post by leslie

Yes, we're still back in California! After my visit to Ojai, I ventured down to Santa Monica for a few days to stay by the beach and to see some friends. The first evening there, I walked out to the pier. I love the views back at the beach from the pier, and despite the massive tourist trap that it is, it still entertains me endlessly.But on that night, it was the birds I enjoyed the most. Here are a few shots of them from my evening. I don't have any internet shares today, but I do want to share with you that I was lucky enough to see Michelle Obama speak last night, and what a treat that was! My face hurt from all the laughter and smiles, and I saw so many wonderful friends at the event.The one thing that really stuck with me through the evening, that I would like to pass on to you all is the idea of "other."When someone who doesn't look like you, or looks like someone "other" than what you expect, moves into your neighborhood or your school or your workplace, do not make assumptions on their intelligence or their attitudes based on what you see.Many white families fled from Michelle's neighborhood in Chicago when her family moved in because they saw black people moving in and they feared what that meant. These are the same black people that raised Michelle (her uncles, aunts and parents) -- an incredibly hard working, studious woman who many would LOVE to live next door to today. Stop the judgement, and up the kindness. That's one of the many lessons I took from this talk. We all need to be so much more welcoming to EVERYONE, not just to those that look and behave as we do.(And if you want laughs, ask me about Saturdays in D.C.)