New Normal

 

 

Not exactly normal yet.

Exercising new ways to stay engaged

While reflecting on what I took for granted.

Nothing is the same,

Only nature proceeds on  course

Recurring examples that life goes on.

Mess-ups are for humans

Arrogantly thinking they are not part of

Life’s need to re-balance occasionally.

Live in the Time of Coronavirus, Pt 5: Signs of Hope?

President Trump did not want the cure to be worse than the disease, expressing hope that the country can get back to work or a more normal existence by Easter.

My church has canceled in-person services until after Easter.  (For Easter, this church normally adds an extra early morning service to meet the demand of the parishioners)  So who do you believe?

According to the New York Times, “Families are decking the halls to bring light in a dark time.”   Christmas is close to the Winter Solstice when the amount of daylight is at a minimum.  We are now past the Vernal Equinox when most places in the Northern Hemisphere are getting more than 12 hours of daylight (and increasing daily until June 20, 2020 ).  So the darkness is more symbolic of hard times with an unknown future than the amount of daylight.

Christmas lights against a dark sky and wrapped around bare tree limbs is a wonderful, glowing gift to passersby.   To me, Christmas lights competing with sunset and burgeoning leaves and flowers do not have the same impact. (Bah, humbug!)

 

On the plus side, I saw people walking out of Wegman’s with large packs of toilet paper. When I went back today, there were only single rolls left. However, this was the second store in a week that had toilet paper. (I  have not seen any store have it in about  three weeks.)

Adult incontinence supplies and feminine hygiene products and were also being rationed.  So are flu and pain medicines.

 

Do you think that things are getting better or will they continue to get worse for at least a few more weeks?  What  things cheer you up these days?

Live in the Time of Coronavirus: Pt IV, Hunkering Down

Time is a malleable commodity.:

• Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock with relentless precision as measured by the clock.
• Too fast or too slow as measured by human perception

More places close and permissible group size shrinks in direct proportion to the viral spread of COVID-19.    Many of us have reached the whiney kid stage, “Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”  Other than drawing some hopeful inferences about what is happening in China and Japan, no one knows when There is and what There will look like.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the countless people that were in hiding during WWII.  Their enforced confinement was harsher than most of us will have to endure–insufficient clothing/food/heat and death or concentration camps if discovered.  The volunteers that aided them were in danger of imprisonment at best.

Compared to that, staying at home with access to sufficient food and water, heat and air conditioning, books, computers, television, Internet, radio, music, and streaming services, doesn’t seem so bad.  If anyone has literally died of boredom, I’m not aware of it.

In an attempt to keep some perspective, I tried to find a downloadable copy of The Diary of Anne Frank at my local library.  No such luck.  Then I typed the title into the Internet, expecting to be taken to Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  I found a link to a PDF of  The  Diary of a Yong Girl: Definitive Edition,  edited by Otto H. Frank and Mirjam Pressler, translated by Susan Massotty.

So, when does time pass too slowly?  (This is a personal opinion.)

1.  Listening to pundits debate what will happen next.
2.  Watching an official brag or complain about how good/bad things are.
3.  Wondering how good or bad the economy will be when this too shall pass.
4.  Avoiding chores I should be doing.

When does time pass too quickly?

1.  Listening to an audio book.
2. Time away from home.
3. Thinking of and writing my next blog post.
4. Sleeping at night.

What is your perspective on mandated social distancing?

 

Musings during the Coronavirus

Have you ever met somebody who exceeds your expectations, no matter how low you keep moving the bar?

Can you get PTSD from self-isolation during the Coronavirus?

For a respiratory virus, why is there a run on toilet paper?

At the local Krogers, why are they also rationing adult incontinence products and feminine hygiene supplies ? Now lack of those things does cause a run…

With all of this self quarantining, will we have a population explosion in nine months?

The babies born in 9 months will be called Coronials…and then in 13 years they’ll change the names to Quaranteenagers.

With most professional, collegiate, and high school sports canceled, the local sportscasters are reduced to talking about high school stars that have signed to play for UVA and the professional prospects for past collegiate stars.

Change, these days seems constant.

Social Distancing–Spread the word, not the virus.

Whether dealing with the virus or politicians:  The situation “brings to mind the words, borrowed from Oliver Cromwell, that British Conservative backbencher Leo Amery used in 1940 to bring down Neville Chamberlain, a prime minister of his own party: “You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go.”

