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The world seems topsy-turvy, inside-out these days.
And not in a fun, whimsical, Alice in Wonderland-type way. (Although I desperately wish this was all a fairytale fever dream we could wake up from).
I was just mentioning to a co-worker and dear friend that the universe feels upside-down, like so many awful and scary things keep happening.
Some are happening on a personal level: accidents and deaths and transitions and illness and loss and pain and big moves and small hurts and finding ways to let go of what we can’t let go of.
And some are happening on a global level: dictatorships and gross incompetence and radical hate and dangerous lies and xenophobia and discrimination and watching everything we once believed in be trampled by a group of idiots who are only out for themselves.
It’s honestly too much some days. Most days.
But mixed in with all the topsy-turvy, upside-down madness of it all is…our life. And even when it feels unnatural to be running errands and going grocery shopping and making summer plans and binge-watching the latest season of “White Lotus,” here we are.
Living our lives.
Caring for our families.
Making plans.
Celebrating holidays.
Enjoying nature.
Boycotting and speaking up.
Laughing and crying and feeling it all.
Because in order to fight the fever dream that is our current reality, we have to take a momentary break from the ugly and remember all the things that are worth fighting for.
This quote from writer and activist Rebecca Solnit came across my timeline this morning and it was the spark of hope I needed to get me through another day in the upside-down:
“They want you to feel powerless and to surrender and to let them trample everything and you are not going to let them.
You are not giving up, and neither am I. The fact that we cannot save everything does not mean we cannot save anything and everything we can save is worth saving.
You may need to grieve or scream or take time off, but you have a role no matter what, and right now good friends and good principles are worth gathering in. Remember what you love. Remember what loves you. Remember in this tide of hate what love is. The pain you feel is because of what you love…
There is no alternative to persevering, and that does not require you to feel good. You can keep walking whether it’s sunny or raining.
Take care of yourself and remember that taking care of something else is an important part of taking care of yourself, because you are interwoven with the ten trillion things in this single garment of destiny that has been stained and torn, but is still being woven and mended and washed.”
~
author: Nicole Cameron
Image: giuliajrosa/Instagram
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