March 7, 2019
Sissies, Singers, Queens & DILFs
inform | inspire
They’re Here For Men with Money Life Inside the Question Mark
SPRING INTO
ACTION
Q ueer Jocks Take Over Atlanta
Q Voices The Queer Agenda Q Shots The Q
Understanding Jussie’s World The Weekly Print Publication of Project Q Atlanta
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EDITOR’S NOTE Q Q MAGAZINE THE WEEKLY PUBLICATION OF PROJECT Q ATLANTA PUBLISHERS INITIAL MEDIA, LLC MIKE FLEMING PUBLISHER & EDITOR MIKE@THEQATL.COM MATT HENNIE PUBLISHER & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MATT@THEQATL.COM RICHARD CHERSKOV PUBLISHER & GENERAL MANAGER RICHARD@THEQATL.COM ADVERTISING SALES RUSS YOUNGBLOOD SENIOR SALES REPRESENTATIVE RUSS@THEQATL.COM
Goal to GO LGBTQ athletes bring the first signs of spring
EVEN IF THE WEATHER CAN’T DECIDE, queers in Atlanta are ready to usher in spring. Local LGBTQ sports leagues and fans are here for it, and so is Q with an issue that previews their season of games and social events. Who better to help us score than National Flag Football League of Atlanta? In this week’s Q Cover, meet five players in a photo essay by James L. Hicks, learn why this season is setting records even before they take the field this weekend, and find out what keeps them coming back year after year.
ART DIRECTOR JOHN NAIL JOHN@THEQATL.COM PROJECT Q ATLANTA PATRICK SAUNDERS EDITOR PSAUNDERS@THEQATL.COM CONTRIBUTORS IAN ABER LAURA BACCUS GABRIELLE CLAIBORNE BUCK COOKE CHARLES E. DAVIS JON DEAN BILL DICKINSON JIM FARMER BRAD GIBSON JAMES L. HICKS TAMEEKA L. HUNTER HEATHER MALONEY ERIC PAULK KYLE ROSE JAMES PARKER SHEFFIELD VINCE SHIFFLETT ALEXANDRA TYLER VAVA VROOM NATIONAL ADVERTISING RIVENDELL MEDIA SALES@RIVENDELLMEDIA.COM 212-242-6863 LOCAL ADVERTISING SALES@THEQATL.COM 404-949-7071
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We follow that up in Q Sports with a comprehensive roundup of other queer leagues in the ATL on fields, courts, gyms, playgrounds and pools all season long. We also meet Atlanta United’s LGBTQ fan group All Stripes, which hosts watch parties and tailgates beginning this weekend. EDITOR & PUBLISHER
Meanwhile, theater queens are prepping shows for downtime of an entirely different nature in Q Stage. Aurora welcomes you to a 1950s musical where marrying a millionaire is still a goal for its song-and-dance inclined stars, but with a gay twist. The mere existence of so many queer-inclusive athletics and arts says a lot about how far LGBTQ rights and visibility have come, but of course more serious issues and divisive topics keep us from crossing the goal line just yet. Q Voices finds Eric Paulk giving Jussie Smollett the benefit of the doubt and calling for other queers, especially African-American ones, to remember history to do the same. As always, this week’s Q also offers the Queer Agenda calendar, Q Shots photos and The Q advice column. The latter adds to our mental health tool kit when moving on isn’t as easy as it looks. Enjoy, and check in at theQatl.com for the best LGBTQ news coverage updated daily on our homesite Project Q Atlanta. theQatl.com
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOLUME 2 ISSUE 16 MARCH 7, 2019
PRO SPORTS
We’re queer for Atlanta United
COVER
11 23
Down, Set, Hike NFFLA guys kick off spring sports
Q VOICES
13 8
Innocent Until
31 Love Bazaar
Do queers owe Jussie benef it of the doubt? THE QUEER AGENDA
28
Just Do It
35 Serve & Volley
Get up, get out and do something
FEATURES Q Voices
8
Queer Agenda
28
Q Shots
31
The Q
38
38
36 Hearts Out theQatl.com
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Q
VOICES
Jussie’s
WORLD
What poet Essex Hemphill can teach us about Jussie Smollett
THE NEWS THAT EMPIRE ACTOR JUSSIE SMOLLETT had been assaulted by two men hurling racial and homophobic slurs at him, then dousing him with an unknown substance, and tying a rope around his neck was horrifying to imagine. For many of us, this was confirmation of our worst nightmare — that if Jussie Smollett, a likable, handsome, rich and famous celebrity — and arguably the most visible black gay man in America — was not safe, then surely, the rest of us are not either.
