The Napkin In Between
Welcome to The Napkin In Between Podcast where we dive into social commentary, personal life, politics, & everything in between. The Napkin In Between Podcast delivers necessary hard truths, but don't worry...we'll give you a napkin to soften the blow!
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The Napkin In Between
The Joy of Unsticking Yourself
What does it truly mean to embrace your identity entirely, without reservation or apology? In this candid exploration of Black joy and self-acceptance, we dive deep into the transformative power of recognizing your own worth in a world that often fails to do so.
The journey from internalized anti-Blackness to profound self-love reveals how embracing your heritage becomes not just a personal victory, but a revolutionary act. "Being Black is my superpower," isn't just a catchy phrase—it's a recognition of the inherent strength, creativity, and resilience that has allowed Black people to thrive despite countless attempts at suppression.
Through unexpected moments of clarity—like realizing the freedom of swimming with a shaved head or rediscovering childhood joys—we uncover how healing happens in the spaces where we allow ourselves to be present. The political becomes personal when we acknowledge that caring for ourselves isn't selfish but necessary, especially for Black women who so often carry the weight of advocacy while receiving the least support.
This conversation challenges the notion that we must constantly process the world's problems, advocating instead for balance through deliberate disconnection. By finding activities that truly shut off our brains—whether reading, coloring, swimming, or simply being outdoors—we create sacred spaces for our mental well-being. The radical act of focusing on what makes you happy might be the most powerful form of resistance available.
Ready to rediscover what brings you joy and reconnect with your inner child? Listen now and join a community that validates your feelings, celebrates your existence, and reminds you that on this floating rock in space, the most important thing is your own healing journey.
Is this thing on? Hello, hello. Uh oh, another yapper with a mic. Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Napkin in Between podcast. I am your host, Daijné Jones. I hope everyone is having a good day, except for that orange chick lady, of course. Your girl is feeling refreshed. I know last week I was going the fuck through it, but I'm feeling so much better this week and that's for a couple of reasons. Number one and this was the peak of my week. Well, I've had a couple of peaks of my week, actually. First one, obviously Juneteenth.
Daijné:Like ugh, I love being black, I love being black, I love being black. It is literally top two favorite things and it's not fucking two. Like oh my god, I, I, I. In every life, me stuttering is crazy, but in every life I want to be black. In every life I would not trade it for one single thing. I don't care, I would not trade it for one single thing, I don't care, I would not trade it for one single thing, because I feel like it's really just such a powerful thing being black. Like that's how I feel now and I feel like before, before. I like really embraced who I am and like everything about me, especially being a black woman because I've said this before in previous episodes like growing up, I struggled with a lot of internalized racism and anti-blackness.
Daijné:And it's like once you really realize that being black is the tiest shit in the entire world, like oh, oh, my god, I really love it here. I love it here so bad. It really does not get better than being black. We are the blueprint. That's why we're always appropriated and never appreciated Like we are just top tier and I love every single thing about being black. God really has favorites and it is black people, specifically black women. I love being a black woman. Like I love being black, I love being a woman and I love being a black woman. I love being black, I love being a woman and I love being a black woman. Like that is like my favorite thing ever and I love, like in these past couple years I feel like I've made that my entire personality trait and it's like why, why wouldn't I, why wouldn't I make being a black woman my entire personality trait? It's literally top, fucking tier. Like no one can ever tell me shit. Like once you really understand how tea it is to be a black woman. Like there's really no going back and I know that that might sound narcissistic, but it's not narcissistic, because if it were narcissistic then I wouldn't be able to say that it's narcissistic. Take a shot every time. I just said narcissistic. Please drink responsibly. I'm just kidding. Don't do that, um, but anyway, yeah, I just love being black and I love learning every day about black history.
