Five Things That Got Me Through Friday

It’s been a long year already for a lot of people. Personal hardships, anxiety about the present, uncertainty for the future … everyone is carrying something and it can often feel like you’re carrying it alone.

For me, this has meant spending much of the last 32 days at UT Medical Center with my mom. After a couple touch-and-go weeks, she’s now stable but has a long road ahead of her. Between worry and exhaustion it’s felt like my world has had a dark rim around it lately, like the vignette of an old photo. 

I’ve kept my calendar intentionally sparse but last Friday felt like it was time to get out and be around some people. It was good medicine. Here are five things that got me through the day. Maybe there’s a little something in here that you can use, too. 

Civic Engagement

First stop: World’s Fair Park, where Knox County School students were gathering for an ICE Out protest. Some readers don’t love it when we cover anything that brushes up against politics, but protests are a part of the urban fabric and pretending they don’t exist would be an omission. 

One thing I think we can all agree upon is that these kids have been through it. They’ve grown up with disruption as a baseline, from the pandemic to pressures around technology and the environment to an increasingly polarized public sphere. 

Apathy is always easier. Seeing these young people move through downtown together, using their voices and exercising their right to peacefully assemble, felt like a small but real reassurance. 

Care

Next I headed to the seventh annual Keep Knoxville Beautiful Summit at the East Tennessee History Center. Themed “Rooted in Place,” it focused on how design can help cities foster connection and a sense of belonging.

I was sorry to have missed the morning sessions but glad to catch the afternoon ones by Wills McAdams from East Tennessee Community Design Center (full disclosure: I may be on the board but also – we really do great work!) and Jon Jon Wesolowski of Chattanooga, also known as The Happy Urbanist, whose anarchy-tinged placemaking philosophies got the whole room fired up. 

About 100 people showed up for the Summit, from City Councilpersons to architecture and planning folks to residents who just deeply care about where they live. I’m grateful for organizations like Keep Knoxville Beautiful who nurture that care. And for IOK readers who bring such energy and passion to conversations about this city’s future. 

Culture

I sat with mom for a couple hours before hitting up the opening reception of Fashioning Ourselves at UT’s McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture. The exhibition features 39 adornments from around the world, examining how clothing and accessories have long been used to express identity, mark life’s milestones, and communicate who we are, often without words.

Museums occupy a rare civic space. They’re places where people still expect to learn and sit with difference (“How museums can help rebuild trust in a divided America,” recently republished by The Washington Post, is a worthwhile read.) They always make me feel small in the best way, reminding me that I’m part of something much older and much larger than myself. I’ll be back with a full story about ‘Fashioning Ourselves” soon.

Connection 

I met Kristi through UT’s student newspaper 25 years ago — she was my first-ever editor — and we quickly became inseparable. Now an award-winning poet and professor (and 2025 East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame inductee!), she’s still my ride-or-die. Whenever she comes into town, it’s on, and Friday night was no exception.

We met at the grand opening of Ricky’s, the cozy new neighborhood bar in Parkridge (I wrote about it here), which was packed. After a round of pickle martinis we headed to Public House for Kid Currys and collard kimchi dogs. Later we stopped by another old favorite, Marie’s. Snow was just beginning to accumulate like a shaken snow globe settling, making everything feel softer around the edges and more quiet. 

I’m thankful for every unremarkable hour I’ve spent sitting at coffee shops and watering holes with friends over the years, having real conversations about real things. Connection is a kind of hope, too. 

Community

There were at least two other events on my calendar—Snow Day, the aptly named CAC Beardsley Community Farm fundraiser at Mill & Mine, and the Maker City Summit Soirée and 10-Year Celebration at Able Trade. But sometimes hard choices must be made, and so we landed at Waynestock.

Proceeds from this year’s WayneStock, held across three nights at The Relix in Happy Holler, benefit Centro Hispano. Alan covered both Thursday and Friday, photographing everything except Friday’s midnight set by Super Bachelor, which I was more than happy to stay up late to shoot. A moody slow burn, they’re one of my favorites. 

It’s heartening to watch Knoxville turn live music into mutual aid and a night out into support for neighbors. Day three of WayneStock was postponed to this Friday, Feb. 6, so if you missed it last week, you’ll get a second chance soon. Keep an eye on social media for updates. We’ll have a full photo gallery next week after its official conclusion, but here’s a preview to tide you over:

When the night wound down, I went home, carrying the day with me. I am grateful to live in a culture-filled city where people show up and care in visible ways. Sometimes that’s enough to get you through the day.