… breathing through our collective layers of heartbreak.
It’s a day like none before. And yet, the sun has risen again and here in Oregon the air is crisp, the sky is blue. I wonder if there is enough soup, or music, or poetry to comfort this quaking body. I’m not sure. And yet I continue to breathe, my legs carry me to the kitchen for tea and back to my keyboard. I am not completely numb. And I am not blind. Maybe I will learn to see in the dark before it’s all over. Maybe we all will.
A couple of posts ago I said I didn’t pivot as quickly or as gracefully as I used to. Today is proof of that as I take time to just “be” with the reality of what feels like the saddest of days. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt the need to curl up in a fetal position, buried under the blankets. But before I do that, I wanted to reach out with these tired arms that are still strong enough for hugging to invite you to breathe with me through our collective layers of heartbreak and, as is my habit, to steer you in the direction of a few (IMHO) more graceful pivoters than I.
First … in his article for The Atlantic, titled “Trump has won, but Democracy is not over”, Tom Nichols reminds us that we have every right to feel appalled and frightened. BUT THEN we have work to do. He invokes Winston Churchill, who said “this is not the end or the beginning of the end; it is the end of the beginning”.
Then there is today’s “Resistance Live” with ECM (Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin) who always manages to make sense to me. Here’s a link.
From my fellow ‘aging rascal’, Garrison Keillor, who not only pivoted quickly but pulled no punches this morning when he said “The beauty of being on the losing side is that there is no shame. Kamala Harris was a serious and tireless candidate who ran a heroic campaign and spoke about the real world … ”
It was good to read after hearing this from last night’s self-declared winner: “We’ve been through so much together, and today you showed up in record numbers to deliver a victory. This was something special and we’re going to pay you back,” Ah yes, let there be no doubt … he will pay us back.
BUT FINALLY, THERE IS THIS:
Time now for my 20 minutes of fetal position. As the late RBG said with such eloquence: Tonight we grieve, tomorrow we fight … and we never stop, because as Kamala has said repeatedly … When we love something we fight for it.
Sending Love,
Sulima
Thank you. When the grieving is done there is work to be done. Seems overwhelming today, but there is hope . Appreciate your words and the links.
First, we rest (in any position), then we regroup, and finally we carry on. With our VP, we concede this election, but not the fight for all we hold dear.
With loving kindness, compassion, equanimity, and joy. Love to all.