Anyone else have that notable Dickensian quote ringing in their ears?
“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.”
There is a lot of evidence to suggest we are in the homestretch of this pandemic. And, the end of it is still months away. And I don’t know about you all, but I have felt a surprising resurgence in my general anxiety and despair.
There are people I love who are partially or fully vaccinated, and there are people I love who are sick with COVID right now. I’m told it’s very likely schools can safely fully reopen in the fall, and I’m still moving my kids through virtual school and loneliness and everything feeling overwhelming to them. We have found ways to connect and reconnect over the Internet during this time, and we still can’t hug the people we love. Theoretically most of us will be vaccinated by July in Massachusetts, and many have started or are considering double-masking because of that new strain that’s hopping about. (That will be covered by the vaccine. That most of us don’t have yet.)
But it doesn’t end there. We have a new president, who was inaugurated after a seditious attack. More white people are freely saying, “Black Lives Matter,” and a Black man in Milton was killed by a white man while the white man shouted a racial slur. Friends in our social media feeds proclaim the power of love, and conversion therapy. The Americans with Disabilities Act is over 30 years old, and schools and other public buildings are still not in compliance. The meds are working, and the dose is still wrong. Children grow up hearing how parents love them at school, and go home to abuse and neglect.
There is hope. And there is understandable distrust of that hope.
If you’re holding any of that right now, I’m holding it with you. It might be just safe enough to move a portion of the way through the personal and collective traumas we’ve been holding. It’s ok if it feels worse now. It’s ok if you don’t believe the good that’s coming because of the suck that’s happening today, or has happened before. You’re not being dramatic or a buzzkill; you’re healing, and that deserves some space.
Hang in there. The only way out is through. ❤️ - M
Here are three things we’re doing to fight systemic injustice this week. As always, we invite you to join us.
Hey! Have you listened to playlist. #notarecord yet? If not, we assume it’s because you don’t know where to find it. FEAR NOT! You can stream our #notarecord on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Napster, Amazon Music, Google Play ... you name it, it’s there. You can also buy it on Bandcamp!
Last Friday our SpotiFriday LIVE theme was “places we want to go.” You can rewatch Dann’s half and Mary’s half — this time both completely free of sexual harassment! — then check out the companion playlist below.
We’ll see you this Friday at 6 pm ET on Facebook for some songs about art. 🎨
Peace,
3@H