If a human chain can be formed around missile sites, then surely Black men can form human chains around Anacostia, Harlem, South Africa, Wall Street, Hollywood, each other. Here he imagines the power of black men connecting with each other to be so formidable that it would impede hate from entering into our collective black communities, but also from entering into our political, social and cultural spaces. Perhaps that most powerful pronouncement is the notion that the love shared between black men could act as a cure to overcoming the hate that sometimes exists between us. I am always struck by the fact that the love that Hemphill speaks of has no conditions, bucking against narratives that often seek to qualify our worthiness for love and empathy. In this nationally shared moment, we must resist the urge to doubt those who bravely come forward as victims of violence, fight against narratives that presume black bodies and queer bodies to be guilty even when they are victims and dismantle any other beliefs that would seek to invalidate our need for safety.
Of course, feelings of horror and outrage Additionally, we should commit ourselves to elevating the stories of non-celebrities among quickly turned into anger and distrust, all us who are indisputably victims of violence, directed at Smollett as new evidence made ERIC like Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean. him out to be the perpetrator of his own PA U L K assault — an elaborate ruse staged to elicit We should also at least acknowledge that sympathy and perhaps increase his Empire earnings. Among Jussie Smollett maintains his innocence. those most vehemently questioning the truthfulness of Smollett’s claims are communities of LGBTQ folks — black I am left wondering how our world might be different if we saw black gay men as lovable, loving and loved? Love LGBTQ folks. changes things. Initially, this troubled me, but I was not surprised. Operating within a system that has historically denied your pain makes My partner owns a copy of Ceremonies, the collection of Hemphill’s work that includes “For My Own Protection.” the violence perpetuated against you justifiable, and easily The book’s cover art shows Essex in a full embrace. He is turns that pain into spectacle. While the evidence at this being held from behind by another black man. Their hand point may be damning, it does not deny the fact that Jussie meets at his torso. Smollett is our brother and that he is worthy of our love, compassion and empathy.
Chicago born griot and activist Essex Hemphill was a courageous advocate for black gay men. He saw and understood that the power created when black gay men share their love could heal the wounds of racism and homophobia. In his poem “For My Own Protection,” he writes: 8
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Even here, Hemphill is teaching us. He not only used his words as a blueprint for us to follow, but he also used his life as an example of the potential that is created when black gay men love each other. Eric Paulk is an advocate working at the intersections of race, class, and sexuality. Follow him on Twitter @EricPaulk
Body & Soul
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COVER Q
Flag Football undergoes record-breaking expansion as queer leagues and fans take the fields Taylor Mclendon
“Supportive,
IRREPLACEABLE,
Inviting”
Photos by James L. Hicks jhicksphotography.net Find more of Hicks’ stunning images and more from the NFFLA guys at theQatl.com. theQatl.com
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Q
SPORTS, Continued
Enrique Vellon
Photos by James L. Hicks jhicksphotography.net Find more of Hicks’ stunning images and more from the NFFLA guys at theQatl.com. 12
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W
“That’s the common misconception, that
By Patrick Saunders
hen the LGBTQ and allied players of National Flag Football League of Atlanta take the field for their
season opener on March 9, they do so as just one of several queer leagues and fan groups kicking off spring sports in Atlanta. And they do so already breaking a number of league records. Spring 2019 boasts the most teams, the most female players, and the most overall players that NFFLA has ever had. Plus, they introduce a second division of teams for the first time ever. And for all those new faces on the field, there are plenty of returning veterans to break them in.
because it’s a gay league, it might not be as
competitive or intense as regular football,” he said. “But it definitely is.”
