Well, believers in justice and civility got sucker punched again this weekend. So I'm writing to offer evidence of the "Mueller report brownies" that I baked up last night to sooth my scattered nerves. (Yes, I licked the bowl, and, yes, I loved it.) Baked goods are a solid resource in my first line of defense.
This past weekend's spin from Attorney General Barr, following so closely on the heels of the heartbreaking news from New Zealand last week, were threatening to send me into a tailspin—when a reader bolstered my spirits by sending my own words back to me on Instagram:
Thank you, @onestepclosertomermaidom! I needed to revisit that message. I forget frequently that our bodies make all of our magnificent mischief possible, so it helps to be reminded.
Wellness (as defined by me the day after the Mueller report) included brownies. It also included fresh air and back yard soccer in the wet grass with my kid and a fashion forward friend of mine who was sporting fuzzy slippers and a ski parka in 65-degree weather. And best of all, it included the afterglow of rescuing two baby bunnies we found homeless and hungry on our front porch. (Shout out to Walden's Puddle Wildlife Center!)
It might feel like we're all in the weeds here, and, in truth, we are. But we've been in the weeds for a long time now. Apparently, we're going to be here for a while, so I'm climbing up on my little blade of grass this spring and looking around at the progress we've made: the fierce progressive women (and men) who were elected to office in 2018, the growing diversity finally starting to show up in advertising and entertainment, and the countless friendships I've forged in the last few years in literary and social justice circles... ALL of which are the result of the jackass in the White House.
I hope you are taking time and paying attention today, this week, and this whole insane decade to what wellness means for you and to feeding yourself whatever you need... sleep, sunlight, exercise, creativity, food, and friendship. Our bodies are at the axis of our experience of being alive. Shake, wiggle, and roll, but whatever you do, don't abandon yourself. There are bunnies (and humans) in need of your help... and they are just precious enough to make you crack a smile.
- Sarah