If This News Cycle Is Getting To You
Come sit down with me.
In just the last 24 hours, we’ve seen a mass shooting in the college town of Lewiston Maine (home to Bates College, my father's alma mater). And we've seen a staunch election denier and insurrection-supporter who is opposed to same-sex marriage and wants to ban abortion in all instances get voted in as Speaker of the House of Representatives (aka "The People's House").
It’s rational to feel scared.
We’re playing the long game with guns and elections, human rights, Democracy and America. We’re demanding better of the most sentient beings on planet Earth. This is the work of lifetimes.
Much is wrong, yes, but you are in charge of yourself, and also, you are a warm glowing light in this storm.
So, do your work. And also, bring your joy. Celebrate good things. Keep your spirit high.
Remember that kindness and gratitude are your superpowers, so pour them into every cup you see. It’s not everything, but in moments like this when your amygdala is on fire with fight or flight, offering kindness and gratitude is a surprisingly satisfying alternative.
Humans around you need you to be exquisitely beautifully human right now.
Go, human. Be.
xo
🤗 Here’s a hug for all the people holding space for other humans right now.
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Yes, Julie, I do think that I'm in charge of yourself.
Weirdly, if I don't feel my life's working at some stage, it is rarely because the news cycle is getting to me. I think that everything in my life is in order at least during this month though.
Thank you again for your words. My amygdala is certainly activated. I’m scared, anxious, devastated and feel a moral obligation not to look away. Bit not looking away has also left me feeling depleted and hopeless. And I know those emotions help no one. To see your reminder of the resilience to be found in small acts of kindness and joy, when I have resisted my reminders of the same...just needed that today.