My goodness. I’ve had a rough weekend. I’m guessing maybe a lot of you have, too? I mean, I knew these were going to be rough days. But I was definitely not prepared for . . . The All Of It.
So I decided to write you all a tiny note with a big message. . .
And to share a link.
I am working hard to avoid screens and social media right now (and I’m mostly succeeding but not entirely). But this morning I read a post by Susie Middleton, someone I follow and support on Substack, and it is so eloquently written that I decided to share it with you all, too.
The post is titled On the Far Side of Revenge: or how to hold a candle while the fire wants to burn . . . and it expresses my feelings better than I have been able to express them on my own.
It’s not a post about politics, per se.
It’s not a call to action either, exactly.
It’s more an expression of personal outrage.
And how to go on . . . given that personal outrage.
And I think it’s worth reading.
(And if not today, maybe some other day . . . when you’re up to it.)
Susie has made this post available to all readers, so you don’t have to have a paid subscription to read the entire article (although only paid subscribers may comment, which is fair).
Hang in there, my friends.
Breathe.
Thanks for that article. All I can say is a resounding YES to all that she says.
I have never had high blood pressure, but I monitor it regularly because at my age, it is self care. Well….now I’m wondering if I need to see the dr. about my blood pressure….Just in the past two weeks.
Thank you for the article, and for the reminder to breathe. I don’t think I can ever be reminded too many times that I need to breathe!
Thanks for the link to the article. I imagine Susie will make me feel better than Heather Cox Richardson has! At least we have each other and we can commiserate together.
I realize that Chaos is a Feature, not a bug and it is hard to know what to focus on with the tsunami of chaos, but yeah, I have had a rough weekend. Sleep has been elusive… very elusive. My stomach is one large knot of stress… (and it was having issues before the 20th but since then… oy… even worse.) I read something that gave me a plan for the current reality – a congress that is complicit due to their silence? Any way… I have set up my house representative and my two absolutely worthless senators in my contacts and I will be calling them daily. You know what they say about a squeaky wheel… well, I plan on become the biggest, squeakiest wheel in their district. I will at least make phone calls until that point that I know that we are no longer a democracy (we are very close to that fact…yes, but I will be calling.) There is comfort in knowing that there are some… not all… but absolutely some, who are as upset as I am. May we continue to be a support for each other. XO
Thank you for sharing this, Kym. I found myself nodding along, a lot. We know That Guy was going to at least try to do all of this; what I didn’t expect is that he’d be enabled by so many without a second thought. I am at least glad to know that I have friends who are feeling the same way and I am not alone in my outrage and my despair.
Thank you for sharing this. You’re right – this so accurately describes how I feel. I have sent it to a couple friends who I know feel the same.
Thank you so much for sharing this, Kym. I will be going back and re-reading Susie’s words again and again. It’s a terrible time.
Thank you for your message and the link. Like Kat, I’ve contacted the senators that represent me (or in my case – don’t) in email. I read something that Anne Lamott posted somewhere – “Left foot, Right foot, breathe.” I haven’t been sleeping well and have been in a very dark place.
Thanks for the link Kym. She states so clearly what I feel (and have been feeling). Like Valerie, my blood pressure has been steadily rising (and I do NOT watch the news or look at social media). Frightening times.
Thanks, Kym.
Oh, man, thanks for that!! I’ve saved that & will be rereading.
(I know Susie Middleton because of her Crispy Smashed Roasted Potatoes, which have been a favorite around here for over a decade. I have at least one of her cookbooks, too.)