Dances Joy and Weeps Grief
"Out of no way, we will make a way." John Lewis
This morning smells of damp earth, as a heavy drizzle thickens the air. The apple trees with their ripening fruit are almost singing with joy from the moisture. Tiger the cat complains a little as he prefers sunshine and warmth. Even so, he asks me to go outside with him anyway because it is morning and the day calls.
Yesterday, under a gray sky, I went into the ocean feeling like a veggie sausage stuffed into a neoprene suit (to keep me warm-ish) as the waves crashed over me. I love the feeling of getting knocked around a little bit even as my feet stay planted in the sand. I go in with friends, and we remember our resilience and courage together.
So much is wrong with this world. I don't think that I need to list the problems - I am certain that you know what is happening. I can't figure out a solution to this pickle that we are in. Hopelessness and outrage are compelling. Everyone seems to have very well-thought-out opinions and solutions. Certainty (even the certainty that it is all hopeless) is seductive, bringing with it a false sense of security. It is like my feet on the sandy floor of the ocean with all the force of the Pacific Ocean crashing over me.
The thing is, the mind mostly can't figure out a new way of living as it thrives on absolutes and abstractions. And as impossible as it sometimes seems, the body can and does carry us through to the other side.
It dances joy and weeps grief.
Life was never certain and we humans have been loving-living-creating anyway. We have been through war and famine. Floods and pandemics. We must. We must live into a new way of being in this world with respect and peace at the foundation. No is a complete sentence.
It's not over yet. Gather your courage and if you can't find your courage, borrow some from me, from your friends, from John Lewis, from Thich Nhat Hahn, from Tiger the cat, from the trees, from the ocean. Let's turn towards each other because the waves are crashing, and it is easier to stay standing shoulder to shoulder. Refuse the allure of hopelessness. We can make our way together, moving towards freedom.
“We all recognize the fact that if any radical social, political and economic changes are to take place in our society, the people, the masses, must bring them about. In the struggle, we must seek more than civil rights; we must work for the community of love, peace and true brotherhood. Our minds, souls and hearts cannot rest until freedom and justice exist for all people.” John Lewis