Does grab and go refer to the toilet paper aisle or restaurants that can only offer take out?

Are all of those ads for free delivery of online food or goods,  a case of viral marketing?

In the future will BC stand for Before Coronavirus if we are going to be reshaped as dramatically as some pundits are predicting?

Blue Hour to Golden Hour

I am a big fan of the ‘thin’  places and times when the portal between the natural world and the spiritual worlds blur and you can almost imagine transitioning portals. This post defines segments within that magic period of transition.

Blue Hour to Golden Hour, Yesterday was all about the blue hour of a sunrise. We all know that light is the crucial element in photography.  For sunlight, %

Source: Blue Hour to Golden Hour

New Life in an old Graveyard

Spring is gorgeous in central Virginia. Despite the fears and self-isolation of the Coronavirus, each day:

• the amount of light increases,
• the leaves unfurl further,
• more types of flowers bloom
• the number of birdsong increases.
•  the average high increases weekly despite temperature fluctuations

 

There is new life in this woodland graveyard of St Paul’s, Ivy.  The Church may be closed, but nature thrives  next door.

Live in the Time of Coronavirus, Pt 3, Someone Didn’t Get the Word

I have met the uninformed and it is us.

Tuesday was the last almost normal day.  Movies, schools and universities, libraries, and most public parks and attractions had already closed.

My husband took his car to the dealership for its annual inspection.  The person at the dealership flunked his car because one of the rear license plate lights was out.  When my husband checked it himself, both lights were burning.  When he mentioned it to the cashier, she told him that sometimes the LED lights were intermittent–$100 for the light and $20 for someone to replace the light.  Come back on Thursday because the light has to be ordered.

He texted me when he left the dealership and I met him for breakfast at  First  Watch at our neighborhood shopping center.  We were the only people in the restaurant beside the staff until another couple came in about the time we were leaving.  Social distancing was not a problem because of the lack of crowd in this popular breakfast/lunch place.

That night I had an inkling that the DMV might be closed because I needed to get something renewed.   Sure enough, the DMV had closed that day for about two weeks (at least for now).

On Wednesday, my husband got a phone call that the light bulb had been received and was scheduled for an appointment on Thursday morning–now it was drop off only.  I offered to follow him to the dealership so I could pick him up and we could go out to breakfast.

When we got to First Watch,  the owner apologized that now it was Grab and Go only.  He would take our order and bring it out to the car, but we could not wait in the restaurant.  Fortunately, it was a nice day so waiting outside the restaurant was not an issue.

My husband picked up his car and owed another $20.  Before he left it at the dealership he confirmed that the license plate LED was still burning.

That afternoon we went for a ride and decided to stop at our favorite winery to buy a bottle of wine and split s dessert while overlooking the lake from their large spacious porch.  The winery was closed and unable to sell us anything.  They did let us enjoy the view on the porch.

Today, there is more misinformation.

Many Millenials and gen Z-ers think they can not get the virus and if they do, they will not pass it on.  WRONG.

There are some medicines that will shortly be available to help treat the Coronavirus.  At some point but not SOON!

Picture of the empty shelves of a  San Diego Vons Market taken by Bonnie Brown on 20 March 2020

 

 

Libera–A Gaelic Blessing

This is one of my favorite blessings.

Deep peace of the running wave to you

Deep peace of the flowing air to you

Deep peace of the quiet earth to you

Deep peace of the shining stars to you

Deep peace of the gentle night to you

Moon and stars pour their healing light on you

Deep peace of Christ the light of the world to you

Deep peace of Christ to you

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

No parades, no bar or pub gatherings, no public celebrations, BUT did you know

1.  That Corned Beef and Cabbage was an American invention?

2.  That the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was in America?

3.  That Ireland had no snakes so St. Patrick could not have banished them?

4.  That leprechauns are based upon Celtic fairies?

5.  That the shamrock was considered a sacred plant?

Click here to read about these and other fun St. Patrick Day facts.

St. Patrick’s color is really blue and not green.

While I eating some delicious Irish whisky cake during a Celtic discussion,  I was told that Jamison was the Catholic Irish Whisky and Bushmill was the Protestant Irish Whisky because Jamison was distilled in Northern Ireland and Bushmill in County Cork.

However, this is an Irish-American fallacy.

