Happy Friday!
Four days to go and I can’t recall a time in my life when I have felt this depth of anxiety and fear. We all sit on the precipice of a world that will soon shift; either upward or downward and we can’t know until we are thrust into a new reality that half of us won’t want. I live on the edge of my seat, begging myself to think positively, but my spirit resists. I have been hurt before. We live on pins and needles in our homes, the sacred spaces that have held us and our fears for nine contemplative months. We have lost friends and family members to death or division. We have lost jobs, businesses and careers. It feels like this is the worst it can ever be, while others say, the worst has just begun. How do we keep going?
This is not a question. It’s a must. We must keep going.
If you are in need of something to soothe your anxiety. I urge you to do this: Pull out a pen and write a list. Title it:
What will be left of me after the election, no matter the outcome.
Here’s mine:
Me.
My home.
My son.
My spouse.
My friends.
My work.
My love.
A stubborn belief in human beings and their potential for growth.
My meditation practice.
Music and laughter.
My faith that all humans have the same basic needs.
My understanding that hatred is just fear.
Perceiving that my own fear is just love (for things most meaningful to me.)
Acceptance that everyone is entitled to love (for whatever is meaningful to them.)
The reluctant truth that we don’t have to love the same things.
Not letting other’s fear chase me away from being myself.
My ability to stand amidst chaos and hatred.
My faith that chaos and hatred eventually burn out.
Awareness of my surroundings so that I remain safe.
Confidence that I belong. Conviction that “they” do, too.
Pride in who I am.
My daily ritual of praying, hoping, thinking, wishing and writing peace into existence.
The promise that the sun will still rise.
The ability to repeat: Be still and know that I am.
Leaving you with stillness and knowing.