“Everybody was so welcoming, I realized that the competition was legit, and I’ve played in the league ever since,” he added.
Until now, NFFLA drew one or two female players out of some 100 to 125 players, and
they fielded eight to 10 teams. They ramped
up recruitment efforts going into this season. “We really wanted to make this the best year recruiting, and we wanted it to be an inclusive league,” Spears said.
It worked. The number of female players in the league jumped from one to 10, and nearly 150 players compete on 12 teams. That includes a new division for newer, more developmental players who just want to have fun.
Of course, the spirit of competition on the
“We still have guys that started the league 16 years ago,” NFFLA Commissioner Justin Spears told Q. “We started a Hall of Fame process to make sure that we’re acknowledging these guys that did so much for the league over the course of 16 years.”
field and fun off the field is a big part of what
Spears moved to Atlanta in 2013. It took a chance message on a popular gay dating app to find out about the NFFLA.
asked cover guy Taylor and some of the other
draws people to the league.
With that in mind, Q sent contributing photographer James L. Hicks to the field with
some NFFLA recruits for this week’s photo essay on these and the following pages. We players what they love about NFFLA, and their answers appear with their photos.
“I didn’t know anyone here, and someone reached out to me on Scruff and said, ‘Hey check this out,’” he said. “It took some convincing, but I went out there, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made in the last six years.”
We follow it up with a guide to Atlanta’s oth-
Spears said he was ignorant in assuming that because it’s an LGBTQ league, it wasn’t “real” football.
Atlanta Silverbacks Park. Games take place each
er queer sports leagues and fan groups taking the fields, courts, pools, pitches and stands this season.
NFFLA opens its spring season on March 9 at
Saturday except Easter Weekend for nine weeks through May. nffla.com
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Q
SPORTS, Continued
Marcus Fritz
Photos by James L. Hicks jhicksphotography.net Find more of Hicks’ stunning images and more from the NFFLA guys at theQatl.com. 14
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Q
SPORTS, Continued
Brian Goldstein
Photos by James L. Hicks jhicksphotography.net Find more of Hicks’ stunning images and more from the NFFLA guys at theQatl.com. 16
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Lucas Carter
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Q
ALL IN
SPORTS, Continued
Atlanta’s LGBTQ sports leagues and fan groups line up a season’s worth of activities
Q
ueer jocks and fans run deep in Atlanta. If you want a team, league or group to join, Atlanta’s got ‘em — indoor, outdoor, underwater, you name it.
In addition to the flag football jocks in this week’s cover feature, here’s a rundown of all the athletic endeavors you can sign up for this spring.
National Flag Football League of Atlanta Season Opener March 9
at Atlanta Silverbacks Park and games through May nffla.com
Hotlanta Softball League
Season opener March 10 at Johnson Park
in Conyers. Weekly games through June.
hotlantasoftball.org
Southern Softpaw League Season opener March 10
at Nickajack Park in Mableton southernsoftpaw.com
Atlanta Dixie Invitational Bowling Tournament April 19-21, 2019
at Brunswick Zone in Roswell dixiebowl.org
Atlanta Bucks Rugby
Current season continues through March 16
atlantabucksrugby.org All Stripes (LGBTQ Atlanta United Fans) FC Cincinnati vs. Atlanta United Home Opener
Sunday, March 10, 5 p.m.
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
All Stripes tailgate preceding the game allstripesatl.com
Hotlanta Soccer
Games throughout the spring
facebook.com/groups/34244209984 18
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Atlanta Rainbow Trout Spring Splash Swim Meet May 5 at Georgia Tech Aquatic Center atlantarainbowtrout.com Hotlanta Volleyball Association Saturday practices and matches throughout the year hotlantavball.leagueapps.com Atlanta Team Tennis Association Matches throughout the year atta.org Wilderness Network of Georgia Events throughout the year meetup.com/wildnetga Women’s Outdoor Network Events throughout the year meetup.com/wonatlanta Visit theQatl.com every day for the latest spring sports coverage, photo galleries and all of Atlanta’s best queer news, culture and entertainment.