According to Ask Your Bartender,

Jameson was pretty much founded in 1780 when John Jameson – a Scottish guy – purchased the Bow Street Distillery, which at the time was one of the biggest distilleries in Ireland. Now, it’s important to note that the Scottish Reformation occurred in 1560, so odds are in favor of the founder of the Jameson distillery, being Scottish, was a damn Protestant.

Bushmills, on the other hand, was officially licensed in 1608 by King James I (of Bible fame) and despite of its location deep in the heart of Protestant country (and this next bit is straight from my local Bushmills rep, so take it or leave it) has a Catholic as a master distiller.

According to everyone I’ve spoken with on the subject, you only really find this debate in the States, where Irish-American support of the Republic can sometimes be blind and often fueled by the very product we’re speaking of. But none of it means much, anyway: both distilleries are owned by huge international entities: Jameson by French liquor conglomerate Pernod-Ricard, and Bushmills by the English firm Diageo.

Live in the Time of Coronavirus: Part II, Batten Down the Hatches

In the past two days, life in the United States has changed dramatically.  Many things are canceled or postponed.

1. 1.  Most of our major professional and collegiate sporting events are canceled or on hiatus.
      1. No March Madness, which means no collegiate playoffs for basketball.
      2. Suspension of all NBA (National Basketball Association), NHL (National Hockey League), MLB (Major League Baseball), or MLS (Major League Soccer) games for the foreseeable future.
   2.   Disneyland, Disney World and many Disney venues in Europe are closed.
   3.    Broadway is dark.  Many television talk shows are filming without live audiences.
   4. Colleges and now public schools (K-12) are closed for a couple of weeks or until further notice.
   5. Church services are canceled.
   6. Some businesses are closing except for online stores.  Where possible, many are instituting working from home.
   7. The federal government which had been reviewing its teleworking programs for many departments has had to do an abrupt about-face and is now increasing who may work from home.

States and municipalities have had to step up since the federal government has not been as prepared as many citizens would expect or prefer.  More than half of the states have declared states of emergency as of Friday the 13th.  There seems to be no central source for the actual number of people who are infected–this number is hampered by the continued lack of enough Coronavirus test kit availability.

An excellent, nonpartisan site for  the latest on international Coronavirus information is

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

 

Live in the time of Corona–Pt 1 Storm Clouds on the Horizon

I live in Central Virginia, where so far as I know as of 3:01 pm on March 11, there is no confirmed or probable cases of Corona Virus any closer than Fredericksburg which is about 55 miles away.

I have lived here for almost three years.  Our seasons are strongly tied to the University of Virginia’s academic schedule so I have been here through Spring Break, Final Exercises (Graduation anywhere else), Summer School, Move-in Weekend and beginning of the Academic Year, Fall, Thanksgiving, and Christmas breaks.

The weather this week has been almost April like with daily temperatures in the 60s and the varying trees, bushes, and flowers racing each other to bloom earlier and more prolifically.

Today when I drove around Grounds, used the gym, stopped at Barnes and Noble for a chai latte, and drove to the local library, I have never seen the UVA  vicinity so devoid of pedestrians and traffic.

You can sense the Corona Virus storm clouds gathering.

Church Notices:

• Last week, the Rector “strongly encouraged parishioners to refrain from shaking hands during the peace for the time being. Instead, wave to your fellow worshipper or do a fist-bump. If you do shake someone’s hand during the peace, please make sure to use hand sanitizer before coming up for Holy Communion.
• We have put small bottles of hand sanitizer in each pew rack for your convenience.”  He also encouraged people not to use intinction (dipping the wafer into the chalice)  because it “actually tends to spread pathogens more easily than drinking from the cup. “
• This week, “in consultation with medical professionals and staff” the Rector ” has decided to cancel all church activities this week and next.   This will also include all church services. “

University of Virginia Notice:

I write to share an update on our response to the novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, and our plans for the remainder of the Spring semester.

To begin with the basic and important news:

• We will be moving our classes online.  We will not be holding classes on Grounds for the foreseeable future, quite possibly through the end of the semester.  We will reassess after April 5th at the earliest and periodically after that date.
• Students on Grounds and in Charlottesville are strongly encouraged to return home by this weekend.
• University events with more than 100 people are prohibited for the foreseeable future and should be postponed, cancelled, or offered virtually.

This is partially based upon the impact of so many bodies on the UVA Health system and surrounding community.

