When Will It Be Enough?

A week in which I hit a wall. I’ve been in or near tears daily, my privilege feels repellent, and it all seems so crushing. My anger is close to the surface and I’m beginning to fuel my refusal to give up with spite rather than optimism. And I’m doubling down on that refusal.

Ways I Found Joy This Week

Hosting a girls’ movie night

Joining PEN America in the fight against book banning (you can, too: Don't Censor America - PEN America )

Receiving a copy of the latest book by one of my favorite writer/poets

The pro-democracy protest photos in Robert Hubbell’s Today’s Edition Newsletter (the content of which is also inspiring and informative: Robert B. Hubbell | Substack )

Hearing a rooster crow on a sunrise walk

Adding tinsel to my hair after thinking about it for a year or two

Having a preliminary planning session with my travel companion for the upcoming year

Trying a new yoga-with-sound-bath class

Learning that Minnesota National Guard members were distributing donuts, coffee, and hot chocolate to anti-ICE protesters

Making a delicious meal just for me

Things I Learned This Week

Some introductory birdwatching facts

All about hares (leverets in particular) and how they differ from rabbits

That experts found that travel can result in life changes more quickly than therapy (I definitely found this to be true with daily habits—at a minimum, you’re breaking up your routine and seeing other ways to live)

How to contact the elected officials that (theoretically) represent me (long overdue)

That flamingoes are thought to symbolize balance and stability, beauty and grace, transformation and change, and emotional healing (no wonder I became obsessed with an artist’s representation I stumbled across a few weeks ago and couldn’t move on until I’d purchased a bookmark and laptop sticker so I can see it every day)

That anger at injustice can be a powerful motivator

Quotes That Resonated This Week

“Under Trump, the lies fly so fast and furiously that they are like motes of dust on the top shelf of a college dorm room bookcase—ubiquitous, invisible, and unremarkable.”

Robert Hubbell

“Yet our greatest threat isn’t the outsiders among us, but those among us who never look within.”

Amanda Gorman

What I Watched This Week

Spinal Tap. Brilliantly funny.

Found (Netflix). A bit melodramatic for my taste but I’m invested in the characters and mesmerized by the lead (she’s gorgeous and I’d watch just to see her hairdos and outfits).

Will Trent (Hulu). Went for Betty the chihuahua; stayed for the plot.

What I Read This Week

Mothers and Sons, by Adam Haslett. A thoughtful, emotional examination of the lives of an estranged mother and son and their eventual bid for reconciliation through revisiting the past they’d been avoiding. How could I resist?

The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life, by Simran Jeet Singh. What better time to learn how to turn away from fear, uncertainty, and anger and toward renewal and positive change? Exploring the concepts of chardi kala (“everlasting optimism” or “rising spirits”) and ik oankar (the oneness that connects us all) is soothing and resonant. And the author inspires confidence and rivets attention (mine, anyway) by remaining lighthearted while dealing with a serious subject.

Not Quite Dead Yet, by Holly Jackson. A young woman survives a brutal attack on Halloween night, only to learn that a traumatic brain injury will result in her death within the week. So, she sets out to solve her own murder. In addition to the unusual premise, I love the in-your-face irreverence of Jet, the heroine.

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Thanks for reading!