE SECRET OF WHAT ITS LIKE TO BE BENEATH THE GROUND. 

Allison Rudolph (zilinek)

Here is another one I wrote

A foe:

That numbered face:

I try to wrench back its hands.

It never works. They spin on

Unperturbed, Unfeeling, Unknowing

As they always have.

And always will.

Never to be impeded or slowed,

Those hands that show no mercy.

Allison Rudolph (Zilinek)

damn, I was a sad girl. but a once a poetry nerd, always a poetry nerd. Grateful for words.

Holidays can be especially hard for those of us who have suffered tremendous loss (and it is my finding, that most of us have.) I already have started to feel the more frequent pings of melancholy and the ache of missing my brother Chris. We are almost eleven years from his death, and I can say that for us, time does dampen the pain, but it never goes away.

For me, reading my words from the months after losing Chris is cathartic. Grief is complicated. Words still escape me to explain life after profound loss. But coming back to this post helps for some reason.

Original posting date October 11, 2012

Since the accident happened, scores of essays, articles, and testaments about my  brother have come out.  Over the past eight months, I felt shame and guilt that I was unable to express the sense of loss or share the admiration I have for my brother, but I was unable to put words to paper.  Even still, while writing this, my thoughts are erratic, the emotions intense, and the ability to express myself is clumsy and weak.  I stumble over the words, and fall into clichés that do him or my sorrow no justice. Some call it writers block; for me it was a paralysis.  I went into torpor, unable to put any words down to begin to communicate what I was feeling.  At the risk of being melodramatic, writing this can only be compared a paraplegic learning to walk again, so forgive me if it seems jumbled and confused. 

            When it first happened, when I first got that call from my parents telling me news about my brother, the air was sucked out of my life.  I felt as if all the gravity of my world as I knew it was imploding down on me; like some sort of concentrated black hole.  I was left paralyzed and disbelieving; gripped with an agonizing sense of loss and confusion.  After an excruciating plane ride over the great wide Pacific Ocean, alone, half conscious, I fell into the arms of my equally devastated sister, mother and father.  Grief and loss, with the force of an Atom bomb, had descended on my family. My extraordinary brother, Chris, had been snatched right out of our lives. 

Extraordinary is a word I never understood.  When breaking it down, “Extra”, in our normal day to day use is synonymous with “very” and when paired with  “ordinary” its literal connotation conjures the idea of something being  more ordinary than exceptional.  However the meaning is quite the contrary, as was my extraordinary brother Chris.  Chris had a robust spirit, with charm that was undeniable.  His crooked smile, a signature that he wore, punctuated almost all conversations.  A fiery and insatiable zest for life, Chris was never one to say, “let’s do it tomorrow” (unless it had to do with cleaning…) He lived his life in way as if to inspire everyone he met to get out and get after it.  Chris was always full throttle.  Hilariously clever and dedicated, he was the perfect big brother.  In discussions with others who have lost a loved one too soon, the statement “quality over quantity” applies.  We did not get the quantity that we so desired, but we received the most supreme quality.  Chris was the highest caliber of person, a white hot beacon of positive energy and on February 19^th 2012, our brightest star was obliterated in a moment. 

With the death of my brother a peculiar relationship with the mountains was forged.  The mountains were always a place where my fondest memories with family were held, a place of wild discovery: a place of communion between self and nature.  My parents had raised us to keep the mountains close to our heart (as the beloved John Muir preaches), and we were all propionates of the idea that going to the mountains truly was going home.  The mountains: the place where I have always felt the most comfort, had taken my brother.  It was the ultimate betrayal. Chris’s love for the mountains was immense.  Chris had an other worldly bond with the mountains.  They were his church;  the peaks and crags his cathedrals and confessionals.  I used to look upon the mountains like old friends, serene and enduring, from which I learned valuable lessons.   Now, I look upon the mountains as unfeeling, cold, tyrants, doling out both dangerous and beautiful experiences and taking what they desire at their own unpredictable whim.  And yet I am still drawn to them like a moth to a flame.  It is where I can feel him.  He is there, he is in the streams, he is in the granite slabs and pockets of wildflowers.  He is in the falling flakes on the steep faces.   I see him standing at the crest of the peaks, walking with me through the meadows, letting me know  he is with me always when I am in the arms of nature.   

Grief is complicated and shifty.  This given, every person experiences grief differently.  In the weeks after the accident, I felt as if every molecule in my world was saturated with it; the air thick with my loss and longing.  Every minute passed as slow as an eternity, each blink causing a flash of pain.  The thought of it getting any easier was unfathomable, that this is the way the world will be forever: monochromatic, void of joy: distorted and excruciatingly difficult. Slowly, the minutes passed, and the hours became more bearable, days began to slip by and grief became a heavy familiar feeling, and I grew accustom to its company.  I still often squeeze my eyes shut, re-opening them hoping for a different reality, that this is just all part of a bad dream, and I can pick up the phone and call Chris to tell him how much I love him, and how long its feels since I’ve seen him.  I  curl up with grief, wrapping myself in the pain and sadness as testament to my loved one.  It is my own, and nothing and no one can take it from me.  Grief becomes as intimate and integral to your being as your own skin and it never goes away.

With loss, the sense of yearning is piercing.  How badly I wish to spend one more moment with Chris.  I yearn for moments passed: all the years of our childhood, spent pretending, imagining, creating and exploring.  I yearn for his guidance, he was always able help me make my way.  I yearn for his sense of humor and think of how he would know just what to say to make my day.  I yearn for him to be there in moments to come, and think of how he won’t see me at my wedding day, or meet my children, or see Clare’s children gown up.   I just miss him so damn much. 

When Chris died, the light from my life was extinguished, or so I thought.  Little did I know at the time, a small ember of light still burned.  Friends and relatives fanned this small flame, tending it with fastidious and unwavering care.  Some days, a strong gust of sadness all but puts it out.  But the memory of Chris, and the love from friends and family keeps it lit.  As for my sister, mom and dad, we take turns tending each other’s flame.  We seek out the beauty that surrounds us, and we venture to gather as many meaningful experiences with loved ones as we can, knowing now how quickly they can disappear. We laugh, we smile, we cry, and we live.  We keep our flames lit, because Chris would want it that way.  Chris’s ferocity for life burns within us, and each person whose life he touched.