UBER notice:

• Supporting public health authorities
  We have a team available 24/7 to support public health authorities in their response to the epidemic. Working with them, we may temporarily suspend the accounts of riders or drivers confirmed to have contracted or been exposed to COVID-19. We’re also consulting with an epidemiologist to make sure our efforts as a company are grounded in medical advice.
• Helping to keep cars clean
  We are working to provide drivers with disinfectants to help them keep their cars clean. Supplies are very limited, but we’re partnering with manufacturers and distributors to source as much as possible. We’ll be prioritizing distribution to drivers in cities with the greatest need.
• Giving you options for food delivery
  We understand that you may be relying more on food delivery right now. If you prefer, you can leave a note in the Uber Eats app to ask your delivery person to leave your food at the door.

We will have to see if these plans help slow the spread of the Virus and how much our lives will change in the next several weeks and months.

Wash your hands, cover your coughs, do not touch your T-zone (eyes, nose, and mouth)  Avoid crowds as much as possible and we’ll compare notes when we get to the other side of this crisis whether it’s an epidemic or pandemic.

Stay healthy!

 

 

Timing Can Be Everything

Rule 39: There is no such thing as a coincidence. Gibbs doesn’t believe in coincidence. Rule 39 was first mentioned in “Obsession” (Episode 21, Season 7).  This is an NCIS reference if you do not follow that show.

Last Friday, the monthly submission to my Read and Critique group was due.  I had no plans to submit anything and was not motivated to even pretend to write something up.

When I opened my email on Friday morning, I saw a Brevity essay by Cindy Sims,

The Write Stuff: On Pushcarts, Lorrie Moore, and Writing Past Sixty

I read it and it was exactly the push I needed to submit some poetry and short essays from this blog.

Coincidentally, I commented on a blog post by Crystal Byers,https://crystalbyers.com/2017/10/02/wait-and-hope-and-other-mantras/ because she had commented on one of my recent posts. It was a blog post she had written a few years ago after Hurricane Harvey. Her comment was:

“After ten months in a La Quinta, we returned to our reconstructed home in the summer of 2018. I started blogging thanks to Hurricane Harvey, so there’s that. Life moves on. Thank you for the encouragement today! I needed some of my own uplifting.”

March 6 is National Oreo Cookie Day

The National Oreo Cookie Day is celebrated every 6th of March each year. This holiday aims to celebrate the Oreo Cookie – one of the most favorite cookies by not only Americans but also people from all over the world. The Oreo Cookie was developed by the National Biscuit Company back in 1912. It is a crème filled cookie that has been a favorite of cookie lovers of all ages. It is best paired with milk, where people dunk Oreos on. The National Oreo Cookie Day is indeed a fun day to celebrate.

Oreo’s Evolution

As the years went by, lots of varieties of Oreos were developed and sold to the people. These include the following:

• Double Stuf Oreo in 1974
• Football Oreo in 1976
• Big Stuf Oreo in 1987
• Oreo Minis in 1991
• Mega Stuff Oreos in 2013
• Oreo Thins in 2015

Some limited-edition Oreo cookies were also developed and sold. These include the following:

• Birthday Cake Oreos
• Lemon Twist Oreos
• Fruit Punch Oreos
• Cinnamon Bun Oreos
• Key Lime Pie
• Gingerbread Oreos
• Pumpkin Spice Oreos

What is your favorite flavor of oreos?

FUN FACT:  Did you know that the Belted Galloway breed is known as Oreo Cows because of their appearance?

The Belted Galloway is a traditional Scottish breed of beef cattle. It derives from the Galloway cattle of the Galloway region of south-western Scotland, and was established as a separate breed in 1921. It is adapted to living on the poor upland pastures and windswept moorlands of the region.

National Day of Unplugging

The National Day of Unplugging (NDU) will take place from sundown-to-sundown, Friday, March 6 to Saturday, March 7, 2020. The event has been at the forefront of the movement to educate people about the dangers involved with over-reliance on technology, especially as it pertains to handheld devices. The day to digitally detox is entering its 11th year.

How often have you seen couples go out to dinner and rather than talk to each other at the table, they are each texting, reading their email or surfing the ‘Net?

Raise your cellphone laden hand if this applies to you

How about teens sitting on a couch next to each other while texting rather than talking to each other?  Are people capable of making conversation anymore?  In 200 hundred years will we have evolved into having oversized thumbs and permanently slumped posture?

