It seems like everyone is holding their breath today, as if we're standing on tiptoe at the edge of a cliff. I'm also holding my breath, so I don't have a lot of words at the moment—but I do know what I'm feeling. I am more connected to myself, my community, and to a greater good than I was on Election Eve four years ago.
I know what I'm seeing in this community too. We are collectively smarter and more aware of our own blindspots. We are more forgiving of our bodies and more generous with ourselves and others—especially when we're able to admit that we don't know how to fix something and are willing to listen and learn. We've grown closer and more resilient.
Standing on the Mall in Washington D.C. at the Women's March in January 2017, Gloria Steinem, Alicia Keys, Angela Davis, America Ferrera, the moms of innocent people lost to police violence, and many others told us from the stage: Don't let today be your last day of speaking out. Let it be one day in a lifetime of standing up for what is right. Many of us were just starting to awaken that day while others had spent their entire lives fighting for justice.
But wherever we started, here we are now—all of us—from church ladies to drag queens, immigrants to "suburban moms". We kept showing up, not just at protests, but in conversations with our neighbors and families, in the media we have created and consumed, in donations and volunteer hours, and—most importantly—in the voting booth.
I am overwhelmed by the love and kindness that has rooted us together and bound us in common cause: Respect, Decency, Justice, Equality. Whatever happens this week, I have faith in us. We're not going anywhere. Come what may, we've got each other's backs.
That's something to be grateful for, and I'll be hanging onto it—tightly—as news rolls in over the coming days.
In solidarity,
Sarah
This is a sneak peek into the artwork by Penelope Dullaghan that shows up throughout The Habit Trip. It's from a chapter called Emergency Plan. I've written before about identifying the reinforcements that keep you stable when things seem out of control. Whatever awaits at the bottom of this particular cliff, your reinforcements are there to help you bounce—your people, places, ways of moving and feeding your body, your work, creativity, and voice—especially if you know, in advance, which ones are easiest to grab in the middle of the tumble.
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