Photos by James L. Hicks jhicksphotography.net Find more of Hicks’ stunning images and more from the NFFLA guys at theQatl.com.
UPCOMING TAILGATES
ATLANTA’S 1st & only
LGBTQ+ atl utd
supporters GROUP
AllSTRIPESATL.com @AllSTRIPESATL
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Soccer STUDS All Stripes builds on Atlanta United’s championship season
PRO SPORTS Q Atlanta United Home Opener vs. FC Cincinnati Sunday, March 10, 5 p.m. Mercedes-Benz Stadium All Stripes tailgate preceding the game allstripesatl.com facebook.com/groups/allstripesatl
By Patrick Saunders
A
s Atlanta United’s third season approaches, the team’s LGBTQ and allied fan group All Stripes has a lot to live up to in 2019, but they stand ready to (slide) tackle it all.
Last season, All Stripes had nearly 400 paid members, hosted 20 tailgates and 19 watch parties, and raised about $6,000 for charity. Oh yeah, and their team took the league by storm and won the MLS Cup in our home stadium. There’s much in store for 2019, according to All Stripes President David Prophitt. “The first thing is we’re planning on having more ticket blocks,” he told Q. They organized ticket blocks for three matches last year, and they’ve already lined up ticket blocks for six matches this year. “We plan on going match by match and based on availability, doing another block of tickets as close to the original block as we can,” Prophitt said.
They’ll also add more hands-on volunteer opportunities in addition to their usual philanthropic activities.
“This year, we plan on not only fundraising but putting man hours into projects like fielding a team for a ‘Soccer in the Streets’ tournament and finding other opportunities where local groups need our people power,” he said. “Our goal is going to be to keep our philanthropic activities as close to our mission as possible, so either LGBTQ+ or soccer related.”
It helps that the group now has a full board of directors and at least five active committees to help make it all happen.
If a recent season kickoff party the group hosted is any indication, All Stripes is about to get bigger and better. They had a sizable turnout, and to familiarize people with the game, the party included a Soccer 101 session led by local pro soccer player Adam McCabe.
The group hopes to hit a major goal this season: to become an official supporters group for Atlanta United. It’s an honor only four groups have so far, and it comes with benefits. Supporters groups receive access to away-game match tickets, direct access to the club leadership and more, but All Stripes can only get that designation if they bring on even more members.
About 200 have signed up so far for this season. Membership includes the group’s member-exclusive scarf, discounts on food and drinks at the tailgates, access to purchase tickets in the group’s ticket blocks, and voting powers for all general membership decisions.
Atlanta United’s Josef Martinez (Photo: Shutterstock)
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Q
STAGE
Their
BEST 
Lives
Photo by Chris Bartelski 24
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By Jim Farmer
A
urora Theatre opens another big, splashy musical that it’s known for this week, but the Lawrenceville troupe also does something this week that they have never donee — its first LGBTQ-themed production. Men With Money makes its world premiere and finds three bachelors looking for love in the Big Apple — and for two of them, husbands. The musical is the creation of two gay men. Bill Nelson wrote the book and lyrics, and Joseph Trefler handled the music and additional lyrics. It’s their first project working together, and it’s one that’s been in the pipeline for five years now. The two both attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and met when Nelson, an alumnus, came in to work with students. Justin Anderson, who was behind Aurora successes such as Les Miserables, The Bridges of Madison County and the recent Newsies, directs.
from the era so much, but I never thought I was represented because I was a gay guy.” The cast is mostly local with the exception of a few New York performers. “All are happy to play characters who aren’t sad, or dying or coming out, but are just trying to live their best lives,” Trefler says. When the pair submitted the show to the National Alliance for Musical Theater, it came to the attention of Ann-Carol Pence, one of the festival’s adjudicators, Aurora’s associate producer, and an unabashed lover of musicals.