David Katznelson, Reboot’s Executive Director and CEO says: “Technology is both one of the most helpful and potentially troubling modern-day advances – making communication easier as a global community, but also feeding addictive behaviours that often supersede human interaction.”

If you were to take the Unplug pledge what will you do?

1. Read,  meditate, or go for a walk
2. Host a digitally unplugged event such as a night of board games or cards
3. Talk to a friend or neighbor
4. Write a letter or a blog post in longhand
5. Journal your experiences unplugged
6. Knit, crochet, paint, quilt, garden or some other infrequent arts or craft
7. Take a class
8. Play the piano or some other unplugged instrument
9. Look at old photos or organize them in a scrap book
10. Clean out your junk drawer or closet
11. Go for a ride in the countryside
12. Visit a local attracdtion you’ve always been meaning to see

Mass is Ended. Thanks be to God–Ash Wedneday

Ite, missa est are the concluding Latin words addressed to the people in the Mass of the Roman Rite, as well as the Lutheran Divine Service. Until the reforms of 1962, at Masses without the Gloria, Benedicamus Domino was said instead. The response of the people (or, in the Tridentine Mass, of the servers at Low Mass, the choir at Solemn Mass) is Deo gratias (“thanks be to God”). from Wikipedia

Although I did not grow up Catholic, I have attended many Catholic masses over the years–enough to know that while similar to a Protestant Service, there are some differences–like taking communion and how the Lord’s Prayer is said.

When we were in school and attended mass with some friends, the mass was ended when the priest said, “Mass is Ended.  Thanks be to God”.  Needless to say, the more irreverent stressed the last part of the response.

On Ash Wednesday, a friend and I decided to attend the mass at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Crozet.  It is a lovely modern chapel on the second floor of the new brick wing with a commanding view of the valley below and the surrounding mountains.  The monastery houses about a dozen sisters and their resident chaplain.  The nuns (part of the Trappist monks) make and sell 2-pound rounds of lovely Gouda cheese to support themselves.

In the chapel, the priest faces the sisters who each has her own desk and chair.  The desks are coupled, with  five pairs on each side of a center aisle.  The public is allowed to attend at least one mass a day and sit in pews to the priest’s left as he faces the nuns.

Like the chapel, the mass is simple.  The mass is sung in English and the sisters sing the responses with one sister who has a voice like an angel singing some parts solo.  No one was miked so at times it was hard to hear what was being said.

On Ash Wednesday some dozen middle-aged people sat scattered across the twenty or so pews.  There were several vacant pews and no pew held more than three people.  Judging from the uncertainty of the responses, probably most of us were not Catholics.

When it was time for the priest to rub ashes on our foreheads, the nuns went first.  They proceeded up to the railing in their stocking feet.  As the priest intoned “Ashes to Ashes”, his thumb traced the sign of the cross on the forehead of each sister.

When it was the laities’ turn to receive the ashes, he faced and spoke to us for the first time.  He repeated the same story about how ashes are a sign of physical death, as in ‘ashes to ashes, dust to dust.’ We begin as dust (a joyless and lifeless existence), and our bodies will return to dust until we are raised up by Christ. By receiving ashes and keeping them on, we publicly proclaim our intent to die to our worldly desires and live even more in Christ’s image.

He did not speak directly to us again until it was our turn to receive Communion.  The sisters received the holy wafer and the wine.  Those civilians who took Communion only received the wafer.  I’m not sure why no wine was offered.

Shortly after Communion, the priest and the sisters (with some feeble assistance from the civilian Catholics in the back pew), finished singing the Mass.  Someone turned the lights out in the sanctuary and the priest exited to a side room.   Those of us in the alcove sat in our pews for a few long seconds, wondering what to do next.  Finally, someone realized the mass was over and we quietly straggled out of the sanctuary.

 

No chum–You Chump!

You claim you’re my chum, my bud, my friend.  On the surface that may be true, but the reality is more chum (seafood bait).  I feel like your chump, not your chum.

As long as I show up when it’s convenient for you, bearing wine and things to eat, you are happy to see me.  You control the discussion–it’s often about you unless you graciously decide to let me borrow the spotlight for a moment.

I always travel to see you–you can’t be bothered to travel, even if somebody else is doing the driving.

You probably do not see this as a one-way street because you are older, alone, have suffered in ways the rest of us could not possibly understand.  That dog don’t hunt any longer.