Daijné:Like I I really enjoy looking deeper into, of course, the people that we know who are like the, the big historical black figures. But I I love finding the hidden gems and like the people who did so much and like are just like in the shadows and people don't know so much about, for example, like oh, her name is escaping me mahalia jackson. I think that's how you say her name. I hope I'm saying that right, she was like a big inspiration to martha king jr and inspired his I have a dream speech. Go look into her. I just I love finding the hidden gems, the people who don't get talked about a lot and who made such huge contributions to the community. Like, oh, I love, I just love black people. Like it's really such a powerful thing to realize that, like there's been so much that has been carefully crafted specifically to keep black people down and every time they try to figure something out to oppress us or to make our lives harder, because that's what racist people do.
Daijné:Racism is the craziest fucking shit. First of all, like how are you mad that I'm black? How are you mad about my skin color? Like, when you really think about it, that's the stupidest shit ever. But I've said before and I'll say it again like I I don't feel like hating is wrong all the time. I feel like people just hate wrong. Do you know what I mean? Like, for example, for me personally, I hate JLo shocking news, I know but I hate JLo and I feel like I hate in a way that is productive to society.
Daijné:I hate in a way that, like, calls out her negative behavior or calls out you know the shit that she's done, how she's built this major career off of the backs of black women and how she's like not a good person. Do you know what I mean? Like hating someone and calling out the terrible shit that they do. I feel like that's needed, which is why I also call out like racists and homophobics and transphobics and misogynists, like people who deserve hate and bullying. That's why I feel like we need to bring back bullying, but it's like and it's not like we need to bring back bullying, we need to do it in a better way.
Daijné:Do you know what I mean? Because it's like for things like racism, like you're mad that I'm black, that's crazy. But it's like you're mad, but you won't like, leave me alone. You know what I mean. Like you won't just let me live, you won't just not bother me. You won't like, leave me alone. You know what I mean. Like you won't just let me live, you won't just not bother me, you won't just go away. You know what I mean.
Daijné:So it's like with racism. It's like they have to make people's lives harder in order to feel any type of joy, in order to feel like they are doing something or they're superior. They have to, they have to genuinely make you feel like you are less than, and do things to specifically cause you like misery, because they're just miserable in themselves and misery loves company. So it's like they do things in order for like they're like I'm miserable, so I need you to be miserable too. You know what I mean. And so, because they hate black people so much, like they have done so many things to try to destroy us and to make our lives harder and to keep us down. And it's like, no matter what they do, black people's brains are. They're just so creative and they can always figure out how to do like an uno, reverse and make it so that we flourish or like we like. No matter how hard racists try, they can never keep us down.
Daijné:And that's why I love being a black person so much, because, like, we've always had to be resilient, we've always had to figure shit out, and so it's like, no matter what happens, we're gonna figure it out, and I love that. I love, I love always being able to just figure shit out. I love that I am independent and that I can, you know, just like figure out what I want to do with my life, or like how to get out of a situation or how to turn a negative situation into a positive like. And I feel like again, because we've always had to do that as like a community, and then, like, growing up, it's just trickled down from generation to generation and it has just made us that much more resilient. And I'm not gonna lie. Obviously, at times it gets hard and it's like damn, like, why won't you just leave me the fuck alone? But at the end of the day, I still would not want to be anything other than a black person and a black woman like I. Just I just love it so much and it's literally just like the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'm so grateful that God decided to make me a black woman, like ugh.
Daijné:I don't know, I could talk about this forever, but Juneteenth was definitely the peak of my week. I didn't even really do anything on Juneteenth. I was just kind of at home with my dog. I didn't. I didn't do much, I think. Oh, me and Talia, we were gonna go to a block party, but it ended up thunderstorming all day and so we, we didn't actually go, so I was just at home. But even though I didn't do anything, I guess I just was so grateful to just be at home and just like sit in my blackness and just soak it all in, like yes, like yes, I literally feel like a superhero, like being black is my superpower. People say like, oh, superheroes aren't real. No, superheroes are real and they're black people. Like black people are just top tier and I love being a black person and I love black people and I just love everything about being black.
Daijné:So Juneteenth was the first peak of my week. Second peak of my week is I went to the American Dream Mall, which is a huge mall in is it in? No, I guess it's technically in New Jersey. Yeah, it's technically in New Jersey, but, like in New York City, I took my nanny kids. For those who don't know, I'm a full-time nanny outside of content creation, which I've talked about a little bit, but I took them to a water park. There's a water park in the American dream mall and so we went there, because one of my nanny kids is leaving in a couple of days, at the time that I'm filming this.
