…and this is only the beginning…
If you’re like many people I know, you took a break from the news after the disastrous election we had last week. You have probably returned to the news only to start seeing what is ahead of us over the next four to eight years. Although many people feel overwhelmed, sad, and in despair, I do think it is important for us to stay in touch with what’s going on in the world today. Where do we as spiritual travelers go from here?
One thought that continues to float through my mind is something Senator Cory Booker said after the last debacle of an election. He said, “No one can steal my joy.” Based on a biblical verse (John 16:22), this phrase is something I think all of us can grab onto right now.
For those who think this is Pollyanna, glass-half-full nonsense, okay. I get that. However, we about to face some difficult times, some of us more than others. I have been around the circle of emotions. I have felt anger at my fellow citizens who made errors in judgement by voting for a convicted felon to hold the highest office in the land, if not the world. How could they be so blind? Why didn’t they pay attention to what their vote would mean?
As an aside, when I was general manager of a retirement/assisted living/dementia facility, I would not have been able to hire DT for any staff position, even as a waiter in our dining room. He would not have passed our background check! Imagine how I feel knowing this and then seeing the American people hire him to lead the free world! It boggles my mind. How can they be so out of touch with reality?
As I watch the people he is putting in various government positions, I continue to feel dismay. What a mess we have on our hands. How am I handling this so I don’t fall into despair or let it affect my daily life. How do I keep these people from stealing my joy? Here’s what I’m doing.
First, I’m being sure I keep lots of my favorite activities front and center in my life. This includes meditation and prayer, but also big doses of time spent drawing and playing with watercolor projects. I sit outside with my Corgi and enjoy the unrelenting sunshine we have in Phoenix! I enjoy spending time with my spouse being sure to keep the laughter and light-heartedness going. We even started watching Modern Family from the beginning again because that show makes us laugh and remember what’s important.
Second, I trust the Universe, Divine Mother, that she is in charge and knows how this will all work out because it will. Some days it’s difficult to see where we’re going and feels like we’ve fallen into a black hole. Then I remind myself who’s in charge and turn everything over. I remember I’m not responsible for carrying the world on my shoulders. Being trusting doesn’t mean I act in stupid ways. I do my part while also remembering others have their parts to play. No one can steal my joy!
Lastly, I do whatever I can to help. I share my thoughts here and hope to provide some uplifting messages for others. I sign online proposals that resonate with me and, of course, I will continue to vote whenever I can. I email my representatives and let my thoughts and positions be known to them. I stay engaged without letting myself feel hopeless.
Hopefully, some of this has been helpful to you. Please share your thoughts in the comments section. Maybe you’ll have some ideas others will like to read!
In case you missed it the other day, here’s my little home movie showing my 2025 wall calendar. It’s 12 of my abstract landscapes with an intention for each month. People say they love looking at the various doodles and colors. Here’s the video.
Living in grace and ease,
Krysta
Excellent treatise, Krysta. I agree down the line., Here are some suggestions for fun and laughter that we've found. We've always enjoyed reading out loud to each other. Recent choices: all 14 of the OZ books which have hilarious jokes as written in a time much like this one. L. Frank Baum let's readers know his opinions on life and certain personality traits. For example, the head professor is called The Highly Magnified Wogglebug (a bug that learned everything by being in a classroom and was then put under a microscope to become larger. Baum frequently barbs people who think they know everything. OZ books are NOT really children's books. Currently, we're reading Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. Everything is terrible at Cold Comfort (near the town of Howling) as shown by the names given to the animals: Travail and Arsenic are the two I just recalled. The family all believe they are under a curse and say so frequently. Into this dances a remotely related young woman whose nature is to be tidy and to fix things. It's Pythonesque humor indeed and there are two movies of it as well as the book. On the other side, hubby and I have found ourselves embracing true stories that are about people who have survived some of the worst conditions ever. So "The Raft" by Trumbull follows the 34 days WWII soldiers spend in a 4-by-8-foot raft that lost its supplies when inflated upside down. The ways they coped, including how they kept their spirits up are fascinating and encouraging...IF THEY CAN DO IT...SO CAN WE. The movie of this is called "Against the Sun" as that was their worst enemy. We've re-read the book 3 times and watched the movie 3 times. We also watched the film about the large ship that was trapped in ice in the Arctic. The story also shows the incredible methods people find to survive and to keep morale up against all odds. Both stories show the value of strong and compassionate leaders and strong and imaginative workers. "Thunder on the Left" is another book that emphasizes the humor in marital ups and downs. For me Cold Comfort and Thunder on the Left are especially precious as my mother had wanted me to read them but I hadn't done that during her life. A friendly hand from beyond the grave, so to speak in Cold Comfort terms. :-) We too are watching old tv shows and Married with Children is one. We use "Father Ted" (British) to fall asleep, and it IS quite the funny stories of 3 clergymen living on a small Irish island. Beyond these, I've been playing "dress-up" most days...going through all my clothes and finding entertaining outfits. Yesterday, three people complimented my entirely purple choices. I talk to everyone I can in stores...make jokes, give compliments, etc. A wave of joy seems to be part of having at least gotten to and through the voting process without another Jan 6th.
It's interesting to me that the US is regarded as the most powerful country on the planet & a pillar of democracy yet our Constitution allows a convicted felon to not only run for office but become President. In many states felons are not allowed to vote! Many other countries revise their Constitutions every few years but ours seems to be set in stone esp. when related to gun ownership. 235 yrs ago there was no concept of automatic weapons.
Having said that, for me it's easier to choose joy rather than despair when I know DT is just a tiny blip in the greater scheme of things. There is a higher divine order I have to trust even though I have no idea how things are going to transpire during this massive shift of consciousness we are experiencing now. But I do know the old top down systems/paradigms are not sustainable & that includes a corrupted financial industry, govt. & political system. We are moving into a reversal of the top down patriarchal system so that is good news even though we are in the last gasp phase of it bringing out extremes. Maybe a DT presidency will assist us in shifting faster to the place we want to be that works for all not just the wealthy privileged classes?