Final night time, the boys and I fell asleep at 10 p.m. with out but understanding who received the election. Anton needed to sleep in my mattress. At 3 a.m., I wakened with a begin, checked my telephone, and wept. The outcomes weren’t good — particularly for girls, immigrants, LGBT+ people, the checklist goes on and on.
I thought of what to write down in a submit at present. Decide-me-ups? Motion gadgets? A second of silence? It’s arduous to know what to say. What sort phrases have you ever been saying to your folks and kids? Your personal pretty face within the mirror?
One factor that provides me hope is remembering who we’re. The pictures above present 16 Cup of Jo readers — joyful, caring, humorous, whip good — and there are 1,000,000 extra of us. 1,000,000 extra! Good males, considerate girls, good youngsters, and giggly kids are throughout us and aren’t going anyplace. And that goodness provides up. “There’s no single reply that can remedy all of our future issues,” wrote Octavia E. Butler. “There’s no magic bullet. As an alternative there are literally thousands of solutions — not less than. You may be one in all them in case you select to be.”
This election will not be the tip of the story. Despite the fact that this nation voted for Trump — such a deep and crushing heartbreak — we’re nonetheless shifting ahead. Wrote Maya Angelou: “We might encounter many defeats, however we should not be defeated. It could even be essential to encounter the defeat, in order that we are able to know who we’re. In order that we are able to see, oh, that occurred, and I rose. I did get knocked down flat in entrance of the entire world, and I rose. I didn’t run away – I rose proper the place I’d been knocked down.”
Should you really feel overwhelmed at present, consider small issues you are able to do for now, neighbors you possibly can assist, family members you possibly can textual content. Bear in mind the starfish story? 1000’s of starfish had been washed up on a seaside after a storm. Just a little boy was throwing them again into the water, one after the other. An outdated man noticed him and stated, “You’ll by no means be capable of save all of them; you received’t make an actual distinction.” The boy picked up a starfish and stated, “I made a distinction to this one.”
Right here’s a to-do checklist from illustrator Sophie Lucido Johnson:
Sending the largest hug to anybody who wants one, and a lot love, as at all times. xoxo And in case you’d like and are in a position, please be part of us in donating to organizations doing nice work. Cup of Jo is donating $5,000 to every of two organizations, one small, one giant: Ruth’s Refuge, which gives dwelling furnishings and different necessities to refugees, asylees and asylum seekers in New York Metropolis; and the ACLU, which defends the rights of all individuals nationwide (together with reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, prisoners’ rights, our proper to vote, and way more). Dangle in there, buddies; we’re all right here. xo
(Octavia E. Butler quote through Corinne Fay.)
