Good Cops, Fashion & Chocolate

The other day I got to model a cute organic fair trade dress at Servv, meditate by the water and eat delicious food with my family. I also got to discuss the intersectionality of building a local bamboo or hemp textile industry with potential indoor growing with creating local jobs, especially for people coming out of incarceration - feeding two birds with one worm - with a young woman of color, and the power of giving oneself permission to be complete with an experience from the inside out with an older white woman. The latter conversation stemmed from her offering me sample chocolate, which I declined. I told her I'd already had my chocolate quota. She was surprised. She asked if I had a specific amount I allow myself. I said, "No, it's more like I've eaten almost nothing but chocolate for two days and my body says, "I'm done." I then told her about a woman I met years ago who asked for relationship advice, as she kept landing in bed with someone who wasn't very good for her. I told her to allow herself to enjoy it until she no longer wanted it. A couple of years later she found me at a potluck and said, "I took your advice and it worked. I gave myself permission to enjoy it until I didn't want it anymore and then when I was done I was done. I didn't go back." The white woman in the store translated this story like this: "It's so important for us to learn to trust ourselves internally, especially when it comes to leaving abusive relationships."

It all started in the dressing room, after a delicious family meal downtown at Shortstack. I had just put on this adorable organic, fair trade dress and emerged from the changing stall. As I walked out from the curtains, two cops thought I was the store manager. Tithout thinking, I naturally gravitated to their energy. I didn't know they had just asked for the manager at the front desk of Servv. One black cop, one white. Both cool guys.

Since we live in a racist state and there is much polarization around "do you love black people or do you love cops" I particularly love moments of grace with black cops because it ends the duality. So this black officer starts saying, "I'm officer so and so and I want to ask you a few questions. First of all, are you planning on being open for freakfest?” I DO fly my freak flag high, but I am not an employee at Servv. I mean, cosmically, yeah, but…well, you know. So I said, "I don't work here" and all of a sudden the woman who works the register whose known me peripherally for years says, "Oh she can see your energy so that's why she walked right toward you."

I said, "I can just tell you are both awesome human beings and it just makes me really happy when I meet people who work in MPD who embody love and truth and justice." He hugs me.

The woman working at the register told me, "That looks like it was made for you! You could just walk out in it." I jokingly offered to model it in exchange for walking away with it. Before I knew it a beautiful, radiant woman of color was telling me to do a little spin before she took my pic, while she took a short video clip. In a jiffy, I undid the clip to the tag on my dress, brough it over to the register where my husband was happily yucking it up with the woman who called out my vibe reading on the officers. Soon the real manager emerged and offered me chocolate. You already know the rest - it's herstory.

And while we're on the topic of chocolate...not all chocolate is created equal. The pure stuff without additives, sustainably harvested and cultivated humanely tastes wayyy better! As a parent, I've taught my kids to taste and feel the difference, and as a result they taste junk and think it's gross!

After we left Servv, my family and I were drawn in multiple directions. My husband and kids wanted to go to the dog park and I wanted to meditate by the water. So instead of anything sacrificing anything, I went across the street to meditate and befriend a duck, while my crew went to the dog park, where they had a lovely time!