Life Preservers
My family is going through a season of transition. Just in our immediate family I am retiring and our son is changing jobs, cities, and states as well as completing his MBA studies. In our extended family we are celebrating births, weddings, and other job transitions as well as coping with grief and illness. Mix into that the ongoing crises and chaos caused by the Epstein class and the incompetent subset currently in charge of the United States and it is no wonder that we all struggle with daily life. Sometimes daily life is struggle enough in this late-stage capitalism hellscape where more and more working class families are finding themselves priced out of cars let alone homes and my ability to retire with a pension is both a privilege and a rarity rather than simply the just reward for a life of work and service.
I saw a social media post this week that reminded me that while we cannot change the world or solve its problems, we can do small things that can have an impact. We can throw out one life preserver to keep one person afloat so they can rest, so they can breathe, so they do not drown. That life preserver can be something as helpful and tangible as a donation of food or time at the local food pantry or a prayer offered at church or while doing your dishes. But I also know that as much as the monsters ruining our country and our economy would like to grind us all beneath their boots we must resist by continuing to dream and to create so I ask you:
Finding joy and escape through the arts is an act of resistance. Sharing the books, the movies and television shows, that remind us of our humanity and the beauty of the world are acts of resistance. Sharing our humanity through making is an act of resistance. Check out what I am watching, reading, and making here but for this post I will just mention Project Hail Mary. I went into the theater knowing very little and I’m glad that I made the time to go while it was still on the big screen. The movie was a wonderful escape from the world, made me feel better about the future of humanity, and gave me some hope for the future of the movie industry. Those are three good reasons to watch! I also fervently believe that sharing and writing poetry are lifesaving acts. Rebel Cartographer Ann Haney recently shared a poem (A Litany for Survival) by a poet I have long loved (Audre Lorde). Where do you find inspiration, rebellion, and/or preservation?
Image by Carlos Alcazar from Pixabay
