Susane Colasanti

I’m doing this YouTube series called Missing Class, which is kind of like the essential class I felt was missing when I was in high school. My latest video shares some thoughts on what to do when someone doesn’t see things the same way you do…and how you can be the change. xoxo

When I was nine years old, my neighbor across the street started abusing me. As of last year, the Child Victims Act allows people up to age 55 to take legal action against their childhood sexual abusers. This Missing Class was even harder to do than the first one. Here I share my journey to justice, details of what happened, and yes, I name my abuser for the first time publicly. If you are also a survivor of abuse, I hope this makes you feel less alone, and also inspired to share your story. This is what empowerment looks like. You have the power to reclaim and reset your life, no matter who did what to you. Be fire. Be fierce. Be the designer of your destiny, even when you are afraid. xoxo

Greetings, friendly neighbors! I'm calling my new video series Missing Class for a few reasons: 1. What I miss about being a high school science teacher is my students. I miss the part of being a teacher that is actually teaching, with the fluctuating energy and lightbulb moments and magic that happens when you least expect it. 2. When I was in middle school, junior high, and high school, I desperately wanted a class that would teach us real life skills we needed to know to improve our quality of life. Missing Class is kind of like the class that I felt was missing from my teen life, and definitely the class I would have loved to teach in my teacher life. 3. Distance learning doesn’t even come close to the care and effect good teachers bring to the classroom. It breaks my heart that kids are missing class during this pandemic, both physically and emotionally. I believe that there is positive to be found in any negative situation, and these videos are my way of bringing some creativity and inspiration to a time welcoming us to think outside the box. Thank you for watching, and for sharing if you are feeling seen/heard/less alone in your own relationship challenges, both with yourself and others. Thank you for being exactly who you are. Much love. xoxo

This lovely photo by Paloma reminded me that SOMETHING LIKE FATE was published 10 years ago this summer. Lani’s fear of the Unknown reflected my own resistance to change back then, and I desperately wanted to know what was going to happen in every part of my life. A decade and pandemic later, I’ve learned to welcome change. Change is inevitable for growth, for becoming a better person, for elevating your life to an incredible level. The uncomfortable is now comfortable for me. It’s where I live and thrive. And my life has become better for it. Like Lani says, “The Unknown is scary. I’ll always have some fear about what’s going to happen next. The thing is, the Unknown can also be exciting. Your life could change in an instant anytime. But sometimes, that change is the best thing that will ever happen to you. Maybe I don’t have to know what my fate is to know that everything will be okay. Maybe the not knowing is how we move forward.”

According to the calendar, today is May 17. Which means this is Day 60 of my quarantine. Being on lockdown for two months made me realize what I miss the most about New York City. I miss the magical moments. The ones that bring people who haven’t seen each other in 10 years together on a random street corner. Meeting up with a friend at Joe Coffee to play backgammon. A great conversation over dinner at Westville. Walking on the High Line at sunset. The energy of New York radiates no matter what. But I miss everyone doing their thing, bringing their own unique energy to our daily routines, the dreamers and creators and activists who are the vibrant pulse of this city. I’m wondering how much of the before will not exist in the after, but I hope to rejoice in my favorite spaces with the other dreamers soon. 🥰

Looking forward to the day when my entryway bench doesn’t have to look like this anymore.

I’ve only been outside a few days this month. When I go out for essentials, I do this thing where I stand under flowering trees. I just stand under a flowering tree and look up and breathe. I reach up and touch a flower if I can to make contact with something beautiful that will no longer exist two weeks from now. When I went out yesterday to do grocery shopping for a quarantined senior, these happy tulips brightened my day. Find your happy place where and when you can. 🌷

Greetings from downtown Manhattan, friendly neighbors! I’ve only been going outside every 3-4 days to Whole Foods, and I have to say the I Am Legend vibe on the streets with everyone (i.e. three people, streets are empty) in masks and gloves got me for a minute. Still can’t wrap my head around how quickly things have changed. Was I really at the gym last week and out to dinner two weeks ago? But today I was one of about five shoppers at Whole Foods? Immensely grateful that Whole Foods is open and making social distancing easy by limiting the amount of shoppers in the store to 15 at a time. There is a bouncer at the door, and when a line forms outside it’s one person out, one person in. Being like the only shopper in the giant Union Square Whole Foods with zero people on line to check out is beyond eerie—you feel like you’re on a movie set and you know it’s the zombie apocalypse when a few rolls of toilet paper on the shelf is the definitive sign of life. But then I was walking home and I looked up and saw this gorgeous blooming tree. Sunny spring days are still the best days for a walk. If you can, get out for a while and look up. There is beauty in little things, and if you are open to the energy, that beauty gives you hope. Today there is this. 🌸

No matter how scary/crazy/insane life gets, you have the power to focus on what you can control. You can always convert negative energy into positive energy by choosing to be kind, helpful, and productive. I’ve been writing in my home office here in NYC, revising the 2nd draft of a manuscript I hope will become a book that will help readers feel less alone and more empowered. When I am in the zone, there is no darkness. Only light. ☀️🌈

I can’t wait to vote...FOR THESE GUYS.

Ten years ago tonight, I was sitting front row center at John Mayer’s Madison Square Garden concert. Front row center was a dream I’d had for years. I was on the hustle on the grind up until the last possible minute making my dream a reality with crystal clear vision, refusing to settle for anything less than my heart’s desire. This is what it looks like when you make the thing possible that everyone told you was impossible. 🎵🎶

Today is my 24th New Yorkiversary! On January 6, 1996 I moved to New York City because I had a Knowing that this was my true home. Living your authentic life means being exactly who you are, no matter what people say or how impossible they tell you your dreams are. When you design your life to reflect who you are, you welcome the people, places and activities that your soul knew before you knew them. Authenticity is how you find your people, end your loneliness, and discover your place to belong. Here’s to being exactly who we are and welcoming the positive energy that surrounds us ☀️

Happy New Year and Happy New Decade!! 2020 is my Year of Vision, and what I see for you is empowerment. You have the power to stand up for yourself when you are being mistreated and to speak up for others. You have the power to remove negative energy from your life—the people and activities that make you feel bad—so you can enhance your health and wellness. You have the power to manifest your dreams by clearly envisioning your heart’s desires and doing the work every day to make your vision reality, practicing gratitude and generating positive energy along the way. And! You absolutely have the power to be exactly who you are. When you let your authentic self shine, when you live in the light impervious to shade, you make the world a better place. Here’s to spectacular empowerment in 2020 ⭐️🌟⚡️

In which the manuscript I dropped two years ago because it was the last thing I wanted to write is now the only thing I want to write, and the first draft is DONE. Why? I have been living outside my comfort zone long enough that the uncomfortable has become comfortable. This is where the magic happens. Revising at the original Joe on Waverly Place, where I revised my first book back in 2003. You know how I love a full-circle moment.

Can you tell that someone in your life is suffering, even if they present as okay? Often asking for help is more difficult than hiding your desperation. Asking a friend or acquaintance if they are okay—for real—can feel awkward, but only because society has conditioned us to say we’re fine when someone asks, “How are you?” Make it clear that the honest answer to that question is important every time you ask it, and take time to listen when people open up to you. By asking in a real way, you are inviting others to be brave by giving them a safe space to reveal their pain. Sometimes just knowing another human being cares enough to hear their truth is enough.

Guess I just feel like I needed some bright, fun fall reading.