Daijné:She's leaving for summer camp and she goes away for seven weeks, like she's gone the whole time, and so every summer, before she leaves, I always ask her like what's one thing you want to do? As, like, her send off to camp. And so this year she was like I want to go to the american dream mall, I want to go to the water park. And so I asked her parents like is this okay with you? And they were like yeah, for sure. Like are you okay to do that? I'm like yeah, absolutely, like I had never been. And you know, her and her little sister were both very hype and and wanted to go. So I was like, okay, cool, like we'll go there. And so we go to this water park.
Daijné:And well, first of all, this mall is fucking huge, like there's a water park in there, there's an amusement park, there's um skiing, like there's so many, and then it's also like a mall, like a shopping mall, like there's like old navy and um american eagle, so forth, like all these stores and stuff too. And it's been so long since I feel like I've stepped foot into a mall, like I feel like the last mall that I was in was like when I was undergrad in college, which I'm coming up on seven years since I graduated from college. Just crazy to think about, like, oh my god, I miss college so much. Life was so much simpler anyway, um, but it's been so long since I had been in an actual shopping mall, because I feel like everyone's so online these days and we're just like shopping online and that's how people are building relationships online, like, oh my god, please touch grass, get off of your phone After you watch this episode, of course, but it was just so nice to like actually like be in a mall and unplug for a little bit.
Daijné:And so they're doing water rides a little bit, like. And then they're like, okay, we're getting hungry, so we go have lunch. And as we're sitting at lunch they're like daisianette, will you go back with us and get in in the water? Like, do the water rides with us? And I didn't even have a swimsuit at the time but I was like, okay, like we're in this mall, I can go grab a quick swimsuit and then go into the water rides, because it's been a long time since I've been to a water park. Even like, the last time I was in a water park was I think I was in high school. I went to Splash Lagoon, which is in Erie, over by where I grew up. But like, I've always really loved water rides. But I was like, okay, I'm here, as you know, the chaperone. So I didn't take a swimsuit. I was like, I'm just here to chaperone, essentially. But they asked me to do the rides with them. And so I was like let's finish lunch, you know, we'll stop by one of these stores and then I'll buy a swimsuit, I'll get in with you guys. And that literally made me so fucking happy. I forgot how much.
Daijné:I really enjoy water parks and water rides because I'm not a roller coaster person. I hate roller coasters. I hate the feeling of my stomach dropping. Like people are like, oh my god, roller coasters, the adrenaline rush I'll. I'll get my adrenaline rush some other way, like literally any other way. No, not any other way. Like let's, you know, make sure it's legal and you know I'm not gonna change my life or anything, but like I just I hate roller coasters but I I love water rides. Like water rides are so much fun.
Daijné:It was also very freeing for me because, number one, I hadn't been to a water park in a very long time since like high school, and number two, I've never been to a water park or like in a body of water and not had to worry about my hair. Like I feel like black women will understand what I mean. Like going swimming. It's supposed to be such a fun activity as a child but, like you're always a little bit worried about like your hair as a black girl swimming and right now, like I don't, I don't have any hair, so I didn't have to think about you know, like, oh, like you know this chlorine or whatever. Like, of course, after I got home I still like took a shower, wash my hair and everything, but I didn't have to worry about like anything when it came to really anything while I was on the water rides. Like I didn't have my phone, obviously. Like I mean, I guess I could have, I could have gotten like one of those like plastic things, but I put my phone away and I was just extremely present, and not only present but doing something that I like forgot that I found so much joy in doing. Do you know what I mean? Like I really love being in the water.