Meet 1950s gays without all that bigot baggage
Men With Money is set in a fantasy version of the 1950s in which it’s OK to be gay, sans any real political agenda. Louis (Sean Doherty), Max (Marcello Audino) and Sonny (Kenny Tran) are friends, and at ringleader Louis’ suggestion, they decide to go after rich spouses to solve their money problems. Louis, however, has a block against love because he’s been hurt in the past. He goes after a rich guy, on paper a perfect fit, but the magic isn’t quite there. Later he meets a hot dog vendor, with whom there is a spark, yet he doesn’t want to take a chance. Over the course of the show, his sentiments slowly change. Nelson and Trefler looked to classic stage musicals such as Guys and Dolls, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and On the Town as inspirations, as well all the movies from the ‘50s with “protagonists going off into town and doing something,” Nelson says. “I love the ‘50s aesthetic, the music and costumes, and Joseph feels the same way,” he says. “When I was a kid, I loved movies and shows
She reached out to and invited them to debut the show at her theater. Nelson and Trefler jumped at it. They loved the company’s passion for musicals and mission of diversity.
“We really needed racial diversity in the cast to sell the idea of the show,” Nelson says. “Aurora does that already — and they have been wanting to do a gay-themed play for some time now.” After the Aurora run, the ultimate goal is Broadway. Nelson and Trefler have invited lots of producers to Atlanta’s run in hopes they can book future engagements. As New Yorkers, they are aware that oftentimes new work is staged out of town so it’s off the radar in case it doesn’t go well, but none of that mattered, they say. “We just wanted to see it in front of people,” Trefler says. But first things first. As this is a world premiere, the content of the show itself is still in flux. The two have already rewritten the opening number while in rehearsal, and they are busy re-doing another song. Over the fiveyear span of the show, Trefler estimates that roughly 14 to 15 songs have come and gone. Yet that’s part of the process - and what makes it exciting for both of them. “Men With Money” runs March 7 – April 7 at Aurora Theatre, auroratheatre.com theQatl.com
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‘70s Street
‘80s Spots
‘90s Floral
Q
THE QUEER AGENDA The Best Queer Things To Do in Atlanta This Week
FRIDAY, MARCH 8
March 7 – March 13
MAAP Mix & Mingle
THURSDAY, MARCH 7
Hobnob with the LGBTQ business minds of Metro Atlanta Association of Professionals @ Lilli Midtown, 6 p.m. maapatl.org
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Season 11 premieres on VH1, and it’s game on for gay watch parties, 8 p.m. vh1.com
Men With Money
Three young bachelors, two gay and one straight, are looking to marry their way from rags to riches in a re-imagined 1950s @ Aurora Theatre, 8 p.m. Read the Q preview in this issue.
auroratheatre.com
Sonia Leigh
Queer female blues rock dovetails with performer and audience @ Eddie’s Attic, 9 p.m. eddiesattic.com DILF: Strapped
One, two. You know what to do. Joe
Whitaker hosts DJ Xavier Alvarado @ Heretic, 10 p.m. hereticatlanta.com
SATURDAY, MARCH 9 Wish!
The party boys with the More To Love charity raise funds with day drinking @ Heretic, 4 p.m. Stick around for the DJ Roland Belmares Afterparty, 10 p.m.