You need to put a little effort into this friendship if you want it to survive.  I’m tired of being your chump, rather than your chum.  No my way or the high way but a bi-way would be appreciated.  It should be give and take, not just take.

Do you have friends like this?

Putting the “I” in Random Acts of Kindness Week

Someone with a small cart of groceries saw me standing in line holding two items and told me I could step in front of him and checked out next.  On the way home, a driver paused her car so I could get out of the parking lot.  The whole day suddenly shone brighter even though it was overcast.

It’s Random Acts of Kindness Week.   What can you do to put the “I” in Kindness?

• Say a kind word to someone or at least smile.
• Let someone cut in line (at a cashier, in a parking lot, merging onto a road).
• Pay it forward and pick up the meal of someone behind you at  Starbucks or McDonald’s (or a place of your own choosing).
• Buy an extra can of food (or two) for a local food bank or food drive.
• Buy some Girl Scout cookies and pass them around.
• Call or text someone (friend or family) you haven’t contacted in a while
• Tell someone what you admire about them.
• Pray for someone who needs it.
• Offer to help someone carrying a heavy burden.
• Take some time for yourself like meditation or a walk outside.
• When you ask someone how they, really listen to the answer.

Miami is Smokin’

As we walked along the crowded sidewalks of South Beach, we smelt more tobacco smoke than we have smelled in California, DC or Virginia.   You could even smell it in the many outside cafes along sidewalks and perched on front porches and patios.  People were allowed to smoke or vape while dining al fresco.

Remember the old “Cigar, cigarette, Tiparillo commercial?

That 1960s ad, featuring a dressed up blonde carrying a tray of smokes, has been replaced by a young woman whose bosom enhancing neckline has those same breasts nestled atop a tray of cigarettes, cigars, and various vape products. She glides along the rows of outdoor restaurants, attentive to anyone who looks up and may want to purchase a convenient smoke.

We were inadvertently approached by one young entrepreneur when we looked up from our meal.  We smiled, shaking our head no.  She slid off in search of new customers.

While we were having a drink at an outdoor pool bar, we got into a conversation with the hard-working young bartender.  She was married, with an eight-year-old daughter.  As we were watching the impeachment vote, she was lamenting the loss of Medicaid and the tuition benefits she might previously have enjoyed.   She also talked about people who use their WIC benefits to purchase a luxury meal rather than buying the type of food that might feed them for a month.  As she was telling us about the harsh realities of the working poor, she would occasionally take a small puff from her vape cigarette.

 

What  do you think about being able to smoke or vape in an outdoor restaurant or bar?

 

Birds of Prey

Large birds of prey roosting in a tree of the St. Paul, Ivy Episcopal Church graveyard

 

Why were Birds of Prey

Against a sky of gray

Overlooking the Churchyard today?

Was there a reason for this afternoon call

That gave the day a somber pall

When there was no funeral that I recall?

Was it a professional courtesy

To take up roost in a graveyard tree

Acting as sentinels for all to see?

 

Inclusion vs. Diversity

When you say you want to speak for the voiceless, don’t speak for them, hand them the mike.– Wendy Osefo

Are inclusion and diversity the same thing?

I attended  The University of Virginia Center for Politics’ 21st annual American Democracy Conference this morning.  One of the panelists, Dr. Wendy Osefo made a comment about the difference between inclusion and diversity.

I am paraphrasing her thoughts. Diversity is when you tick off a checklist to make sure you have a variety of individuals as part of your group.  It can be a woman, a person of color, someone from a different religion, country of origin, class, age, political party,  ability or capability, or sexual orientation.

Inclusion is when they are not tokens to show how well-rounded or ecumenical the group is.  They are an integral part of the group, and not examples who should consider them fortunate to be invited to sit at the table or stand on the periphery.

From Trailhead.:

Diversity is the full range of ways a person can identify. When we say diversity in the workplace, we mean the idea that our companies reflect the communities we serve. Diversity has many facets including race, ethnicity, gender or gender identity, age, religious affiliation, and sexual orientation. But diversity isn’t always something we can measure or see. Diversity also includes people with differing educational backgrounds, personality types, cultural references, experiences, or physical abilities.

Inclusion is when every single person in the community is valued, heard, respected, empowered, and feels a true sense of belonging. It goes beyond tolerance to actually celebrating and elevating every person in the room.