Daijné:I was having the best time. First we were going down all the water rides, all the slides and stuff, and then we went to there's like a wave pool and we were like playing mermaids and like riding the waves and like diving under the waves and like letting the waves crash into us. We started playing this one game. Like I was low-key waterboarding myself, but my nanny kids wanted me to throw them over the waves and so like I would like throw them, but as I would throw them, like they would make it over the wave and then the wave would hit me directly into my face and like I was like essentially waterboarding myself, but we were having a great time so I didn't really care because I just forgot how much I really enjoyed like swimming and just like being in the water.
Daijné:I can remember like growing up as a child, we would go to like day camp in the summer at the YMCA and we would swim a lot and I always loved swimming. I like I've just always loved being in the water. I've always loved the beach. I've always just loved like that's just so fun for me. And I feel like I really needed to be reminded of that, especially last week because your girl was going through it Like, oh my God, I was having a rough week, like zero out of ten, not having a good time, and so it was so nice to be doing something that I like forgot that I had such a love for.
Daijné:And also I feel like now that I'm like bald or like don't have much hair, I feel like I'm experiencing things extremely differently and I wish that I knew how to explain it better. But it's just like, as a black woman, like our hair is still policed and we're always worried about our hair and how it looks and all this stuff, and like freeing yourself from that worry and just being like fuck it, like I don't care about it. That in itself is freeing. And then like you're doing things that you've obviously done before, like I've I've swam before, but I've never swam with my head shaved and like that was just such a different thing, like just not giving a fuck if. Like how my hair would look after because I didn't really need to and not that it even really matters like even if my hair was like down to my ass crack and I went into the water and swam and it shriveled up to like the length that it is now, none of that matters and I feel like shaving my head genuinely the best thing that I've ever done, because it's truly showing me that none of it matters. Literally, we are on a floating rock in the middle of space and our country is being run by a fucking fascist. I don't have time to give a fuck bitch. I'm just trying to live. I'm just trying to enjoy any second that I can. And it's like doing things that I, like low-key, forgot that I had such a love for it, but also doing them now. Bald has just been incredibly freeing for me and it just made me feel just like like nothing mattered and like it was. I was just so present too, which I feel like I never really am. Like.
Daijné:I've also been this past week trying to read more, because I feel like I'm just spending too much time on my phone, like doom swirl on tiktok or like you know, watching something like I'm just so connected to devices all the time, and so I'm trying to get back into reading, because I used to be an avid reader. I would read a book a week and just like, read, read, read, read like I've always loved reading, and so I wanted to get back into it and I just feel like what I need and I just feel like what I need two things I need to. Number one, do more things from my childhood that, like, made me super happy and just be like present, and I feel like reading and swimming are those two things for me. Those were huge for me as a kid. I loved swimming and I loved reading, and they take me away from the current state of the world like they just make like.
Daijné:When I was swimming, I literally nothing mattered.
Daijné:I didn't care about anything other than the water, that's. All that mattered was just me being present and like being around them as well, my nanny kids. It's like I just feel like I I want to return to my childhood. Like I said this a little bit last week and I didn't even really realize it until just right now, in this moment, where I was just like I miss, when you know politics, like I didn't care about them as much. And obviously I know that I have to care about them now and I do care about them.
Daijné:But there are times where I just need to unplug my brain and, as a kid obviously like you don't know as much when it comes to like the bullshit that's in the world, like you're just a kid, you just want to be. Like I feel like being a child is being present, like all that matters is what's in front of you in that present moment. And that's why I like get upset when people, like people don't realize that, like all kids really have is their emotions and like what's in front of them. So it's like we'll see something that's like such a small deal. Like, for example, the other day, my nanny kids they were fighting because one had taken the other shirt or something I don't remember. Like they just have like the silliest fights. And that's my point, like, like, to me they're super silly, but to them they're a big deal, right, like one sister taking the other sister's shirt, that's huge. Because, like, they don't have like thoughts about like what's going on in the world, because they don't have to, they're just kids. You know what I mean.
Daijné:And I feel I get upset when people like make those things a small deal because, like, to them that's everything. To us, obviously, it's a small deal because we have things like bills and we know about politics, we know about trump and we know about this war in iran and we like you, you know what I'm saying like we know about these bigger issue things. So we're like your sister taking your shirt is not that big of a deal, but to her that is the war. That is like the war that is happening. Do you know what I mean? So it's like I love being able to like validate those feelings for them, because it also helps me to validate my feelings. And I feel like it's because I read somewhere.
