Mattheus - Mackydii

At least someone's teaching them about the Underground Railroad

Made by older elementary students

I taught some kids about the Underground Railroad today.
Did you know that slaves in Texas did NOT commonly travel north? The journey was too far and dangerous.
They traveled south deep into Mexico, which was also far and dangerous.
Once in Mexico, the formerly enslaved continued to face great adversity and experienced freedom that, at best, was conditional.
The escapees had few job opportunities and little community support.
They lacked formal paperwork declaring them free, and they lived in secrecy under the constant threat of recapture by mercenaries. Maya Payne Smart wrote on this in 'Texas Highways'

Photo dump 📸

behind all this I'm struggling with :

-working 2 jobs of teaching afterschool art and social media for the ecstatic dance community, neither pay enough,

-driving from Round Rock to South Austin daily,

- consistently performing below quality and my agreements,

- and Guilt, Shame, Anxiety, Shock, Confusion are the Disney's Inside Out emotions at the helm of the control center in me, and then in behavior I show up avoidant, insecure, stiff, afraid

-trying to keep up relationships, meet new people, when I know I'm not going to be able to text people back when just writing this text is taking to much ive my time and putting me in the red on my responsibilities. I'm afraid to look people in the eye because I know they'll want to connect with me. I'm a lovely person!
.. and it's all waiting on me to stop abandoning myself and my boundaries. Taking a step back for my mental health would be another hit to the Ecstatic dance community, and to prevent that, I stay trying to support the Center

Pray for me, I need strength and courage 🙏

The song says "Im a pro" but I'm just doing my best 😭

I've been in my feelings hard lately. Teaching job, social media job, driving 😵‍💫
feeling stunned, shocked, and crushed, but somehow still functioning enough to do it week after week.

and then making time and space for relationships, personal hobbies, dancing, sailor moon 😵 im living that chronic burnout life just like most Americans, if not most humans atm in Oct 2024.

I wanted to write more but, alas, I must drive to next distant location (but from Round Rock, it's all distant of course🫥)

2 haiku

summer-like day light
Jack o lanterns carved early
already sagging 🎃

she hollowed an orange,
carved a smile into the peel;
autumnal decor! 🍊

Even with these needy glasses, I'm a pro lol (my first thought when I saw myself was I'm a strange mix of clothes+body😆)
photos by taken at

This body is in a music video 😆

We Used to Run by Cosmic Butterflies

Director
Directors lovely assistant
And Kora! .tien