MLK
The irony of defeat
I know what you’re thinking. It’s a week before MLK day. It’s too early to observe/celebrate. (I know, you’re thinking everyday is MLK day) The problem for me is that it is also, quite unfortunately, the day of the inauguration for a flaming racist who is inciting violence against people of color all over the US and the world. So, I’m conflicted, obviously. If you’ve been following this newsletter for any amount of time, you might have surmised that I’m virulently opposed to tyranny in any form, so this creates a problem for me. No, maybe not a problem. It’s more akin to an existential crisis.
It’s not that this is a sudden phenomena. Ever since the events of the first week of November transpired, I have found myself in a constant state of anxiety, mixed with deep despair, combined with a layering of dread, and compounded by a belief that the worst is yet to come. So, as you might expect, I’ve had to do some strategizing.
I have been strategizing how to help others, but also, how to get out of bed in the morning. I’ve been strategizing how to get through the next 24 hours, let alone the next four years. I’ve been strategizing how to stand in my truth while living with my terror. I’ve had my hands full to say the least.
What Have I Done?
I have put myself first. In all things. I can only help others if I give myself the space and time I need to heal. I’m involved in three support groups of varying size and strategy. I’m checking in with friends on a more regular basis. I’m putting my creative endeavors at the very beginning of the day, and if I can swing it, at the end of the day as well so that I might rest when I lay my head upon my enormous pillow. I’m searching my feelings for the answers to my prayers. I’m doing the work of loving my enemies. I have slowed my life down so that I might breathe in the moments that pass before they fade into history. Today I looked at the moon and saw hope. Believe it or not, there it was, enveloped in a soft halo floating around the golden white orb in the night sky. It was a miraculous vision, and it reminded me that all is not lost.
It’s nice to know that even though it feels like the world is on fire and shit is dying, melting, or blowing up, the moon is still beautiful and it hasn’t given up on us yet.
THINGS I LOVE
McDonald’s hit its peak in 1995 and has been on a downward trajectory since then
Don’t let the bastards get you down.
Sara