Daijné:Once I read somewhere I probably saw it on TikTok that when you are like, when you face serious trauma, you kind of stay at that age of when you are traumatized and I don't want to say, my childhood was like super traumatic, but like kind of like my childhood was kind of traumatic and I feel like as a child, like yes, there were times where I was like okay, I can just be a kid. But I feel like a lot of the times, like I was thinking a lot about like everything, and like thinking about myself, who now is a nanny, and like I used to be a children's therapist. Like I just want to make sure, like children know that their feelings are valid and like, yeah, to me it might be like this is a stupid argument. Like you're arguing over your shirt, it's a shirt, but to her, like that's that's important to her, that's one of her favorite shirts, as one of her favorite, you know saying so. It's like I love being able to validate those feelings because it helps to heal me.
Daijné:I forgot where I was going with that for a second, but, like the point I'm trying to make, I feel like I'm a little bit all over the place today and I feel like you know what I'm tired of pretending. I try to structure my podcast because I feel like a podcast is supposed to be structured but my brain isn isn't structured. My thoughts are all over the place all the time, and so it's so hard for me to be like, okay, I'm going to talk about this, this, this, in this order, and like we're going to be great, like that's just not how I operate, that's not how I think. So it's hard and I feel like my episodes are a little bit stiff because it's just not something that I'm used to. It's just like having a structured thing. So I don't know, I, I just feel like I, my thoughts are all over the place, and so if the podcast is all over the place, chalk it up to my thoughts. I don't know, I don't know what to tell you. I'm tired of pretending, I'm tired of trying to be like, yes, this is ABC, like I, just I can't do it anymore, I can't it. Just like my thoughts are all over the place. Therefore, my podcast is going to be all over the place. Anyway, I forget what I was saying. Again, I think I might have adhd a little bit, or I'm just hot. It's the heat, like it's. It's really hot in new york city right now, but I forget what I was trying to say.
Daijné:But the point I'm trying to make is like now that I'm a nanny and I used to work as a children's therapist, which I still incorporate into my nannying. I feel like it's helping me heal my inner child. It's helping me realize that, like, even as a child, my feelings were valid and even as a child, I deserve to be listened to and deserved respect and I can do that for them, which helps to heal my inner child as well, and I've talked about this a little bit before. But, like, what really helped me to heal was nannying Callie, who was technically my second nanny kid, the second family that I needed for, but it was basically my first. The first family I needed for was only like three months, and then I was with Callie for a year and a half, almost two years, and so working with her from such a young age too. I started working with her when she was 19 months old and I worked with her until she was three. Working with her and just being able to like again validate those feelings from a young age, and especially with her being a little black girl, like I feel like that's what black women need.
Daijné:Black women need to, number one, be carefree and childish a little bit, and what I mean by that is just like doing things that children would do like childhood activities like swimming or um, coloring or just like things that are more like carefree and childish I say in quotes because they're not even really childish. I feel like they're sometimes viewed that way because, like children mainly do those things. But like I feel like black women need to do more things that like put their mind at ease and I feel like, for me personally at least, things that I found that really like make me turn off my brain and not think so much is like things like swimming or coloring or different things like that. But also, if you enjoy children, I think that more black women should spend time with children not children of your own, necessarily, but like kids are so carefree and they never gave a fuck. I love that about kids kids never gave a fuck. They'll come up to you and they'll say the most outlandish shit and then do a cartwheel and run the fuck away.
Daijné:Like my favorite compliments always come from children, because I know like you mean that shit, because kids always say what they mean and mean what they say like if you've ever spoken to a child, it is like they just have no filter. The intrusive thoughts are always winning and I feel like as black women, we've always had to like have ourselves together, because it's like we're under this microscope that nobody else is under, and it's like nothing we do is ever good enough. Our responses either either we're angry, we're hostile, even if we, you could say something in the most respectful way, and someone will still be like oh, you're bitter, oh you're angry, oh you're this, or you're that. Like the only like adjective and emotion that they can put onto black women is just like angry and bitter and it's like hey, so like we feel other things.
