By Margo Snipe, Photo: Meika Ejiasi/Vox/Capital B, Vox, June 12, 2023
On most warm days, Stephanie McWoods catches the California breeze with the bubble wand she keeps on her patio. Sometimes, the bubbles float, then burst midair. Other times, when they don’t pop, it is unclear how many miles they travel. A captivatingmystery.
On the surface, it seems mindless. But for the therapist, it is a joy carefully curated to combat the chronic stress of living in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Oakland where life expectancy ison average 15 years lower than the wealthy white areas of the city farther north.
Her 4-year-old daughter sometimes joins the bubble blowing. And Barry, their Cavalier King Charles spaniel, watches along. It’s an added layer of protection against the pressure that McWoods feels contributed to her 69-year-old mother’s death in January from pancreatic cancer.
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