Some days I sit down to write and have no idea what to say or even what subject matter I want to write about.  All I know is that by Friday I need to have a blog written and edited. 

So I just start writing and wait to see what happens. This is one of those days. Let’s see what is rattling around in my brain…..

When I’m around other people I’ve learned to listen carefully to the whole thought they are trying to communicate. Often times they need to communicate their frustration or other emotion and don’t need me to solve anything for them. What they need and want is confirmation that their feelings are valid.

So Monday night during a meeting and discussion of how to keep going in the midst of uncertainty and an inability to continue to be creative, I wanted to make everyone feel better and fix their pain and frustration. I’m a caregiver and healer. It is ingrained in me to quickly assess the problem and carry out treatment. Which is fine in a medical emergency, but not so good in an open personal discussion.

As I write this I realize I wasn’t paying attention to the emotion and validating the frustration that was palpable that night.  Although the intention of the meeting seemed to be to come up with a recipe for moving on and accomplishing the work that wasn’t getting done, the unspoken need was for validation, voicing common fears, concerns, and coping mechanisms.

So when I offered practices to try, I felt like I was saying something wrong. It has bothered me all week. The problem was that I was working off an agenda that was no longer valid. Personal needs were more important and I missed the cues.

What is this thing in me that wants everyone around me to be healthy and happy? It isn’t realistic. Life is hard. We are being bombarded with angry and hateful remarks. Some values that we hold dear have been taken away. There is a written plan to wall off the borders and impose a dictatorship. 

There is a war that is killing innocent children just because they live on a strip of land that has been fought over since biblical times. 

The gender of athletes taking part in the Olympic Games is being questioned, instead of celebrating their wins and athletic ability. 

In my state fires are raging and eating up the forests I love and have visited for more than 60 years. They are killing the massive trees that have stood there for hundreds of years, destroying the tree canopy that filters not only the sun, but also the air.  

It is so easy to get caught up in not only my own fears and failures, but also the uncertainty of the quality of life I have taken for granted my whole life. When I lived in South America, I saw poverty for the first time. I saw it again in rural Alabama when we would drive from Auburn to Huntsville. I also have seen the impact of racism. The hatred of another human simply because their appearance is different. I lived on the reservation across town, and while my neighborhood was very upper middle class, I drove daily through the neighborhoods of the people who were forced onto that land. I saw hopelessness and desperation in their eyes.

If we don’t pay attention over the next weeks, if we don’t actively work to elect those people who want to improve the lives and preserve the hopes and dreams of every person living in this country, that desperation will be our own. 

Hatred and anger is a disease. It is contagious. We saw it at the republican convention. It was like a fever. Grown people began to wear ear patches. Their eyes glassy with adoration of promises for a new land that removes the promises declared in our constitution. 

Our children and grandchildren are counting on us to fight for the America they were born into. Where they attend schools that teach a truthful history, and allow open discussions about the mistakes we have made in order to avoid repeating them. They deserve the right to worship in the way they choose, to have friends with varied backgrounds, to be able to freely choose who they love. They deserve whatever physical and mental health procedures they need to be able to live the life that honors who they were created to be.

As adults we have the responsibility to think outside ourselves and our own personal agendas. I do not have the right to force my beliefs on someone else. I have a responsibility to encourage all individuals to follow their own path, as long as they respect the same rights of those around them. 

We have not yet learned to treat all people equally. I believe our law enforcement still has work to do in moving beyond profiling and responding with respect and care to each person they interact with. We need to work to ensure that weapons stay out of the hands of children and anyone with anger and mental health issues. 

We need national healthcare. Every citizen should have an equal right to the same level of expertise and treatment. Mental and physical health is a basic human right. 

We need to feel safe in our homes and communities. Safe to speak truthfully, to worship in a manner we choose, to express thoughts and beliefs without fear of any negative consequences. Safe to congregate in celebration in large groups without fear of gunfire. That should be true all across the nation, in all cities, towns, and villages. 

I certainly had some things in my head today.

It’s time for lunch….