Daijné:Also, anger is a secondary emotion, meaning that anger is the emotion that's being shown, but it's not the one that's being felt. Meaning that I could be actually feeling sad, but like I'm screaming or you know, I'm ranting or something like that. And so people think like, oh, she's angry and it's like, no, I'm sad, but it's not showing up as sadness because I'm not like crying or something. You know what I mean. I hope that makes sense. I don't feel like I didn't explain that well, but it's like anger is a secondary emotion, it's not the emotion that's actually being felt, it's just the one that's being shown. But when it comes to black women, like, even if we show any other emotion, it's like the only thing that they can slap on a black woman is angry.
Daijné:And I feel like if we spent more time doing like childhood things or spend more time with children, if you can stomach children because some people don't like children and that's okay, children are for everyone but if you can do more childhood things or spend time with children like, I feel like the more time I spend with kids, the less I care, because it's like, honestly, none of it matters at the end of the day, again, we are on a floating rock in the middle of space. I don't have time or energy to care about every single thing, nor should I care about every single thing, especially things that don't matter, like the features that I was born with. I don't have time to care if somebody else appreciates my features. The only person whose opinions matter about my features is me. If I feel like I'm T, then I'm fucking T, period the end.
Daijné:And the best thing about actually having confidence and actually knowing like, like you're that girl is that I know that I am the baddest bitch in the fucking world. I also know that my roommate Talia is the baddest bitch in the fucking world. I also know that my friend, courtney J, is the baddest bitch in the fucking world. I also know that my mom is the baddest bitch in the fucking world. I also know that Megan Thee Stallion is the baddest bitch in the fucking world. I also know that Megan Thee Stallion is the baddest bitch in the fucking world. Like I am the baddest bitch in the world and at the very same time, so is every other bitch. Like multiple things can be true at once. You know what I mean.
Daijné:So it's like the only thing that matters is how I feel at the end of the day, and at the end of the day, I feel good as fuck. You know what I mean. So, and I want all black women to feel that way. I want all black women to know that, like you don't always have to be so put together. You don't always have to be so like immersed in everything that's going on in the world. Like immerse yourself in not giving a fuck, in doing things that turn your brain off and doing things that just make you feel present and like none of it matters. Because at the end of the day, like none of it does. Like like we get one life. I can't spend my entire life worried about other people's perceptions or what someone else is doing or how they're feeling. Like, especially as a black woman. Who's gonna care about how I'm doing? Who's gonna make sure that I'm good? Who's gonna make sure that my mental is good, right? So it's like I need black women to figure out what just makes them present and what makes them feel like nothing else matters. And I feel like for me, that's really just doing childhood shit, like coloring or swimming or being outside going to the park.
Daijné:I wish there were like parks for adults. I wish that I could just like go swing on a swing set or like climb the monkey bars. Like why aren't there adult parks? That's the thing it's like once you get to a certain age, like just like things are just not acceptable. Like why can't I just go to a park and like what if there was an outdoor park and there were like drinks there too? You know what I mean? Like you could get a drink and then like go on the swing. Wait, that's a good idea. Are there adult parks? If not, like I need to like patent that and make those, because I feel like that'd be so much fun.
Daijné:Like imagine, okay, okay, maybe, maybe not after a couple drinks, but like, imagine you're on like america not america round, but like that spinny thing you know I'm talking about where it's like your feet are on it and like someone runs around and spins it and you go in a circle. I can't think of the name right now. It's not america round, or maybe it is, I don't know. But imagine doing that at the park. Like that would heal me. Just just being able to do childhood things as an adult heals me, like swimming or coloring, like those things truly take my mind off of the world and I feel like that is so important because it's easy to get like immersed in the bullshit and it's so easy to lose your fucking head. Honestly, I was trying to think of a better word, but they're like I don't know. It's so easy to just like get wrapped up in everything because there is so much going on. Like I don't remember if it had already happened before I filmed my last episode. But like the us bombed iran. Like what the fuck? Like what the fuck? Why did we do that? There was literally like no reason. Like he's like oh, they have nuclear weapons. No, the fuck, they didn't. And even if they did like, they came out and said that they had already moved shit and like nothing was actually destroyed. So it's like a pointless mission. And here come trump talking about some oh, this mission was super successful. No, the fuck, it wasn't you.