hereticatlanta.com Sissy
Author Jacob Tobia discusses and signs his Hannah Thomas
The lesbian crooner sings for the preservation of the venue @ Covington Woman’s Club, 8 p.m. gfwcgeorgia.org Amen: Rihanna
Queens pay tribute to a queen @ Sister Louisa’s Church, 10:30 p.m. sisterlouisaschurch.com 28
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Q-recommended book subtitled A Coming of Age Gender Story @ Charis Books & More, 7:30 p.m. charisbooksandmore.com AFB: Dance The Night Away
Atlanta Freedom Bands @ Druid Hills Presbyterian Church, 8 p.m. atlantafreedombands.com
New Wave Dance Party
The ‘80s with VJ Anthony, those who remember and those who weren’t
born yet @ Amsterdam, 10 p.m. amsterdamatlanta.com
Oscar Velazquez All Nighter
Don’t stop ‘til you get enough @ Xion, 3 a.m. – 7 a.m. facebook. com/xionatlanta
SUNDAY, MARCH 10 New Faces
Regina Simms and Charmaine Sinclair host legends and
newbies @ Friends, 9 p.m. friendsonponce-atl.com
TUESDAY, MARCH 12 PALS ‘80s Bingo
Atlanta’s OG drag queen bingo theme night benefits Pets Are Loving
Support @ Lips, 7:30 p.m. See their ad in this week’s issue. palsatlanta.org
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13 Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Wussy Movie Wednesday’s continue, with this
2001 film adaptation starring the musical’s creator @ Plaza Theatre, 7 p.m. wussymag.com
THURSDAY, MARCH 14 Film Love: Civil Rights
Three historic art films, including Nikolai Ursin’s
1967 Behind Every Good Man about a black trans
woman, screen courtesy the gay-run Film Love project @ the High’s Hill Auditorium, 7 p.m. high.org
Find more LGBTQ events in the Queer Agenda each Thursday at theQatl.com. theQatl.com
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ATLANTA GAY & LESBIAN CHAMBER AT TWELVE
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HOTLANTA VOLLEYBALL BEER BUST AT WOOFS
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HEART OF THE SOUTH WEEKEND AT EAGLE
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Q
THEQ?! Mental
TOOLBOX
Deciding to move on is great, but how do you actually do it?
Q
After two long-term relationships that lasted years, it’s now been even more years since having anyone special in
Forget about embracing reality figuratively and embrace the question mark literally — and this exercise goes for any reader who doesn’t
know what’s next. Draw or cut out a large question mark. Put it on a poster board or paint it directly on the wall.
Fill it with your visions of love and new adventures. It can be photos, clippings, Post-It note scribblings, poetry, headlines, faces, whatever.
Ponder it, reference it, and bask in the questions you want answered. It may sound hokey, but it might help you manifest a new destiny.
Q
In the last five years, I quit drugs, stopped smoking, got fit and got counseling. When I did, I started to find more satisfaction
my life at all.
at home, at work and in relationships.
I’ve had hopeful but ultimately futile false
The trouble is, I’m still grappling with a past I hate and some of the
starts with a couple of people. I just couldn’t seem to jibe dating them for the rest of my life.
people who remind me of it. You recently gave some good advice
about coexisting with a bad past, but I’m clueless about actually making it happen.
One friend suggested that the
Dear Ancient History:
older we get, the more set in
Feeling good about ourselves
our ways we become. He said
informs every other facet of our
that I should get used to the idea
lives, and you’ve forged a great path
that less room for change means
so far. But even when we’ve done the
less room for love, and that I might be
hard work, the hard work never stops.
happier if I embrace reality.
Having the discipline to keep going and
I’m all about creating change or learning to live in this new normal, but I have no idea how to go about it. Dear Stuck: The desire for “figuring everything out” is natural. As we get older, we like having some of the bigger issues out of the way so we can concentrate on other things.
But sometimes, we clear our plate so well that it is
empty of anything at all to nibble on. If you’re at the point
of saying, “This is how I am. This is my approach. This way of
thinking will serve me from now on,” maybe it’s time to open back up to the unpredictable.
It doesn’t have to be the Big Questions, but it can be more
questions than you currently consider. It doesn’t have to be with everyone, but it can be with special ones. 38
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keep improving is tough, but it will keep
reaping rewards just like the other changes you’ve
made. Moving on and moving forward is a journey,
not a destination, and coming to terms with your
past sounds like your next step.
The hurdles may be mental, but bringing them into
the physical world via ceremony could get you started: Write a letter to those who hurt you, or even to your
past self. Set them on fire and envision the past going
up in smoke.
Take a list of your regrets to the river. Pick up a leaf for each
one, forgive yourself out loud for it, drop it downstream, let it go, and watch all those worries float away.
The Q is for entertainment purposes and not professional counseling. Send your burning Qs to mike@theqatl.com.
ILLUSTRATION BY BRAD GIBSON