An offering

Here is a collection of lovely things that have been helping me through the past few days. Some of them make me cry (the Gloria quote set me off right away) but all make me a bit more hopeful for the future.

This piece by Lindy West:

“The fact that we lost doesn’t make us wrong; the fact that they don’t believe in us doesn’t make us disappear.”

Gloria Steinem’s real talk:

“The truth has been revealed. The next few years are going to be hell. However, we know from family violence – the paradigm of all violence that isn’t in self-defense – that the most dangerous time is the moment just before or just after escape. This is when a person is most likely to be beaten or killed because she or he is escaping control.” 

These words of encouragement from H, much braver than her 20-years on this earth might suggest:

This letter from fictional Parks & Recreation character Leslie Knope:

“The point of the lesson is: people are unpredictable, and democracy is insane.”

And this gem of a feel-good story.

Take care of yourselves and look out for others. We don’t all have the privilege to distract ourselves with Netflix or walk down the street undisturbed right now. I won’t link to some of the truly awful reports of physical and verbal abuse that women and men in this country have been subjected to by Trump supporters (we know they are Trump supporters because they have loudly declared themselves) over the past few days, but it’s happening. And my heart breaks for them. For us.

So take a long nap. Or march in the streets. Or watch cat videos on YouTube. Whatever you need to do right now.

But!

We have to keep moving, even as our hearts are heavy.

Maybe we are about to be free. 

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