Daijné:Old, wrinkly, dirty, fucking liar. Like, oh, I'm sick because, like I saw someone say in perfect description of it, someone said I wanted to go see barbie and somehow I ended up in oppenheimer. Like perfect fucking description. Every time I think about how we could have had mamala in office, big sister general. I literally like it makes me sick to my stomach. Like, oh, my god. And then there's people talking about some oh, she would have done the same thing. No, she fucking wouldn't have. No, she wouldn't have. Like, shut the fuck up, you're a fucking filthy liar.
Daijné:I just really hate everyone who did not vote for her. Like, why didn't y'all listen to black women? I mean, who's surprised? Literally no one. Y'all never listened to black women. But like, damn, like y'all really hate black women that much that you were just like, yeah, I'm gonna vote for the convicted felon rapist. Like oh, my god, I can't.
Daijné:And now there's so many people like, oh, I regret my vote. I don't give a fuck because you only regret it because things are starting to affect you. You only regret it because now your life is being affected. But if it had been other people's lives, like you voted for and like you knew you were voting for, you wouldn't give a fuck. And it's like the lack of empathy from people like really blows my mind. The lack of like compassion for other people. I just can't imagine living like that. I can't imagine just genuinely not caring about other people's lives. That's really crazy. Like think about it. Like people who voted for Trump, literally not only did they not care about other people's lives, they wanted to make other people's lives harder, like they wanted their lives to be harder. You can't convince me otherwise. They voted for hate. They knew exactly what they were voting for, and I hate when people are like oh, like I didn't realize that it was going to be this bad.
Daijné:One thing Trump was on his campaign trail for the first time in his fucking life was honest. He told y'all everything he was going to do. There was also project 2025 laid out of everything that he planned to do. And just because y'all heard him say, oh, I have nothing to do with that. Y'all believed him.
Daijné:Y'all believe the well-documented liar. That's really wild, like that's crazy. You believed the lying convicted felon rapist over the black woman who most qualified person to run for president. She's worked in every branch of the government. She wanted to give us money for houses.
Daijné:Like I hate y'all. I hate you guys so much because why are we here? Like like all y'all had to do was listen to black women and you didn't. Oh, I'll literally never forgive. I will never forgive and this goes more into my point like, as black women, because they don't listen to us, we just have to stop. We have to stop screaming from the rooftops and we have to start really caring about ourselves. And that's not.
Daijné:I'm not trying to say like if you feel like advocating is is what you want to do, by all means do that. I'm not trying to say like you shouldn't do that at all, because I feel like that is problematic for people to do too, but like I just wish that black women would take more care of themselves as well and do things to shut your brain off or do things to really prioritize your mental health, because I feel like we we never get to really do that, even as kids, like we just always have to have our brains turned on, and I just want black women to know that it's okay to turn your brain off for a little bit, it's okay to unplug, it's okay to rest, and I feel like I've had a hard time balancing the two because, like, yes, I want to rest and I want to prioritize myself, but at the same time, I do really like being informed, not just for me, but for you guys as well, so that I can update you guys on what's going on in the world and different things like that. But I feel like I just I didn't have a good number one. I feel like I didn't have a good balance. And number two, I feel like I just wasn't doing the right things to actually have that balance. Do you know what I mean? Because it's like I do enjoy making content, and content is kind of an escape for me, but it is also something that you know. I'm still very much focused on what's going on in the world, and so being able to like swim or read or color, like those are things that truly make me turn my brain off and like not worry about anything else, and so I feel like I just need to do more of that, and so that's what I'm going to do.
Daijné:I feel like last week I was really down and I was really like what the fuck do I do? And I feel like I I got my answer and I love, I love my guardian angels, I love any time that I'm just like give me a sign, what do I need to do? I get that sign and it comes quick too. It comes within the next business day Because, like your girl was like what the fuck do I do? Because I could feel myself internally spiraling last week Like I was going through it and I was like I need to figure out something that will make me like not be so in my head and like make me turn off my brain.
Daijné:Like I said before, I saw that you're kind of stuck wherever you've experienced trauma and you need to heal that version of yourself in order to really heal your trauma, and so for me that is like childhood and I'm just working on healing my inner child and the way that I can do that is like with my nannying, validating those feelings for my nanny kids, because that helps to validate my feelings and then also just doing more, more childhood things swimming, coloring, reading, etc. So that is what I want to encourage everyone, and especially black women, to do as we are up with this episode, is just find something that heals whatever part of you that is stuck. Find where you feel like you are emotionally stuck in whatever part of your life that is, whether it's childhood, adolescence, teenage, adult, wherever it is and then just work to heal that part of you. I feel like that is really really healing. And also shave your head.
Daijné:I am such a big proponent and advocate especially for black women to shave their head. I feel like that has been the best thing that I could have ever done for myself, because it genuinely shows you just how little everything matters. None of it matters. At the end of the day, none of it matters. Again, we live on a floating rock in the middle of space and our country is being run by a fascist, criminal felon. What are we gonna do, you know?
Daijné:So, I think, right now, for myself and for other black women, I hope that we will just focus on healing ourselves, like that is. That is what I hope and want and pray and wish for for black women is just healing and prosperity and just every single good thing that could happen like. That's all I want for black women and people in general. But I feel like I want to focus on black women because there's not a lot of safe spaces for black women and I want to make sure that black women always know like you're safe here, like you are my priority. Black women always know like you're safe here, like you are my priority. Black women are my priority.
Daijné:So anytime I give advice, it's for whoever wants to hear it, but I hope that black women hear it the most and I hope that it helps, even if it just helps one black woman to understand how important she is, like I. I that's all I want to do. All I want to do is make sure black women know just how important and loved and seen and valuable they are, because we don't get to hear that a lot, we don't get to experience that a lot in every part of our lives. Like we don't get to experience that. So I just hope that everyone my sisters, my brothers, my black people I hope you had a fabulous Juneteenth. I hope that you know everyone will focus on what. Just do what makes you happy. Do what makes you happy and do what heals you. That is my, that's my wish for everyone.
Daijné:Just find that thing, find where you're stuck and then go and unstuck yourself, go heal yourself, go uproot yourself from those roots, which can be very, very hard because, like trauma, especially deep-rooted trauma, those things are really hard to break. And for anyone who's on that journey of healing yourself and healing your trauma, I'm so proud of you because trauma is is real and it's hard and it's a lot, and you are not responsible for your trauma. But it is amazing that you are healing yourself so that you don't pass that trauma on to other people. I love that and just unsticking themselves and just healing parts of you that, yes, you didn't break, but you're taking the responsibility and you're healing those things because, at the end of the day, I feel like that's important too. It's like people like, yes, we didn't traumatize ourselves, but it is our responsibility to make sure that we're not traumatizing others and so healing that trauma, working on recognizing you know your triggers or where it is that you might need to work on yourself like that is so important to me and I hope that all black women just focus on you. Focus on you, make yourself your priority and do whatever makes you happy and whatever makes you unstuck.
Daijné:Thank you so much for watching this week's episode. I realized that it was kind of all over the place and there was no real topic, but I just felt like freestyling it today. I just wanted to free ball, I just wanted to pick up my mic and start talking and that's what I did. So I just wanted to yap and that's what I did and I enjoyed it. I hope that you guys enjoyed it. I hope that everyone is having a good week, except for that orange drink, lady, and I will talk to you in the next episode. Peace and love. Talk to you later. The Napkin in Between, hosted by Daijné Jones, produced by Daijné Jones, post-production by Daijné Jones, music by Sam Champagne and graphics by Isma Vidal. Don't forget to like and subscribe. See you next episode.